[JayCeee]

So having heard from all my unis, it is time for me to choose which uni(s) to finalise. However, I'm stuck between which one to choose (for maths) between Warwick and UCL.
My main concern is which uni has the better reputation, and which one will be more attractive to employers (I guess that's why most of us go to uni haha); and I'm sure both unis will be equally as enjoyable in their own respects.

Having looked at global and national rankings, UCL seems to be clear winner overall (being in the top 20 of global universities) however for maths, Warwick seems to be the higher of the two.

So I'm really not sure which one I should choose...if anyone is/has been faced with a similar dilemma, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts
Thanks!

[nuodai]

You really shouldn't be deciding based on reputation since they're both really good and because the difference between living in London and living in Coventry/Leamington Spa is huge -- you should decide which one you're more suited to.

If you really think this doesn't make a difference to you, then the answer to your question really depends on what you want to do with your degree. If you see yourself going into academia (masters, PhD, etc) then Warwick is probably a better option -- at the very least, the lecturers at Cambridge talk about Warwick as their strongest 'competition', as it were. If you see yourself doing something less directly mathematical (e.g. finance) then UCL might be a better bet.

But they're both amazing, and I can think of twenty better criteria to choose from than their reputations, which are both great.

[Venomilys]

don't listen to global rankings or even general rankings; concern yourself with the reputation of the individual department.

However choosing a university based only on reputation is a bad idea, I've seen someone who had his heart set on Warwick maths and then he immediately changed his mind after visiting Coventry he described the city as a cesspit of chavs/crappiness etc.

But yeah... if you want to be like that and go for rep/prospects alone then Warwick over UCL anyday.

[JayCeee]

@nuodai and Ilyas: yeah, I mean I live on the edge of London, so you could say I've had a taste of the countryside as well as the more populated city life, and to be honest, I feel I can fit in both situations. Plus, having visited both unis, I can't really find anything I don't particularly like in terms of the location. (And I've had my encounters with chavs etc. haha so I guess I'm pretty much used to it!)

Nonetheless, I guess at the moment, my intentions are more towards a financial career, rather than one in research or academia, and so I'm just interested as to which one of the two unis would be more attractive to employers, or give me a greater chance of landing a good finance job.

[Noble.]

(Original post by JayCeee)
@nuodai and Ilyas: yeah, I mean I live on the edge of London, so you could say I've had a taste of the countryside as well as the more populated city life, and to be honest, I feel I can fit in both situations. Plus, having visited both unis, I can't really find anything I don't particularly like in terms of the location. (And I've had my encounters with chavs etc. haha so I guess I'm pretty much used to it!)

Nonetheless, I guess at the moment, my intentions are more towards a financial career, rather than one in research or academia, and so I'm just interested as to which one of the two unis would be more attractive to employers, or give me a greater chance of landing a good finance job.

Difficult, because Warwick has a better reputation for maths, but arguably being in London could be beneficial for a job in finance.

[KSP]

I'm not at all sure about this, but i think some of the big banks usually only accept graduates from certain top universities for maths. Which banks these are and for which roles, i can't quite remember, but i remember that COWI is a part of this group. It might also be the case that UCL is too - i don't know, but it is something worth researching if you want to go into finance.

Another thing is about the flexibility of the degree and i made this point in a similar thread. Warwick allows you to take modules from outside the maths department and it's not uncommon for students to take finance modules. Reputation wise, i would be inclined to think that Warwick edges out UCL, at least for maths, but then that might just be my bias creeping in . But i definitely wouldn't pay any attention to the global league table.

[Ree69]

There seems to be a lot of bias towards Warwick on TSR!

As the above have mentioned, Warwick does have the slightly stronger reputation for maths. I really can't say whether it'd be more attractive to employers though; I've heard a lot of stories about how the overall reputation of the university is often the most contributing factor to how strong employment prospects are after graduation. (Other than the degree classification, obviously).

I think a good example is the case of LSE's maths and econ degree. The general consensus is that the best place to do the joint honours Mathematics and/with Economics course (in the UK anyway) is at LSE in terms of prestige and employment prospects - although tbh I don't actually know what the course is like.

Yet, LSE's maths department - where the course is administered - is (substantially) weaker than not only the likes of COWI, but also UCL, Bristol etc and probably all of the top 10 maths universities in the UK . Gets you thinking.

[Zuzuzu]

(Original post by Ree69)

Yet, LSE's maths deparment is (substantially) weaker than not only the likes of COWI, but also UCL and Bristol amongst others. Gets you thinking.

I think LSE Econ 1st yearr only does slightly fewer topics than UCL Maths 1st yr (which seems very much similar to most other 1st years in England), speaking to people at LSE.

#huh

[JayCeee]

(Original post by KSP)
I'm not at all sure about this, but i think some of the big banks usually only accept graduates from certain top universities for maths. Which banks these are and for which roles, i can't quite remember, but i remember that COWI is a part of this group. It might also be the case that UCL is too - i don't know, but it is something worth researching if you want to go into finance.

Another thing is about the flexibility of the degree and i made this point in a similar thread. Warwick allows you to take modules from outside the maths department and it's not uncommon for students to take finance modules. Reputation wise, i would be inclined to think that Warwick edges out UCL, at least for maths, but then that might just be my bias creeping in . But i definitely wouldn't pay any attention to the global league table.

haha yeah, from my point of view, I guess Warwick is likely to prepare me better for a job in the finance, however I get the feeling that employers tend to have a bias towards UCL graduates

[RajPopat94]

(Original post by JayCeee)
So having heard from all my unis, it is time for me to choose which uni(s) to finalise. However, I'm stuck between which one to choose (for maths) between Warwick and UCL.
My main concern is which uni has the better reputation, and which one will be more attractive to employers (I guess that's why most of us go to uni haha); and I'm sure both unis will be equally as enjoyable in their own respects.

Having looked at global and national rankings, UCL seems to be clear winner overall (being in the top 20 of global universities) however for maths, Warwick seems to be the higher of the two.

So I'm really not sure which one I should choose...if anyone is/has been faced with a similar dilemma, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts
Thanks!

Firstly, well done on getting both of them, they are excellent places but can I say, when you're looking at the top ten uni's in the UK, reputation kind of becomes irrelevant. It is how well you do in your degree which is important. Someone said that the difference between UCL and Warwick is huge and they've got it completely right. Forget about reputation. Think about where you can see yourself for 3 years. Some people prefer a city, some people prefer a campus, it is entirely dependent on the person. If you work hard and get a good degree, you will get a job regardless

[miml]

I may be biased, but for maths Warwick over UCL every time.

It's not so much the reputation that makes Warwick a better place but rather the amount of resources invested into the mathematics department at Warwick.

Just compare the sizes of the two buildings at UCL and Warwick. Maths is perhaps Warwick's flagship course and maintaining this is really important there.

[JayCeee]

(Original post by RajPopat94)
Firstly, well done on getting both of them, they are excellent places but can I say, when you're looking at the top ten uni's in the UK, reputation kind of becomes irrelevant. It is how well you do in your degree which is important. Someone said that the difference between UCL and Warwick is huge and they've got it completely right. Forget about reputation. Think about where you can see yourself for 3 years. Some people prefer a city, some people prefer a campus, it is entirely dependent on the person. If you work hard and get a good degree, you will get a job regardless

Thanks! I was really not expecting to be given places to both. And yeah you are absolutely right and hopefully I can perform well in my degree
By the huge difference between the two unis, do you mean in terms of location? Because I think I'd be able to adapt and enjoy both types of unis (city and campus).
I was just wondering that, if having graduates from warwick or ucl with the same grades, would finance employers have any bias as oppose to which university?

I mean, I've been told by many people that the UCL maths course better prepares you for a job in finance, so is more attractive to employers (?), but that might just be one of the many rumours flying around haha

[RajPopat94]

(Original post by JayCeee)
Thanks! I was really not expecting to be given places to both. And yeah you are absolutely right and hopefully I can perform well in my degree
By the huge difference between the two unis, do you mean in terms of location? Because I think I'd be able to adapt and enjoy both types of unis (city and campus).
I was just wondering that, if having graduates from warwick or ucl with the same grades, would finance employers have any bias as oppose to which university?

I mean, I've been told by many people that the UCL maths course better prepares you for a job in finance, so is more attractive to employers (?), but that might just be one of the many rumours flying around haha

Well, in terms of difference, I mean the entire lifestyle. My advice to you would be to draw up a list of pros and cons. That's what I did when I was choosing my unis. It was so helpful. Think about things like the people you'll be socialising with, the atmosphere, the nightlife, the costs, what will make you grow as a person. Like I said, it is entirely dependent on the person, but for me, I adore London and that's never changed.

From a job-wise perspective, I promise you, you will come out with a great job from either one. You're looking a bit too far ahead. Your uni choice shouldn't be about job prospects. It should be about the place you can see yourself enjoying, progressing and gaining the best qualification. Judging by the fact that you've got both Warwick and UCL, I have no doubt that you're capable of achieving a first/two-one. Just ensure that your uni choice will make that a reality

[TheUltimateProof]

Top employers will be doing events and targetting Warwick. I sometimes feel UCL is dwarfed by LSE, both being in London. Warwick for sure has a better rep for maths and I think the course there is a lot better in terms of flexibility and content. Just my opinion...

[BillLionheart]

Well mostly its already been said. Warwick is by most informed reckoning in the top 4 for maths. UCL for maths is medium sized and one would struggle to place it in the top 10 (but it is on an upward trajectory). That said in many other ways UCL makes it in to the top four (or five) for science in the UK.


Actually the main thing is how well you will do there. Whatever people say about the reputation the most important thing for your job opportunities is the degree class you get. If you went to Warwick and got a 2.2 you would have been better if you got a 2.1 at UCL. So you have to work out where you will thrive - look at the course, the options. Visit and see if you can work out where you would be happiest studying both the university environment and the wider surroundings.

To important a judgement to place much store on TSR advice - look carefully and decide yourself.

[qno2]

Warwick for the better reputation. If your looking at a career in finance, would it not be a reasonable idea to check out MORSE at warwick rather than normal maths? I would have applied for it but being Scottish and everything really makes it pointless not just from the AAA at advanced higher MINIMUM offer but for the fees too

[anzerftum]

If I could pick again, I would choose Warwick
(currently at UCL)

[Ree69]

(Original post by anzerftum)
If I could pick again, I would choose Warwick
(currently at UCL)

How comes?

[Ewan]

(Original post by anzerftum)
If I could pick again, I would choose Warwick
(currently at UCL)

Same (had an offer there too :\), London is overrated. The UCL math department has a lot of problems too. The support after year 1 is almost non existent outside of lectures, personally I would of appreciated tutorials throughout all 3 years. Saying that I'm not sure sure if Warwick offers that either. Lecturers are OK, it's a mixed bunch. I would say about 70% of mine were decent, some were total disasters, and 1 was exceptional (he was young too, I find the best lecturers are often the youngest). Funnily enough the most well known lecturer I had was a total disaster, he taught in a very unstructured way which was terrible for anyone below genius level intellect!

The main reason is London though, it's just too spread out. I love London, and want to live there, but I really wouldn't recommend it as a place to study.

[ttoby]

(Original post by Ewan)
The support after year 1 is almost non existent outside of lectures, personally I would of appreciated tutorials throughout all 3 years. Saying that I'm not sure sure if Warwick offers that either.

There are tutorials/supervisions at Warwick for the first two years, but they're more frequent in the first year. Throughout all the years there are seminars as well.