Is it worth spending so much money?

Go to Scotland if you have the chance! If you plan to study further - PHd or MSc it doesn't matter too much where you've done your undergraduate degree, as long as you have the grades. Furthermore Edinburgh is very well respected in its own right, not like ICL, but excellent nonetheless. Plus you have the bonus of having a very very cheap undergrad education - something most people can only dream of! The 'prestige' of the university is mostly arbitrary and comes down to a number of factors that don't really effect its teaching quality. Even saying that Edinburgh is still a very prestigious uni, and if I were you I'd choose it.

good luck with your decision.

Thank you. Your answers are very helpful. You are of course right, but I have one more doubt. As I had an interview (I would like to study MSci Chemistry) I was able to see how amazing laboratories they have, and how many opportunities they offer for students. I am not sure how it looks like in Edinburgh. . . And I feel that it would be much easier to get a Phd positions in one of the leading Univeristies in the World with a diploma from ICL? Nevertheless, your arguments really speaks to me, and although I would like to study at Imperial, I think you may be right after alll.

My question is quite simple. I think lots of internatioonal students ask the same one. I got offers from two unis: ICL in London and Univeristy of Edinburgh. I am wondering is studying in London worth spending so much money? As a EU citizen, I would not have to pay tuition fees in Scotland and life there is significantly cheaper than in London. On the other hand Imperial College is much more prestigous than Edinburgh. In london I would probaably have to work and study simultaneously and after finishing MSci I would end with hudge dept, because of the tuition fees. Whereas, I would somewho survive in Scotland withous working and I wouldn't have such a dept. I cannot prioritise, whether a univeristy name is worth such a tremendous amount of moeny ans stress? Could you please help?

I haven't been to Edinburgh university but I'm sure the labs are more than adequate. I just had a look at the world rankings and Edinburgh is 21st, it really is regarded highly. I would say you should have a look at Edinburgh if you can, you may fall in love with it. The question is whether ICL is £9000 a year better than Edinburgh, which it probably isn't.

Imperial is not called IC of SCIENCE, Tech and Med for nothing.



Not sure where you got the figure of £9000 from but it's not really a lot in the grand scheme of things, assuming Imperial will offer better opportunities later in life.

To all those that think Imperial is not £9K better than Edinburgh, how much more would you think Cambridge is worth over any other uni?

There are die hards who will go out at all cost to go to Oxbridge but fail to see the merits of any other uni, a bit like Emma Watson, who supposedly turned down Cambridge to go to Brown in the US but has returned to Oxford, as if they're the only unis in the UK and nothing else will do.

In my opinion £9K a year, for four years, is quite a lot especially when one wants to do Phd afterwards . . .
And actually, (perhaps because I am not a nativ english speaker) I didn't get the point. You are for or against going to the best unis, withou taking into consideration costs? You think it is worth trying at IC rather than Edinburgh?
Sorry for asking, but I want to hear all possible opinions on this subject.

A minor point is that since you say your english is not that good, I assume you are not english (something tells me yu're italian but I could be wrong).

Do you really think the University's prestige is going to have that much of an effect on your career?

This is actually what I would like to know. Is Univeristy's prestige really important? Some people say it is, because later, if one wanted to applay for Phd at recognized Unis (I am talking unis like Cambridge, Harvard, MIT, etc) the competition is quite hard, and so they actually would care what Univeristy had one been studying in. Of course I am not saying that Edinburgh is not well known uni - quite the opposite, but in terms of science IC is known to be better. On the other hand, there are people who claim that University's name doesn't really count - it is all about your results and recommendations.
I do not really known, both cities seem to be ok. They are quite different, but I am an adaptable person.
Thank you all. I think your answers cleared some things up. Thanks.

and a first class degree from Edinburgh would be worth more than a 2:1 from ICL.

This will probably also lead you to enjoy it more, which is really important.

My question is quite simple. I think lots of internatioonal students ask the same one. I got offers from two unis: ICL in London and Univeristy of Edinburgh. I am wondering is studying in London worth spending so much money? As a EU citizen, I would not have to pay tuition fees in Scotland and life there is significantly cheaper than in London. On the other hand Imperial College is much more prestigous than Edinburgh. In london I would probaably have to work and study simultaneously and after finishing MSci I would end with hudge dept, because of the tuition fees. Whereas, I would somewho survive in Scotland withous working and I wouldn't have such a dept. I cannot prioritise, whether a univeristy name is worth such a tremendous amount of moeny ans stress? Could you please help?

Look at it this way: if you are going to be stressed and have to spend lots of time working a job rather than being able to relax between assignments, you might end up getting say a 2:2 instead of a 2:1 (or maybe even a first) because of the effect it could have on your work.

I would go to Edinburgh - more time to study and actually enjoy university, you will feel you have had a much better experience

The prestige is important only up to a point, and a first class degree from Edinburgh would be worth more than a 2:1 from ICL. I say that because you may have less to worry about (financially etc) at Edinburgh and will have more time to study and focus on your degree than if you had to find a job. This will probably also lead you to enjoy it more, which is really important.

So you actually think that master degree in chemistry from Univeristy of Edinburgh does not close door to many prestigous uni like harvard, caltech, ucla, when it comes to doing Phd later in life? It would probably easier with MSci diploma from ICL but Edinburgh will be ok, as well right? And as you said the experience will be much more enjoyable. . .
Thank you all for the answers. These are really helpful.

Go with Imperial.

If you really can't decide, why not start a poll here?

I'm not advanced enough (on this forum) to start a poll.
Besides, I'm not trying to choose what the majority says is better. I would like to just get adivices and opinion from people who are more experienced than I am and know more about the subject. In the end it is only my decision, but thanks to every single comment I know more and my decision will be probably better thanks to these.

You think Imperial would do better for me ?