MSc in General Structural Engineering at Imperial College London 2014 applicants

I'm currently doing the course. Feel free to ask questions.

Reply 2

Original post by Ah.eng

I've applied to study MSc in General Structural Engineering at imperial 2014 entry, does any one applied for this course or similar to it?

Other engineering applicants are welcome to share their Imperial application process experience.

Hi Ah.Eng,

I've applied for MSc in General Structural Engineering as well. Have you received your offer letter yet?

Original post by Studentdk

I'm currently doing the course. Feel free to ask questions.

Hi Studentdk,

I think I will get the ball rolling and bombard you with a few questions.
1. Is there any interview as part of the application process for MSc taught program?
2. How do you find the courses content and the workload?
3. How rigid is the course structure? Are we allow to substitute 1 or 2 structural subjects with those offered in MSc Soil Mechanics?
4. Is there any cheaper alternative to Gradpad for Postgraduate Accommodation? Do they allow PG student to stay in BEIT Hall?

Thanks.

Reply 3

I think I will get the ball rolling and bombard you with a few questions.
1. Is there any interview as part of the application process for MSc taught program?
2. How do you find the courses content and the workload?
3. How rigid is the course structure? Are we allow to substitute 1 or 2 structural subjects with those offered in MSc Soil Mechanics?
4. Is there any cheaper alternative to Gradpad for Postgraduate Accommodation? Do they allow PG student to stay in BEIT Hall?

1. I haven't heard about any interview so far. I did not attend one.
2. Everybody will tell you that the workload is intense. 6 modules in the autumn. 10 weeks teaching. 1 month studying for the exam over the christmas period and the six exams conducted within 10 days. I don't mind hard work but there really isn't enough time to take in and digest all the information properly.
3. I don't know about the soil mechanics question. I know there are students from soil mechanics in some of our classes. I think the best is to contact Dr. Robert Vollum by email or phone and ask. He is very approachable.
4. Very few of my fellow students live in the Gradpad accommodation because of the high costs. I don't know the BEIT Hall but if it is undergraduate I would say no. A lot of people have found accommodation outside of halls but it was subject to a lot of frustration in the beginning when people had no place to stay. (I believe Visa students only get to enter a week before the term begins).

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4

I have just received my conditional offer with the following conditions:
1. Deposit payment to be made
2. Original evidence of official degree award level.

Anyone received an offer from the Civil Dept as well?

Reply 5

Original post by TYLIN

I have just received my conditional offer with the following conditions:
1. Deposit payment to be made
2. Original evidence of official degree award level.

Anyone received an offer from the Civil Dept as well?

Congratulations. See you there.

Reply 6

Original post by Studentdk

Congratulations. See you there.

Thanks. Imperial College London is always my first preference for MSc Structural Engineering but the fee + living cost is very expensive. Do you know if any of Departmental scholarship is offered to International Applicants. I am still considering a few offers from different institute as listed below.

1). Imperial College London
Program: MSc in General Structural Engineering
Fee+ Living Cost: 45-50 k Pounds
-Very solid course structure for structural engineering. Lots of advanced subjects

2). Hong Kong University of Science and Technology/ The University of Hong Kong
Fee+ Living Cost: HKD 200,000

3). University of Sheffield
Fee+ Living Cost: 35K Pounds

4). National University of Singapore & NTU
Fee + Living Cost: SGD 50,000

Reply 7

It is quite an investment, will it pay itself back you think? I do not know about the scholarships but you can contact the course administrator about it.

Reply 8

avspire

Hi there,

I have also applied to MSc in General Structural Engineering, but haven't received an offer from Imperial yet. I do have received an offer from City University London (MSc Civil Engineering Structures).

Glad to see someone who's already attending it, studentdk! Would you actually recommend the course? I mean, Imperial College has some serious reputation on engineering vs City University, which doesn't, it seems (would you have any view on this? I'm considering applying to Univ East London or Southbank, maybe). As a EU resident, the cost for me is the same in both cases, about 9000 pounds + living expenses in London, which to be honest I'm not quite sure how much it can add up to a month.

Thanks guys, and best of luck!

Reply 9

I would recommend the course yes. It is intensive and not everything is perfect but it wouldn't be at any school anyway. So far I have an overall good impression. I have learned a lot. The course structure is rather rigid and you largely learn what they want you to learn. My dissertation might bring more freedom in that respect.

I think you should have a look at the different league tables to get an idea of which university to choose. £9000 is a lot of money plus living costs and you want to get your moneys worth. Count on £150 a week for rent and then add transport and living costs to that.

In London I have only looked at Imperial because they have the course I wanted. In the UK I would also look at Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, Edinburgh. That is just off the top of my head, there are probably many others very good universities out there.

Delft in the Netherlands is also worth considering. It has a very good reputation and it is cheaper.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 10

avspire

Thanks for your quick reply! It's much much appreciated.

Yes, I understand what you mean. The truth is that I made a list of courses and destinations, coming up with different 'leagues' as you call them. One of them being Northern European countries (usually no/low fee, expensive living, interesting lifestyle, two year-long courses -something to have in mind, too, as living costs) + Delft (which as you pointed out looks really attractive); another league would be UK (high fees and living expenses but 1-year long courses) and another one would be US, Japan... (either VERY high fees or strong cultural clash, something to take in mind too). A teacher of mine recommended me the UK option, because of their solid engineering background and, as you pointed out, solid and dense course structures, to make the most out of it.

I do know and have applied to Manchester (and Sheffield) universities, but anything in London definitely seems to sound better -specially if you're expecting to get hired abroad; and although more pricey at first glance, the difference between this or that course is about 2000-3000 pounds, which in the long run isn't that much. Course length is another factor I take into consideration, as Architecture in Spain (which I'm finishing) is a 6-year-long degree -bachelor + MArch... I prefer a shorter course therefore. I've got enough univ studies already...

As to the weather I expect nowhere to be like sunny Spain but I learnt to come to terms with it :smile:

. Thanks again for your reply this is somewhat tricky when you don't have anybody nearby with first hand experience.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 11

Amber32

Yes i have applied to this course and have received a conditional offer ! What about u ?

Reply 12

Amber32

Original post by Studentdk

I'm currently doing the course. Feel free to ask questions.

Is the course really competitive ? Like does everyone work independently, or do students work in groups ? Because i am use to working in groups and discussing coursework with people as this helps me to better understand the subject matter. However, i feel like imperial does not offer that kind of environment. Or does it?

Also, do you share classes with MEng students ?

And lastly, are lecturers available to help/answer questions after lecture hours? and are they helpful?

Thank u very much in advance!

Reply 13

avspire

Original post by Amber32

Yes i have applied to this course and have received a conditional offer ! What about u ?

Nope, not yet... it says my application is still under consideration on the tracking page, so in the end I may not get an offer at all. Just out of curiosity, when did you apply? And what is your academic background, if I may ask? :smile:

Reply 14

Original post by Amber32

Is the course really competitive ? Like does everyone work independently, or do students work in groups ? Because i am use to working in groups and discussing coursework with people as this helps me to better understand the subject matter. However, i feel like imperial does not offer that kind of environment. Or does it?

Also, do you share classes with MEng students ?

And lastly, are lecturers available to help/answer questions after lecture hours? and are they helpful?

Thank u very much in advance!

Hi there

I would say that the course in general is competitive because it has a lot of really good students on it. The time constraint however is the main issue. There is no time for much besides studying. That includes making friends and study groups and so on. If you are active about finding a study partner or study group you will probably find one, but you might also not find one. Imperial doesn't really provide any help in that direction. People also seem to stick to their own nationalities, e.i. the Greek students stick together, the Chinese students stick together and so on.

Be prepared that you might end up working alone and be prepared to put in a lot of hours and potentially not having much life outside university for a full year.

There will be compulsory group coursework in some classes but I really find it to be a pain rather than a gain compared to working alone. It is hard to fit in all the meetings and discussions and work.

As far as I know we do not share classes with MEng students, but we do have a few MSc students from soil mechanics I think, in some modules.

Most lecturers are very helpful after class and also with responding to emails.

I hope this answered your questions.

Reply 15

Original post by Studentdk

Hi there

I would say that the course in general is competitive because it has a lot of really good students on it. The time constraint however is the main issue. There is no time for much besides studying. That includes making friends and study groups and so on. If you are active about finding a study partner or study group you will probably find one, but you might also not find one. Imperial doesn't really provide any help in that direction. People also seem to stick to their own nationalities, e.i. the Greek students stick together, the Chinese students stick together and so on.

Be prepared that you might end up working alone and be prepared to put in a lot of hours and potentially not having much life outside university for a full year.

There will be compulsory group coursework in some classes but I really find it to be a pain rather than a gain compared to working alone. It is hard to fit in all the meetings and discussions and work.

As far as I know we do not share classes with MEng students, but we do have a few MSc students from soil mechanics I think, in some modules.

Most lecturers are very helpful after class and also with responding to emails.

I hope this answered your questions.

Hi StudentDK,

Thanks for your time. I got a few more questions for you.

1. On average, how many contact hours we have per week?
2. Does the course assume a prior exposure to Eurocode/British Standards? I did my undergraduate in Australia and hence only exposed to the Australian Standards and some of the American code.
3. Based on your experience, do you think is worth staying as close as possible to the college?

Reply 16

Original post by TYLIN

Hi StudentDK,

Thanks for your time. I got a few more questions for you.

1. On average, how many contact hours we have per week?
2. Does the course assume a prior exposure to Eurocode/British Standards? I did my undergraduate in Australia and hence only exposed to the Australian Standards and some of the American code.
3. Based on your experience, do you think is worth staying as close as possible to the college?

Hi TYLIN

1. You have 3 hours per week per module for 10 weeks in the autumn and 10 weeks in the spring. You will have 6 modules in the autumn and 6 in the spring which gives you 18 contact hours a week.

2. No. A lot of people on the course are not used to Eurocode from their undergraduate degree or otherwise but manage anyway. We do however use Eurocode and BS here.

3. I live 45 minutes away from campus and find it annoying. I envy the people who live closer and can manage with shorter travel time. It is a subjective question I think.

Reply 17

muxe

Original post by Ah.eng

I've applied to study MSc in General Structural Engineering at imperial 2014 entry, does any one applied for this course or similar to it?

Other engineering applicants are welcome to share their Imperial application process experience.

I just received an offer from Imperial.

Reply 18

muxe

Original post by Amber32

Yes i have applied to this course and have received a conditional offer ! What about u ?

Are you going to accept their offer or are you planning on going to another university? I'm still not 100% decided yet to be honest... :smile:

Reply 19