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Learning at Imperial College London
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Ask a current Aeronautics Student!

Although we're a small department, there are undoubtedly some students here at TSR who will be (or hoping to be) joining us for Aeronautics this coming year (or of course some time in the future..). If you have any questions about the course, or really anything about Imperial in general, please do ask. A lot of the general prospectus information can be found at http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/aeronautics as well :smile: .

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ooooh i have lots of questions
- what are your contact hours?
- are you going to do a placement year or masters or both? & why?
- is it hard to maintain a social life with such a challenging degree?
- what tips would you give someone starting in september?
- also is the field as male dominated as people say? i want to meet other girls going into engineering 8)
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Reply 2
Hey I'm a girl starting aero too!! If I get the grades that is..


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Original post by donutcakegirl
ooooh i have lots of questions
- what are your contact hours?
- are you going to do a placement year or masters or both? & why?
- is it hard to maintain a social life with such a challenging degree?
- what tips would you give someone starting in september?
- also is the field as male dominated as people say? i want to meet other girls going into engineering 8)


I'm not quite sure what the definition of contact hours is.

Imperial makes everyone do an integrated masters course, where you're obliged to get a minimum of 10 weeks worth of placement by the end of your third year. Some people who don't score too well have to leave at that point with a bachelors.

It's not difficult to maintain a social life as long as you do everything properly. For example, make detailed notes in lectures (not just scribbles) and know that if you have to study, then you should study.

Tips: Go to every lecture because there will always be something that you won't pick up just from reading the lecture notes. Although, the tutorials aren't really that useful unless you really have a ******* understanding something.

E-mail the lecturers if you have a ******* . It's more convenient for both of you than plodding yourself to their scheduled office hours.

The aerodynamics module is most difficult from the first year, so make sure you get that under control. The business module is the easiest but worth the joint highest, so that's definitely worth revising over.

All of the first-year students get a maths test in the first week but it's extremely easy and if you fail it, you just get some additional lectures to bring you up to speed.

Try and eat at many places as you can around campus. There's so much choice and you get a large discount being a student.

I think about 15% of the people on the course were female. It gets closer to 60:40 in bio-engineering though I think.
Those asterisks were meant to be p-r-o-b-l-e-m
Aeronautics and aerospace, are the similar?
Reply 6
Original post by Roflwaffles
Aeronautics and aerospace, are the similar?


Apparently there is no difference between aeronautics and aerospace, and all the same principles are applied for both, so whether you wanna design aeroplanes or rockets, the course at imperial is fine for both. That's what the admissions tutor told me anyway.


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Reply 7
Original post by donutcakegirl
ooooh i have lots of questions
- what are your contact hours?
- are you going to do a placement year or masters or both? & why?
- is it hard to maintain a social life with such a challenging degree?
- what tips would you give someone starting in september?
- also is the field as male dominated as people say? i want to meet other girls going into engineering 8)


1) Contact hours are generally 9-5 or 9-6 every day apart from wednesdays which are 9-12 or 9-1 (all courses finish at this time for extra curricular activities). Personal tutorials are 1 hour and every week for the first year, and then in the second year it becomes every month almost.

2) All entry courses are MEng (Masters of Engineering). The industrial placement has just been introduced and wasn't available when I applied. If I got the option I would definitely do it, the experience would be great and it would help with job applications post-degree.

3) Social life is what you make of it. Sure, it's a very challenging degree but that doesn't mean you will be in the library studying 24/7. Aside from lab reports, all exams take place at the end of the year (for the first 2 years), so a lot of people don't do any studying until a month or so before exams :P .

4) The course starts in October :wink: . Just attend the freshers events and you'll be fine.

5) Within aero its very male dominated, yes. But there are some girls so don't worry haha. I think my year was a 10:1 ratio or something crazy.


Original post by Reddish
Hey I'm a girl starting aero too!! If I get the grades that is..


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Good luck :smile: . What was your offer?

Original post by pleasedtobeatyou
I'm not quite sure what the definition of contact hours is.

Imperial makes everyone do an integrated masters course, where you're obliged to get a minimum of 10 weeks worth of placement by the end of your third year. Some people who don't score too well have to leave at that point with a bachelors.

It's not difficult to maintain a social life as long as you do everything properly. For example, make detailed notes in lectures (not just scribbles) and know that if you have to study, then you should study.

Tips: Go to every lecture because there will always be something that you won't pick up just from reading the lecture notes. Although, the tutorials aren't really that useful unless you really have a ******* understanding something.

E-mail the lecturers if you have a ******* . It's more convenient for both of you than plodding yourself to their scheduled office hours.

The aerodynamics module is most difficult from the first year, so make sure you get that under control. The business module is the easiest but worth the joint highest, so that's definitely worth revising over.

All of the first-year students get a maths test in the first week but it's extremely easy and if you fail it, you just get some additional lectures to bring you up to speed.

Try and eat at many places as you can around campus. There's so much choice and you get a large discount being a student.

I think about 15% of the people on the course were female. It gets closer to 60:40 in bio-engineering though I think.


The maths test is no more. As far as I am aware, it's now a maths exam for admissions - I doubt they'd have the maths test after you get in as well now.

Original post by pleasedtobeatyou
Those asterisks were meant to be p-r-o-b-l-e-m



Original post by Roflwaffles
Aeronautics and aerospace, are the similar?



Original post by Reddish
Apparently there is no difference between aeronautics and aerospace, and all the same principles are applied for both, so whether you wanna design aeroplanes or rockets, the course at imperial is fine for both. That's what the admissions tutor told me anyway.


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Yep, they're both synonyms now really, though there are some courses elsewhere that will focus more on space (check out Southampton for example, they have a Aeronautical and Astronautical course). But what you learn in Aero (here and anywhere else) can be applied to both the stratosphere and outside our own atmosphere. You also get a course on advanced propulsion in the 3/4 year which has some focus on rockets :wink: .
What selection of a levels would you say would be the best and what a levels did you do and grades

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Reply 9
Original post by hummer1478
What selection of a levels would you say would be the best and what a levels did you do and grades

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You need to take Maths and Physics and get an A* in both. You need one more A Level and its recommended (by the department) that you take Further Mathematics. In my opinion, they say recommended instead of compulsory because they know some schools do not teach F Maths, but if you can take it, take it. Not only does it give your application a major boost, it makes your Maths A Level unbelievably easy, and also allows you breeze through the first year maths course if you get accepted.

I took Maths, Physics, FMaths and Chemistry to full A Level. My offer was A*AA in Maths, Physics and FMaths. I achieved A*A*AA (with 3 marks off an A* in FMaths :'( ).
Thanks @ViralRiver and @Reddish
What modules did you take in further maths?
Original post by Roflwaffles
What modules did you take in further maths?


Maths: C1-4, M1, S1
FMaths: FP1-3, M2, D1-2

Edexcel exam board.

Definitely do FP to the highest you can. D modules are useless, S1 is alright to take (we have a mini stats module in the second year that covers S1, so it's nice to have the knowledge so its just a recap). Take as many mechanics modules as you can. M2 was the highest I could do, and I wish I was able to take more. Admissions tutor has stated he wants to see at least M2 if you can take it.
Original post by ViralRiver
Maths: C1-4, M1, S1
FMaths: FP1-3, M2, D1-2

Edexcel exam board.

Definitely do FP to the highest you can. D modules are useless, S1 is alright to take (we have a mini stats module in the second year that covers S1, so it's nice to have the knowledge so its just a recap). Take as many mechanics modules as you can. M2 was the highest I could do, and I wish I was able to take more. Admissions tutor has stated he wants to see at least M2 if you can take it.


God M2 is really tough! I am planning to take S2 instead of that
Reply 14
What % of the grade is from coursework?
Are the exams similar to Mechanics from A level maths?
Do you feel like the lecturers are good (doing relevant research, easy to approach and ask questions, etc)?
Original post by ViralRiver
The maths test is no more. As far as I am aware, it's now a maths exam for admissions - I doubt they'd have the maths test after you get in as well now.


I was a first-year aero this year, so just went through the process. There's a "foundation" maths test you have to pass, which was given to us in the induction week. The maths exam for admission is probably strictly more of a quiz considering how easy it was.
Original post by Elcor
What % of the grade is from coursework?
Are the exams similar to Mechanics from A level maths?
Do you feel like the lecturers are good (doing relevant research, easy to approach and ask questions, etc)?


Year/Exam/Coursework
1st/75%/25%
2nd/65%/35%
3rd/53%/47%
4th/40%/60%

The exams feel like the final question from each A-Level mechanics paper but with all the intermediate steps taken out. There's also about five of these questions per exam.

As a general observation, all the younger lecturers seem to be easily approachable and are very eager to give up time to help you when you are stuck. Some of the older ones are a bit mores stuck-up but nothing too bad.
Reply 17
Original post by pleasedtobeatyou
Year/Exam/Coursework
1st/75%/25%
2nd/65%/35%
3rd/53%/47%
4th/40%/60%

The exams feel like the final question from each A-Level mechanics paper but with all the intermediate steps taken out. There's also about five of these questions per exam.

As a general observation, all the younger lecturers seem to be easily approachable and are very eager to give up time to help you when you are stuck. Some of the older ones are a bit mores stuck-up but nothing too bad.


Do you know any fellow aero students who have hopes of going into the space industry as opposed to the aeronautics sector after the degree? I'm curious as to how respectable Imperial would be for a space company, even though the course is mainly aeronautics (although there's talk of a Spacecraft Engineering specialisation in the final year being made available in a couple of years).

Thanks for your time. :smile:
Original post by Elcor
Do you know any fellow aero students who have hopes of going into the space industry as opposed to the aeronautics sector after the degree? I'm curious as to how respectable Imperial would be for a space company, even though the course is mainly aeronautics (although there's talk of a Spacecraft Engineering specialisation in the final year being made available in a couple of years).

Thanks for your time. :smile:


As I said earlier, an aeronautics course is synonymous to an aerospace course; employers wouldn't look at your application any different.

There are already some space modules, and as advertised during this year's open day, there will be a lot more coming our way (in the latter years of the degree). Unfortunately I won't get to take them :'( .
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 19
Original post by ViralRiver
1) Contact hours are generally 9-5 or 9-6 every day apart from wednesdays which are 9-12 or 9-1 (all courses finish at this time for extra curricular activities). Personal tutorials are 1 hour and every week for the first year, and then in the second year it becomes every month almost.

2) All entry courses are MEng (Masters of Engineering). The industrial placement has just been introduced and wasn't available when I applied. If I got the option I would definitely do it, the experience would be great and it would help with job applications post-degree.

3) Social life is what you make of it. Sure, it's a very challenging degree but that doesn't mean you will be in the library studying 24/7. Aside from lab reports, all exams take place at the end of the year (for the first 2 years), so a lot of people don't do any studying until a month or so before exams :P .

4) The course starts in October :wink: . Just attend the freshers events and you'll be fine.

5) Within aero its very male dominated, yes. But there are some girls so don't worry haha. I think my year was a 10:1 ratio or something crazy.




Good luck :smile: . What was your offer?



The maths test is no more. As far as I am aware, it's now a maths exam for admissions - I doubt they'd have the maths test after you get in as well now.









Yep, they're both synonyms now really, though there are some courses elsewhere that will focus more on space (check out Southampton for example, they have a Aeronautical and Astronautical course). But what you learn in Aero (here and anywhere else) can be applied to both the stratosphere and outside our own atmosphere. You also get a course on advanced propulsion in the 3/4 year which has some focus on rockets :wink: .


My offer was A* in Maths and Physics, A in chemistry and FM AS.

I have only done upto FP1, would you recommend me looking into FP2 and 3 before uni? If so, are there any particular topics that I should focus on?


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