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
. 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
. 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
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