Weekly student workload at Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester?
Good day,
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me
)
3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me
)3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
(edited 9 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Original post by R0k1s
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
About to start Physics w/ theoretical at Imperial, I think the general rule for most days is 8 hours of studying 8 hours of free time and 8 of sleep. Including contact hours and stuff in the studying, I could let you know when I get into the swing of things next month if you fancy
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by aerf
8 hours of studying
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
what the...
that is a substantial number of hours
Original post by + polarity -
what the...
that is a substantial number of hours
that is a substantial number of hours
Thats what they say at oxford, I'm talking about getting if you want a first here tbh and thats including all your lectures, group problem sheets, labs 11-5 once a week etc etc
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Da Di Doo
Haven't you heard, It's now Impbridge.
Thought it was Camperial. Impbridge sounds disgusting.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by aerf
About to start Physics w/ theoretical at Imperial, I think the general rule for most days is 8 hours of studying 8 hours of free time and 8 of sleep. Including contact hours and stuff in the studying, I could let you know when I get into the swing of things next month if you fancy
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
Thanks for the info, would really appreciate your insight on the workload.
Interesting!
Please do let us know.
Original post by aerf
About to start Physics w/ theoretical at Imperial, I think the general rule for most days is 8 hours of studying 8 hours of free time and 8 of sleep. Including contact hours and stuff in the studying, I could let you know when I get into the swing of things next month if you fancy
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
EDIT: working a substantial number of hours would be too stressful imo
Please do let us know.
Cambridge maths.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
Original post by Lord of the Flies
Cambridge maths.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
Thank you for the answer.
Could you possibly tell how many contact hours per week you have (or how many hours you spend studying overall)?
Original post by ThatPerson
I'm not a current student, but I've seen first year Imperial Maths timetables, and it seems to be quite busy during weekdays, with the exception being wednesday from 12 onwards, which seems to be the designated "free time" given.
Wednesdays after midday lunch sort of time is sports time / free time for most unis. I'm starting at Oxford in a couple of weeks and apparently we have that, as do my friends at Birmingham, Loughborough, Plymouth etc.
Original post by R0k1s
Good day,
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me)
3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me
)3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
Original post by Juichiro
Imperial students have fame of working insanely hard so I would not expect much social life if I was you.
Imperial (well, at least the physics department) give you enough to do to keep you busy all day, every day. Having said that, it's usually only the asians that do it all. You certainly don't need to do all of it to get a 2.1 or a first, but it would help to some extent. (I have only done the assessed work thus far and I'm on a 2.1 going into third year.)
You could in theory fit in 20 hrs/week of paid work, but you'd have very little down-time remaining. I know plenty of people who work some weekend shifts though and manage fine, and worked about 10 hrs/week myself for a couple of terms in first year without any problems.
My average day would be waking up at 6AM, being at the gym by 7AM, working out until 8-8:30AM, then lectures at 9AM. Between 9AM and 5PM we'd usually have between 3 and 6 hours of contact time (depending on course choices). I might hang around until about 7PM doing some programming or problem sheets or something, then head home and eat like a king. Bed at 10PM or so.
(edited 9 years ago)
I'm a Sheffield chemist, so i'd wager this in-line with Manchester.
1) Contacts hours
Level 1
Labs - 6 hrs
Tutorials - 1 hr
Lectures/wkshops - 14-16 hrs avg week (?)
Level 2
Labs - 12.5 hrs
Tutorials - 2 hrs
Lectures/wkshops - 9-11 hrs avg week (?)
Lectures are a rough guess, can't quite remember, and it will vary depend on some of the subsidiary modules you select.
Work outside of lectures
Level 1
Tutorials - 1 hr typical week, 2 hr max if difficult
Labs - 30 min pre-lab, 1-4 hrs average on most, but varies considerably
Revision - Christmas/Easter, nothing during year
Level 2
Tutorials - 1-3 hrs depending
Labs - 2-3 hours pre-lab, 2-5 most individually, some weeks with two (tends to be shorter though), 12-16 hrs for long reports probably (3x in year)
Revision - just Christmas holiday/exam period for autumn semester, no direct break before summer exams so started during Easter holiday and then probably 6-10 hours over each week leading up to (4 weeks? not sure)
2) Average weekday was probably 11 pm to 8 am sleeping, pretty much guaranteed to sleep until 1 pm at least one day each weekend
3) Loads in first year, second year is fine if you manage your time. I don't think I "did" that much, but I had plenty of free time which is what keeps me relaxed at the end of the day. I went to the gym a couple of hours in most weeks both years, and went to table tennis (~2-4 hrs Sunday, training during second year Tues ~2-3 hrs).
4) I did flexible odd hours for the university (accommodation tours) during first year. Nothing more than a couple of hours a week, not stressful, could've done more easily. 20 hours seems far too much though, it would have just stressed me out/not allowed me to sleep as much so I probably wouldn't have absorbed as much. Possible to get a 2.1 on that though, but I think a first might be far too much of a fine line. Second year I spent a lot of time applying for placements etc. so that sucks out quite a few hours.
5) Know what works for you. Also, limit how much you go out and drink heavily. In second year I couldn't stand getting drunk very much because it meant I just wasted a whole day afterwards where I wasn't focused/productive in any way. I like to do a bit over a long time, rather than a lot over a short time. Means I can be thinking about problems or theories gently when my mind wanders to it. I think sleep is particularly important
Tried to include first/second year information. I don't think you'll have any time issues in first year particularly, but second year is likely to be the place it hits hard. By third year you'll be used to it and will have hopefully secured a portion of your degree anyway.
1) Contacts hours
Level 1
Labs - 6 hrs
Tutorials - 1 hr
Lectures/wkshops - 14-16 hrs avg week (?)
Level 2
Labs - 12.5 hrs
Tutorials - 2 hrs
Lectures/wkshops - 9-11 hrs avg week (?)
Lectures are a rough guess, can't quite remember, and it will vary depend on some of the subsidiary modules you select.
Work outside of lectures
Level 1
Tutorials - 1 hr typical week, 2 hr max if difficult
Labs - 30 min pre-lab, 1-4 hrs average on most, but varies considerably
Revision - Christmas/Easter, nothing during year
Level 2
Tutorials - 1-3 hrs depending
Labs - 2-3 hours pre-lab, 2-5 most individually, some weeks with two (tends to be shorter though), 12-16 hrs for long reports probably (3x in year)
Revision - just Christmas holiday/exam period for autumn semester, no direct break before summer exams so started during Easter holiday and then probably 6-10 hours over each week leading up to (4 weeks? not sure)
2) Average weekday was probably 11 pm to 8 am sleeping, pretty much guaranteed to sleep until 1 pm at least one day each weekend
3) Loads in first year, second year is fine if you manage your time. I don't think I "did" that much, but I had plenty of free time which is what keeps me relaxed at the end of the day. I went to the gym a couple of hours in most weeks both years, and went to table tennis (~2-4 hrs Sunday, training during second year Tues ~2-3 hrs).
4) I did flexible odd hours for the university (accommodation tours) during first year. Nothing more than a couple of hours a week, not stressful, could've done more easily. 20 hours seems far too much though, it would have just stressed me out/not allowed me to sleep as much so I probably wouldn't have absorbed as much. Possible to get a 2.1 on that though, but I think a first might be far too much of a fine line. Second year I spent a lot of time applying for placements etc. so that sucks out quite a few hours.
5) Know what works for you. Also, limit how much you go out and drink heavily. In second year I couldn't stand getting drunk very much because it meant I just wasted a whole day afterwards where I wasn't focused/productive in any way. I like to do a bit over a long time, rather than a lot over a short time. Means I can be thinking about problems or theories gently when my mind wanders to it. I think sleep is particularly important
Tried to include first/second year information. I don't think you'll have any time issues in first year particularly, but second year is likely to be the place it hits hard. By third year you'll be used to it and will have hopefully secured a portion of your degree anyway.
Original post by ThatPerson
Good to know 
Everyone needs a break some of the time I guess.
Everyone needs a break some of the time I guess.Yeah, the break is good. It's also good to promote the uni sports too I suppose. Are you going to be joining any sports societies?
Original post by ThatPerson
I just realised how badly phrased my first post was
I'm applying this term for September 2015 entry. I probably will join a couple and see how it goes.
I'm applying this term for September 2015 entry. I probably will join a couple and see how it goes.
Good luck for this year then. If you don't mind me asking what are you studying and what/where are you hoping to study/apply for?
Original post by ThatPerson
I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry. I'm applying for Maths, hopefully at Oxford, Warwick, or Bath.
Good luck with the MAT for Oxford then. What college are you thinking of applying to?
Original post by R0k1s
Good day,
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me)
3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
I was wondering about the workload of engineering/physical/mathematical/computer science/medical students from such universities as Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial and Manchester and had a couple of questions:
1) How many hours per day (or per week) do you study? Would be nice to know how many contact hours (lectures, practicals, labs, tutorials...) you have per week and how much time you spend studying individually.
2) What's your average sleeping time? (concerns me
)3) Any time for leisure?
4) Do you work? Would it be a bad desicion to work for 20 hrs/week if I want a 2.1/1 degree (or how hard would it be/is it possible)?
5) Any tips for time management?
6) Could you give an example of your average work day routine?
I myself am interested in studying materials science, but would also like to know the workload of students from other fields.
Really grateful for any responses you leave. Thanks and have a great day!
1) At most 30 hours (average is lower) although I should probably do a little more. I have got a 1st in both years though, perhaps partially through putting in work during the vacations.
2) I aim for eight hours, it sometimes is a bit less though. I'd guess about seven hours average.
3) Lots and lots!
4) No - Oxford strongly discourage it, but provide the financial support to mean that it doesn't matter. You also have very long vacations to get jobs
Original post by Lord of the Flies
Cambridge maths.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
Read the problem sheet when it is handed out, perusing the harder questions if the sheet contains any. Not much work during the day, if any. Keep the tougher problems in mind and think about them (crucial in certain cases). Do the sheet the day (or many occasions, night) before the deadline.
Quite frankly I don't believe this is a healthy work ethic but it worked. In response to the other questions, there is plenty of time for leisure, and the university doesn't allow us to have a job during term time.
This is closer to my experience at one of the mentioned universities than the "8+ hours a day" posts, but it does depend on the person (and perhaps the subject too, I was also maths. I would assume in lab science you have more 'face time' and hence end up with something closer to a 9-5 routine).
The exception is the month or so before exams, during which time I done around 8-10 hours a day (and admittedly a lot of this was catching up on material I hadnt done during the term).
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Astronomical
Imperial (well, at least the physics department) give you enough to do to keep you busy all day, every day. Having said that, it's usually only the asians that do it all. You certainly don't need to do all of it to get a 2.1 or a first, but it would help to some extent. (I have only done the assessed work thus far and I'm on a 2.1 going into third year.)
You could in theory fit in 20 hrs/week of paid work, but you'd have very little down-time remaining. I know plenty of people who work some weekend shifts though and manage fine, and worked about 10 hrs/week myself for a couple of terms in first year without any problems.
My average day would be waking up at 6AM, being at the gym by 7AM, working out until 8-8:30AM, then lectures at 9AM. Between 9AM and 5PM we'd usually have between 3 and 6 hours of contact time (depending on course choices). I might hang around until about 7PM doing some programming or problem sheets or something, then head home and eat like a king. Bed at 10PM or so.
You could in theory fit in 20 hrs/week of paid work, but you'd have very little down-time remaining. I know plenty of people who work some weekend shifts though and manage fine, and worked about 10 hrs/week myself for a couple of terms in first year without any problems.
My average day would be waking up at 6AM, being at the gym by 7AM, working out until 8-8:30AM, then lectures at 9AM. Between 9AM and 5PM we'd usually have between 3 and 6 hours of contact time (depending on course choices). I might hang around until about 7PM doing some programming or problem sheets or something, then head home and eat like a king. Bed at 10PM or so.
Everyday like this?
When do you go out with your friends?(edited 9 years ago)
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