Which universities to apply - mechanical engineering

Hi,

I am doing IB Diploma in Norway and I am being predicted the following grades:

HL: Maths, Chemistry, Physics : 7, 7, 7
SL: English A, Norwegian B, Economics; 6, 6, 7

Total: 41/45

I have a decent personal statement but no work experience or participation in competitions like math olympiads or engineering competitions etc. I have genuine interest in maths and physics and have written about extra reading in my PS.

I was wondering which universities I should apply to. My knowledge of universities in UK is limited, that is why I need your help.

My top two choices are: Cambridge, Imperial

But I want to know which other universities I should go for. I really want to apply to the top universities. Based on my situation, do you have any advice?

Some of the possibilities for the next three choices that I have thought of are: Manchester, UCL, Sheffield, Bristol, Bath

Reply 1

Chlorophile

Original post by ankur_sharam309

League tables give an indication of the kind of prestige and reputation of universities but really, (apart from Oxbridge and maybe Imperial) there isn't that much of a difference between most top universities in terms of reputation. So universities you've listed are all very good, you might want to consider some others like Southampton, Leeds or Birmingham. What you should be doing really is looking at the specific courses of each university, in particular the year 3 and year 4 modules. Mechanical engineering is such a broad degree, every uni has a different take on it. So you should be basing your decision more on the specific courses rather than their position in league table X. Another important consideration is how much you like the feel of the university and department. Obviously, as you're Norwegian, going to open days might not be a possibility but looking at the websites and what people are saying about it certainly helps. UCL and Bath are both amazing universities, but they're totally different places! UCL is in the heart of bustling London, Bath is in a pretty, quiet town.

Best of luck. If you're applying for 2015 entry, just remember that your application and reference need to be submitted by October 15th. Also, remember that Cambridge's course is general engineering - you only specialise in Year 3.

Reply 2

Clearing and Applications Advisor

If you're not sure of which universities to apply to yet then you can submit your application now for Cambridge and Imperial and then add your other 3 choices later on when you've done some more research into the courses on offer and the environment you'd be studying in.

Reply 3

alexschmalex

As far as I know Imperial is the best one in the UK (at least when I was applying), Cambridge is really just giving you a nice name on your CV. I also did IB outside of the UK and am studying the same thing in Sheffield now, I personally love it and I believe it's top 5 for the course. The lack of doing stuff outside of class shouldn't hurt, with that predicted score you'll have an easy time getting anywhere, a lot of unis know how beneficial IB is compared to A-Level so if you do well in that you're already massively setting yourself apart!

As was said before, do a ton of uni visits though. One of my friends applied for and got into Oxford and dropped out after a year, not because he wasn't doing well but because he hated the environment. No use going to a good school if you'll hate being there. If you don't mind living in London, I'd definitely go to Imperial though :P

Which universities to apply - mechanical engineering

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