King's College London or Surrey?

So I want to study Computer Science, I've got an offer for both King's College London and Surrey; but which is the better option?

Forget about location/commuting/finance and just look at the core aspects of each university; I'm not to Keen with 'University Rankings' I just look at it for a general idea of how good the University is.

For Computer Science Surrey is ranked within the top 10 in the UK. KCL further down in the 20s .. in Guardian Rankings

In the complete University Guide KCL is in the mid 20s whilst Surrey is even further down in the late 20s... strange?

Anyway; which University do you think is better to graduate from, KCL or Surrey?
Try not to be bias.. thanks

Hello,


I wont be of much help since i'm not a student at either university, however I have firmed Kings for Computer Science starting 2015.


Kings stands out for me because of it's Russell Group status and also I have done some research and from what i have read about students studying CS at Kings, they all seem to enjoy it and that it is made easy to learn.


Try not to base it on university rankings. One of the rankings state Kings being the 19th best university in the world whereas the guardian puts them 40th in the UK ??? If anything, i'd go by the recent REF rankings where Kings are quite high up the table for both power and overall excellence.

King's is absolutely wonderful. London life is amazing and everyone is really close together.

So I want to study Computer Science, I've got an offer for both King's College London and Surrey; but which is the better option?

Forget about location/commuting/finance and just look at the core aspects of each university.

In Guardian Rankings for Computer Science, Surrey is ranked within the top 10 in the UK. KCL further down in the 20s
In the Complete University Guide KCL is still in the 20s for Computer Science but Surrey is even further down in the 30s...strange?

I'm not to Keen with 'University Rankings' I just look at it for a general idea of how good the University is; in this case it's a bit confusing.

Anyway; which University do you think is better to graduate from, KCL or Surrey?
Try not to be bias, thanks!

Hey, I remember this time last year worrying and thinking about which uni I should attend! I spent ages looking on forums for other people's views and thoughts about the unis.
I held offers at both Surrey and Kings College for Computer Science and Management Studies (Computing and Information Technology at Surrey which is the same thing.)

In the end I chose Surrey uni. The main reasons were :
- It was 8th (when I applied, but now 6th) in the UK
- Its amazing employment rate
- Great feedback about the uni itself from people who have studied there
- Gorgeous campus
- Very close to my home (this applied to me as I am living at home)

I must say that I do not regret choosing Surrey over Kings. I know that Kings is very well known over the world and it is higher in the rankings than Surrey but you can't say the same for the league table for the Top in UK.
Don't just make your mind up about which uni to go to over how high it is ranked in league tables.

Attend applicant days, go for open days, talk to prospective students. It also mainly depends upon you. If I remember, both Surrey and Kings do the same modules over the years! Ask yourself, do you want to study at a uni which has high employment rater [Surrey] and have a job within 6 months of graduating or would you like to just graduate from a world-known uni and just search for jobs? I am not saying that people who study at King's do not get a job but not as quickly as Surrey [Source:statistics over the internet!].

Oh by the way, if you are worried about Surrey not being a Russell Group uni, apparently the only reason is that it is not old enough. I thought this had to be true because most of the unis on the russell group list are very old. Most do wonder why Surrey is not in the Russell group because it does have an excellent academic research and have got top professors!!

So I want to study Computer Science, I've got an offer for both King's College London and Surrey; but which is the better option?

Forget about location/commuting/finance and just look at the core aspects of each university.

In Guardian Rankings for Computer Science, Surrey is ranked within the top 10 in the UK. KCL further down in the 20s
In the Complete University Guide KCL is still in the 20s for Computer Science but Surrey is even further down in the 30s...strange?

I'm not to Keen with 'University Rankings' I just look at it for a general idea of how good the University is; in this case it's a bit confusing.

Anyway; which University do you think is better to graduate from, KCL or Surrey?
Try not to be bias, thanks!

Surrey is much closer to me than King's, it would make life a hell of a lot easier if I went there.

Also, after checking the employment rates, King's has the 7th highest employment rate in the UK, beating UCL and Oxford. Surrey stands at 20th. [source]

To be honest if I graduate from either of these Universities I don't think I will be searching for a job very long as both will most likely end up getting me a job providing a get a First/ 2.1

But since you're already a student at Surrey, what is life there like?

Hi, I'm a final year King's College London student, studying Computer Science with Management. I also did a year abroad as part of my degree (which is one of the key reasons why I chose KCL, as I wanted a sandwich year either abroad or in industry).

I am not going to be here to tell you why King's is awesome or why you should choose King's - ultimately, that is your decision


Hey, I am a final year Computer Science with Management student at King's College London. I also did a year abroad, which is a key reason why I chose KCL as I wanted the flexibility of a sandwich year either abroad or in industry.

I am not here to say why you should choose King's or why I think it's better than Surrey - ultimately that decision lies with you.

But what I can say is that I don't regret going to King's at all. London is a fantastic city to study and there is so much to do. The course itself is okay, but there are a few Comp Sci courses which I do think have more "interesting" content (Bristol being one example). But as for student experience, I cannot fault it - but that might be because I love the feeling of being in a massive city as I used to live in a small town.

In terms of employment prospects, Computer Science from King's is quite well regarded. From what I've observed, a lot of people manage to get summer internships and the fields that people go into upon graduating is varied. I know people who have graduated and are now working in telecommunications, defence, investment banking (which is quite well publicised in London being a global financial centre) and tech companies such as Twitter (a few interned at Google last year too).

What I want to stress is not to take the rankings into consideration - I used to always be paranoid about this. I think what you need to do is compare both courses and which one you feel is right for you, also taking into consideration the location and also the societies available, not just subject related but also social societies too.

If you have any questions about studying at King's or in London, feel free to drop me a PM. But I'm not going to falsely push you towards a university - it really should be about your fit and where you think you would be more comfortable at (I recommend going to open days)

Well Surrey for me have been amazing! In my first semester I had the best teacher for teaching Java and all the others are also very helpful to spend some quality time with you if you need extra help. Extra workshops are always readily available. In terms of teaching, really good.
Surrey campus itself is beautiful, especially in the summer. Acres of just pure greenery. Accommodation is something I cannot comment on as I commute from home. However from what I have heard, everyone loves it. There is accommodation on campus and also the main one is just 15 min walk away from the uni itself. Guildford itself is a nice town. There isn't amazing nightlife but enough when joined with campus to keep you going. People on campus varies in terms of their origin as you can find lots of international students. Also there are plenty of career workshop days where people from reputed companies such as Allianz, Audi, IBM all come to present themselves and talk about placements etc. Surrey uni do have great alliances with amazing companies both in UK and Internationally.

Look at this link and it shows the league table for Computer Science and Information Systems - http://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2014/jun/03/university-guide-2015-league-table-for-computer-science-and-information-systems
Mainly look at the satisfaction rates of the course, with teaching and career after 6 months. Surrey uni do have an amazing graduate employment rate, especially with the Computing department!

Again I do not regret selecting Surrey over Kings because mainly they both are very very good unis and have high reputation. In terms of getting employed the uni you graduated from plays a little role as how you present yourself and what grade you achieve is what gets you the job - well that's what I believe. Additionally and personally I could not have imagined travelling most/every day to London back and forth! Especially during winter time when a slight bit of sleet or snow mucks up the whole rail timetable!

Honestly just don't read too much into what other people say [I did and it only puts you into stress and more worry!!] . Everyone experiences uni in a different way! So just go with your heart and pick one that you will love in all aspects.
Have fun x