University College London
London
Is UCL the best after Oxbridge?
Is UCL better recognised in rank and known internationally in the U.S?
Or are LSE, Warwick, Imperial and KCL more known?
Or are LSE, Warwick, Imperial and KCL more known?
Scroll to see replies
It depends on what subject you are applying for and also which league table you're looking at. UCL is apparently ranked fourth worldwide when I went there for open day, that's what the professors there were bragging about) on the QS league tables.
I myself tend to use the complete university league tables. There's loads of league tables, as long as there's interest, there's people making them, and there could always be a sense of bias to them as each table varies between each other by quite a margin. It really is up to your own opinion at the end of the day. Depends on what you value as the most and least important factors.
Regarding what US thinks, generally Russell group universities, Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE and a few others which I'm not too sure about are considered as really good unis. It's worth noting that regardless of where you study, the most important thing is how well you do. So if you went to Oxbridge and ended up getting kicked out because you failed your exams, you could still out on your CV that you went to oxbridge. But compare that to someone who went to Warwick or even lower unis (you can see examples of this on tsr from tsr users), and got a first, the company who can hire one out of the two people will almost definitely go for the one with a better grade. Work experience is also an important factor. No matter how popular a university is, it all comes down to the person itself. Hope this helps
I myself tend to use the complete university league tables. There's loads of league tables, as long as there's interest, there's people making them, and there could always be a sense of bias to them as each table varies between each other by quite a margin. It really is up to your own opinion at the end of the day. Depends on what you value as the most and least important factors.
Regarding what US thinks, generally Russell group universities, Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL, LSE and a few others which I'm not too sure about are considered as really good unis. It's worth noting that regardless of where you study, the most important thing is how well you do. So if you went to Oxbridge and ended up getting kicked out because you failed your exams, you could still out on your CV that you went to oxbridge. But compare that to someone who went to Warwick or even lower unis (you can see examples of this on tsr from tsr users), and got a first, the company who can hire one out of the two people will almost definitely go for the one with a better grade. Work experience is also an important factor. No matter how popular a university is, it all comes down to the person itself. Hope this helps
(edited 9 years ago)
University College London
London
In the US the known ranking goes like this:
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
Those who know Imperial, UCL, KCL are likely to be well knowleged about universities, academics, employers that hire internationally sort of thing. I also think once you have heard of one you are more likely to hear of another. Anecdotally, my friends in business have heard of Warwick, my friends in engineering have heard of Imperial, so it is a bit of a subject specific thing as well. Essentially most Americans do not look at world rankings mostly because the world rankings do not rank US universities very well (they miss out on smaller prestigious unis (Brown, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst etc) which the US has a lot of and rank large unselective state schools higher) and when they do they usually glance over international universities.
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
Those who know Imperial, UCL, KCL are likely to be well knowleged about universities, academics, employers that hire internationally sort of thing. I also think once you have heard of one you are more likely to hear of another. Anecdotally, my friends in business have heard of Warwick, my friends in engineering have heard of Imperial, so it is a bit of a subject specific thing as well. Essentially most Americans do not look at world rankings mostly because the world rankings do not rank US universities very well (they miss out on smaller prestigious unis (Brown, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst etc) which the US has a lot of and rank large unselective state schools higher) and when they do they usually glance over international universities.
Original post by Okorange
In the US the known ranking goes like this:
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
Those who know Imperial, UCL, KCL are likely to be well knowleged about universities, academics, employers that hire internationally sort of thing. I also think once you have heard of one you are more likely to hear of another. Anecdotally, my friends in business have heard of Warwick, my friends in engineering have heard of Imperial, so it is a bit of a subject specific thing as well. Essentially most Americans do not look at world rankings mostly because the world rankings do not rank US universities very well (they miss out on smaller prestigious unis (Brown, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst etc) which the US has a lot of and rank large unselective state schools higher) and when they do they usually glance over international universities.
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
Those who know Imperial, UCL, KCL are likely to be well knowleged about universities, academics, employers that hire internationally sort of thing. I also think once you have heard of one you are more likely to hear of another. Anecdotally, my friends in business have heard of Warwick, my friends in engineering have heard of Imperial, so it is a bit of a subject specific thing as well. Essentially most Americans do not look at world rankings mostly because the world rankings do not rank US universities very well (they miss out on smaller prestigious unis (Brown, Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst etc) which the US has a lot of and rank large unselective state schools higher) and when they do they usually glance over international universities.
UCL is relatively unknown, surprisingly, in Asia, even amongst UK graduates who graduated say 20+ years ago but very well known in UK, of course, as a top university. Oxbridge is in a league of its own due to its long established history as well as excellence. Beyond them, there is Imperial, UCL and LSE recognised for their own areas of excellence, and then there are many right behind those three. International reputation is more than just academics and what do you mean by best - academics or everything all in?
Warwick is a growing powerhouse
This thread made me chuckle.
UCL is probably the third best non-specialist university in the UK (so discounting LSE and Imperial because they make things complicated...). Warwick does very well in some subjects and meh in others, and KCL isn't any better in terms of prestige than Manchester or Bristol. Imo the only contenders for spot #3 for non-specialist unis are UCL, Warwick, Durham, St Andrews and Edinburgh, probably with UCL holding the edge.
Btw another poster mentioned league tables...they're all useless, don't pay attention to them, their methodology is ridiculous. Entry standards and research quality are the best way to measure prestoge, but it's such a subjective term it's not really quanifiable tbh
Btw another poster mentioned league tables...they're all useless, don't pay attention to them, their methodology is ridiculous. Entry standards and research quality are the best way to measure prestoge, but it's such a subjective term it's not really quanifiable tbh
I think it really does come down to personal choice and what you're looking to get into. So, if you're looking to get into Finance, then UCL's reputation will definitely help you get into the top Investment Banks (especially if you're reading Economics). However, Durham's Law Department is one of the best, if not the best, in the country and their placement has been incredible in recent years (just do a Linkedin search for incoming Associates at Magic Circle firms and you'll see a large number from Durham).
By subjects, the landscape changes a bit, but nevertheless, UCL is recognised as one of the top in UK, although not necessarily well known outside of the UK.
Original post by TigerDream
Is UCL better recognised in rank and known internationally in the U.S?
Or are LSE, Warwick, Imperial and KCL more known?
Or are LSE, Warwick, Imperial and KCL more known?
Original post by Wahrheit
UCL is probably the third best non-specialist university in the UK (so discounting LSE and Imperial because they make things complicated...). Warwick does very well in some subjects and meh in others, and KCL isn't any better in terms of prestige than Manchester or Bristol. Imo the only contenders for spot #3 for non-specialist unis are UCL, Warwick, Durham, St Andrews and Edinburgh, probably with UCL holding the edge.
Btw another poster mentioned league tables...they're all useless, don't pay attention to them, their methodology is ridiculous. Entry standards and research quality are the best way to measure prestoge, but it's such a subjective term it's not really quanifiable tbh
Btw another poster mentioned league tables...they're all useless, don't pay attention to them, their methodology is ridiculous. Entry standards and research quality are the best way to measure prestoge, but it's such a subjective term it's not really quanifiable tbh
Original post by GandalfWhite
By subjects, the landscape changes a bit, but nevertheless, UCL is recognised as one of the top in UK, although not necessarily well known outside of the UK.
Worldwide UCL is a very poor university. A realistic rating would put it around 550 in the world and 40 in the UK. UCL is not at good as you think.
Original post by The two eds
Worldwide UCL is a very poor university. A realistic rating would put it around 550 in the world and 40 in the UK. UCL is not at good as you think.
Yeah I mean what you're saying isn't true in terms of prestige and how good it is for getting you a job/its brand name, but as far as quality of education you could be completely right. I often maintain that the universities with best education/value for money are often the least prestigious universities which might sit lower on the league tables, as education is their USP...people would go to LSE even if they have 0 contact hours (I know this isn't actually the case, just hypothetical) and don't really get anything out of it except the right to put it on their cv
Has noone on here really considered Durham?They have a collegiate system like Oxford and Cambridge so they are very comparable.I think after Oxford and Cambridge the best Universities are Durham,Warwick,LSE,UCL,Imperial and the order depends on the subject you are doing.I do think a lot of League Tables are suspicious St Andrews is incredibly overrated on a lot of league tables and worldwide league tables look as if they were produced by top universities(other than Oxbridge) from the UK as the rankings are ridiculous and don't even make sense considering the UK league tables.
I think the best way of deciding what the best universities are is how hard it is to get into the University as this means the University gets better students, so you are competing with better students for the same grades and the University is able to get through much more content and harder content with clever students thats why the standards of Cambridge and Oxford are so high and we read stories on here of people who went to a university a couple of places lower on the league tables and their marks were much higher or lower if the reverse happened.
I think the best way of deciding what the best universities are is how hard it is to get into the University as this means the University gets better students, so you are competing with better students for the same grades and the University is able to get through much more content and harder content with clever students thats why the standards of Cambridge and Oxford are so high and we read stories on here of people who went to a university a couple of places lower on the league tables and their marks were much higher or lower if the reverse happened.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Dalek1099
Has noone on here really considered Durham?They have a collegiate system like Oxford and Cambridge so they are very comparable.I think after Oxford and Cambridge the best Universities are Durham,Warwick,LSE,UCL,Imperial and the order depends on the subject you are doing.I do think a lot of League Tables are suspicious St Andrews is incredibly overrated on a lot of league tables and worldwide league tables look as if they were produced by top universities(other than Oxbridge) from the UK as the rankings are ridiculous and don't even make sense considering the UK league tables.
I think the best way of deciding what the best universities are is how hard it is to get into the University as this means the University gets better students, so you are competing with better students for the same grades and the University is able to get through much more content and harder content with clever students thats why the standards of Cambridge and Oxford are so high and we read stories on here of people who went to a university a couple of places lower on the league tables and their marks were much higher or lower if the reverse happened.
I think the best way of deciding what the best universities are is how hard it is to get into the University as this means the University gets better students, so you are competing with better students for the same grades and the University is able to get through much more content and harder content with clever students thats why the standards of Cambridge and Oxford are so high and we read stories on here of people who went to a university a couple of places lower on the league tables and their marks were much higher or lower if the reverse happened.
I don't think anyone on here really considered Durham. I'm sorry but it's pretty biased of you to say St Andrews is overrated when Durham is basically the same thing as St Andrews, ranked similarly in both league and world tables.
St Andrews and Durham are both equally as hard to get into if you look at UCAS tariffs. I think the most definitive answer is there isn't a best after Oxbridge.
There is maybe a 3rd for each definition you seek but there isn't a consistent 3rd best.
Original post by Okorange
I don't think anyone on here really considered Durham. I'm sorry but it's pretty biased of you to say St Andrews is overrated when Durham is basically the same thing as St Andrews, ranked similarly in both league and world tables.
St Andrews and Durham are both equally as hard to get into if you look at UCAS tariffs. I think the most definitive answer is there isn't a best after Oxbridge.
There is maybe a 3rd for each definition you seek but there isn't a consistent 3rd best.
St Andrews and Durham are both equally as hard to get into if you look at UCAS tariffs. I think the most definitive answer is there isn't a best after Oxbridge.
There is maybe a 3rd for each definition you seek but there isn't a consistent 3rd best.
Durham is extremely keen on good GCSEs though you will find loads more Durham rejects than St Andrews on the internet due to not having high GCSEs.I have heard stories of a lot of people rejected by Durham and who got into Oxbridge(obviously more the other way round) but I don't think its common to be rejected by St Andrews.For prestigous science subjects Durham has quite a bit higher entry standards on average than St Andrews well.This link seems to show how good Durham is appearing the top ten for every single subject and the university had 8 top places compared to 0 for St Andrews showing why it is a much better university and lots of people get rejected from Durham.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_within_universities_in_the_United_Kingdom#Oxford_and_Cambridge
This link makes it quite clear that one of the best universities to compare Oxbridge with is Durham due to its collegiate structure.
Original post by Dalek1099
Durham is extremely keen on good GCSEs though you will find loads more Durham rejects than St Andrews on the internet due to not having high GCSEs.I have heard stories of a lot of people rejected by Durham and who got into Oxbridge(obviously more the other way round) but I don't think its common to be rejected by St Andrews.For prestigous science subjects Durham has quite a bit higher entry standards on average than St Andrews well.This link seems to show how good Durham is appearing the top ten for every single subject and the university had 8 top places compared to 0 for St Andrews showing why it is a much better university and lots of people get rejected from Durham.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_within_universities_in_the_United_Kingdom#Oxford_and_Cambridge
This link makes it quite clear that one of the best universities to compare Oxbridge with is Durham due to its collegiate structure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_within_universities_in_the_United_Kingdom#Oxford_and_Cambridge
This link makes it quite clear that one of the best universities to compare Oxbridge with is Durham due to its collegiate structure.
GG dude, you are a lost cause.
Original post by Okorange
I don't think anyone on here really considered Durham. I'm sorry but it's pretty biased of you to say St Andrews is overrated when Durham is basically the same thing as St Andrews, ranked similarly in both league and world tables.
St Andrews and Durham are both equally as hard to get into if you look at UCAS tariffs. I think the most definitive answer is there isn't a best after Oxbridge.
There is maybe a 3rd for each definition you seek but there isn't a consistent 3rd best.
St Andrews and Durham are both equally as hard to get into if you look at UCAS tariffs. I think the most definitive answer is there isn't a best after Oxbridge.
There is maybe a 3rd for each definition you seek but there isn't a consistent 3rd best.
Not that you're biased here or anything
Original post by TurboCretin
Not that you're biased here or anything
I'm not the one saying St Andrews > Durham though.
Original post by Okorange
In the US the known ranking goes like this:
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
Oxford >> Cambridge >>>>>>>>>>>>> LSE >>>>>>>>>>> St Andrews >> Edinburgh.
The above generalisation reminds me of the stereotype Americans have of men in the UK being gay?
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