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Theoretical physics at Birmingham vs Mathematical physics at Edinburgh

Hey there! I am a student from Greece! I have unconditional offers from both the University of Birmingham and the University of Edinbirgh to study theoretical and mathematical physics respectively, but I cannot make up my mind.
I have been to their applicant days and both unis are excellent as I found out, having of course some differences. First it's the fact that Mathematical physics at Edi has of course more pure maths modules which I would be interested in attending, whereas Birmingham offers some courses, especially on the 3rd and 4th year that are a bit different from what I would like eg medical imaging and so on (much more interested in core subjects of physics and maths)... The thing is, in Birmingham I would also have a music scholarship which includes 10 piano lessons per year as well as access to pianos in order to study. Edi can't help me as they've said with my musical interests and can't provide me with any piano to perform...
Apart from those, the city of Edinburgh is amazing but I didn't have the chance to visit the city of Birmingham...
Another thing which is not as big a problem is the fact that a Bachelor in England is 3 years whereas in Scotland it's 4 years... Edi is also higher on the tables for physics and it also has a theoretical/mathematical physics group...
Last but not least, I don't know what the situation is as far as the lgbt community is concerned in both unis.
Could somebody please help me make the choice between those two unis?
Thank you in advance!

Reply 1

qno2

I can't really give you much help between the two universities as I don't know very much about Birmingham. What I can point out is that I'd recommend Edinburgh on the grounds that since you're from an EU country SAAS will pay your tuition fees instead of the £9k a year you'd have to pay at a English university. If money is not much of a concern then it probably falls to personal preference.

The lgbt community at most universities in the UK are normally very active.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2

Unkempt_One

If Edinburgh costs much less I'd definitely go for it. Edinburgh does have a better reputation in general and definitely for Physics. Birmingham has very high student satisfaction rating for its course. On the other hand, I think Edinburgh's research portfolio is more impressive. This will be particularly relevant for you focusing on Theoretical Physics. Birmingham's Theoretical Physics group is just a theoretical condensed matter group whereas Edinburgh has decent centers in theoretical and mathematical physics. This probably means Birmingham's theory lecturers won't have the full perspective on issues in fundamental physics, and certainly that you'll have better contacts and choice of master's topics at Edinburgh, particularly relevant if you're doing a master's degree and looking to go into research (though even if you're just doing a bachelor's I still think it could be relevant to you.) I've actually visited Edinburgh and the Physics department. The city is, as you say, lovely, although the physics department is a long walk/relatively short bus ride from the city center. The physics department is a bit of a maze, but a very focused environment for study. I'm not sure about the environment around Birmingham, but you can use Google maps if you want to have a look around. Having access to a piano is obviously important for you, but I suggest 10 lessons isn't that much. You may be able to make alternative arrangements in Edinburgh, though of course that's not guaranteed. As for LGBT stuff, I suggest you check out the groups in those areas online. The UK has the most vigorous anti-discrimination law in Europe and it's becoming increasingly unfashionable to be a bigot.

Reply 3

JimF

Thank you both very much for the insight!
Any other suggestion? :-)

Reply 4

Colinj451

Bear in mind (or ask to confirm) that you will be able to switch courses at Edinburgh up to the end of the 2nd year to possibly more practical physics.
I think the 4 yr tuition fee payment at Edinburgh is a no brained.
Regarding music I am sure there will be societies that you can join to play a piano on the campus