Chemical engineering courses: expectation vs reality

Your question is a little vague but I recently graduated with a chemeng degree so willing to try to help. You feeling nervous about applying or just interested? chem eng has a fairly high drop out rate but this is usually because people just to think of it as a way of getting a good job without thinking about whether they're actually interested in engineering lol. Although it seems like the least engineering-y of the lot chemical engineering is just as much an engineering subject as any other, it's just got a very niche focus area. I think another reason for the dropout rate is the high workload compared to other courses. A lot of people do chemeng but want to go into finance and then when they get to uni, they realise that the degree leaves very little time compared to other courses to focus on this. we did a lot of group work too and i know people who dropped out just because there group was bad too.

Thanks for your reply, I'm thinking of changing my course to chemeng, I'm currently doing dentistry and it sounded like a course I could like from the website and having spoken to a tutor at uni. They did paint a very rosy picture of the course however (not that I was expected anything else) and I wanted a more realistic view on it.
I think people choose dentistry for similar reasons, job security, money without being interested in it haha. Wasn't looking forward to the group work but didn't know people actually dropped out because of it!
Also, (sorry v dumb question), how does chemeng compare to A level maths, physics and chemistry?
And how did you find getting a job afterwards? Have you stayed in the field?

If you like working in teams, then chemical engineering isn't for you. Working in teams is what you will be doing a lot, and often with the aim of hitting tight deadlines. People will slack and you will have to motivate them whilst also sometimes carrying them. Your supervisor will not give a damn about your complaining, as that's life - people are like that in the workplace, etc.

A-level is covered again during first year, but with a focus on engineering applications. You will cover engineering mathematics (A-level maths relevant to engineering) in the first semester, and then another module tends to be in second semester which is more like further maths content.

Chemistry is generally one module, and about A-level standard.

Thermodynamics calls on A-level physics. As does heat transfer is you cover it in the first year - some do, some don't.

Which universities are you considering?

i guess you mean: " if you don't like working in teams, then chemical engineering isn't for you" right?

Yeah. Corrected it now. Thanks for spotting it and notifying me.

Ah I see the group work must be frustrating, I haven't really had much of that on my current course but I have never heard good things about it!
Not liking the sound of the lack of sympathy from the supervisors (although it is understandable), is this a problem for everyone or just with individual supervisors?
I am considering Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham mainly. Sheffield I think would be my first choice
Which university did you go to (if you don't mind me asking)?

ChemE is a lot of maths, in various guises; there's not actually a huge amount of chemistry. If you don't love differential equations, maybe not the best choice.

If you're dissatisfied in dentistry you can always look at e.g. MAXFAX medicine courses if that appeals, or something more (patho)biology related research-wise.

I really enjoyed maths A level, but that's as far as my experience with maths goes. Are the differential equations anything like maths A level?

I really enjoyed maths A level, but that's as far as my experience with maths goes. Are the differential equations anything like maths A level?

I'd LOVE to do maxfax, the only thing putting me off is having to pay for medical school after dentistry, and student finance won't help out that much for a second degree either
With the state of the NHS I often think that leaving healthcare while I still can would be a wise move

It will vary from supervisor to supervisor. It's not that they don't have sympathy though, but rather that they're trying to prepare you for life after university. They have been there and done it, and know how bosses with react to you moaning about a fellow employee.

It's not so much a problem in later years when everyone is more serious, but it still happens. Especially when you get lumped with someone who in first year thought it didn't matter 'because you only need 40% to pass', as they tend to not know all that much and haven't got into the habit of working hard. But it's mostly in first year, for the reason mentioned.

It's for this reason that it's advisable to get to know your group straight away and get a feel for what each member is about. If you think someone is going to slack, make a mental note of how that may affect things and prepare for it.

Manchester.

What is making you lean towards Sheffield over the others?

ODEs are pretty much an extension of A-level calculus; it's as close to A-level as you get at uni level maths

Yea the funding for GEM is problematic. You have a maintenance loan at least, and NHS funding for 3 years (so only the first you have to self fund). I think KCL does a MAXFAX that is 3 years? You might be able to get NHS funding for the whole thing then (or maybe that's med->dent rather than the reverse lol).

Cambridge offers bursaries up to 5600 a year for undergrads (inc GEM) that are below a threshold, which for students over 25 applies to their own income and not their parent's. It's still tough, but there are options

I imagine the rest of uni level maths is considerably more difficult! Are you currently at uni or have you graduated?

And yes KCL does have a 3 year maxfax thing and I am unfortunately too dumb for Cambridge! There are options though as you say , it is very expensive and a very long time before you start earning decent money

Well that's a lot of the maths you'll do in engineering (arguably most of it) and anything else will be fairly computationally based (either by pen and paper or in MATLAB, more likely); you won't be writing proofs (at least at UK universities) :P

And I'm neither currently at uni nor graduated :x I'm...on hold

Is the computational stuff like D1/D2 A level modules?
I think I could cope somewhat reasonably.. also slightly odd question but as someone who is not naturally amazing at maths (I mean I'm not terrible but I'm no maths whizz), would you recommend a course like chemeng? Would you say it's possible to do well if even you have to put in effort?

Ah okay :P do you plan to complete studying chemeng or start something else?

Certainly you could do chemE if you weren't super strong at maths but since it, both academically and professionally, is largely maths based this may not be the wisest decision...

I agree the degree is largely based on mathematics, I don't agree that engineering itself is a largely maths based profession.

With regards to assessing the suitability of someone who isn't a maths whizz for engineering, I think it depends on how strong the individual is and what their basis for measurement is. Certainly, I think that, relative to the average person, or the population as a whole, you'd need to be considered quite mathematically competent at the very least. I think that most engineering degrees are ideally looking for someone who is capable of achieving at least a B, and preferably an A, at A-level maths or equivalent. The degree itself is quite mathematically heavy (again, relative to degrees as a whole; when compared to an actual maths degree, or even a physics one, it's not that significant), and to practice the profession, you need the degree.

To the OP, I think that engineering is quite different to healthcare, but making the switch certainly isn't out of the question. If you're considering it, I would advise that you look at all of the different disciplines of engineering to see which one you'd really prefer to do.