Best University For Physics

I want to ask you guys & girls what is the best universities to study physics at, I am applying this year to study physics and apart from imperial college what other universities are within thier league of teaching, research etc...
subjects I am studying are
MATHEMATICS
PHYSICS
ECONMICS
I am going to do them all within one year
Home education really and i am going to be 21 soon so what is the Possibility of me getting in to a top end insititute??
Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Robob

17

Cambridge (although you'd have to do a variety of sciences in your first year, so your choice of A-levels probably isn't best for it)
Oxford
Durham
Bristol
Warwick

Reply 2

Kyle_S-C

12

What about Imperial and UCL as well?

Reply 3

Morbo

17

Kyle_S-C

What about Imperial and UCL as well?

He already mentioned Imperial, and UCL doesn't exactly have a top reputation for the subject.

Reply 4

Annaconda

17

bristol. My borther started at 20, 2 years after leaving school even though he had done nothing in that time

Reply 5

bittersweetbloke

The Times rankings which I have linked below are a good indicator. I would probably focus on the quality of research rankings so that excludes Heriot-Watt and St Andrews. Also I believe Nottingham is very well equipped to teach because the department is particularly well off and offers a tutorial system in Physics similar to Oxford and Cambridge (but I may well be wrong on this)

http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/gug/gooduniversityguide.php?AC_sub=Physics+and+Astronomy&sub=27&x=39&y=14

Reply 6

bunthulhu

14

Southampton is one of the best.

Reply 7

human brain

OP

Even tho UCL and King's are not in the TOP 10 for physics is it still worth going there and studying physics (They are in the overall 10 top table but not for PHYSICS in general). I mean will future empolyers (investment banking, government work, Top JOBS) look at what university you went to
(Overall Top ten) Or The best university FOR that particular subject even tho it might be say' 40th in the overall league table??

Reply 8

Christophicus

18

bunthulhu

Southampton is one of the best.

I admit it's good as a department (fantastic for research) but it doesn't really compare to oxbridge, durham and imperial in terms of reputation.

Reply 9

trm90

12

Christophicus

I admit it's good as a department (fantastic for research) but it doesn't really compare to oxbridge, durham and imperial in terms of reputation.

Personally I have mixed feelings concerning Soton's reputation, 'cause they're the type of university that is very focused on physical, chemical and earth sciences, so in those departments I suppose they're comparable... but then you have a point when comparing Soton to those three universities in terms of a uni as a whole.

Reply 10

bunthulhu

14

Christophicus

I admit it's good as a department (fantastic for research) but it doesn't really compare to oxbridge, durham and imperial in terms of reputation.

It does actually, in the last government RAE it was classed as a 5* institution along with Oxbridge, Imperial, and funnily enough not Durham. :smile:

Reply 11

ChemistBoy

16

Christophicus

I admit it's good as a department (fantastic for research) but it doesn't really compare to oxbridge, durham and imperial in terms of reputation.

Reputation amongst whom?

Reply 12

bittersweetbloke

Actually my impression was that Southampton has a very good Physics department. Also if you're talking about reputation I'd be careful about lumping Durham in with Oxbridge and Imperial, because in my opinion (and I suspect many others) there's clear water between Oxbridge/Imperial and Durham, both in terms of the quality of their physics departments and their overall reputation (despite Durhams best efforts to be included in an elite "Doxbridge" top 3.)

Reply 13

Christophicus

18

bittersweetbloke

Actually my impression was that Southampton has a very good Physics department. Also if you're talking about reputation I'd be careful about lumping Durham in with Oxbridge and Imperial, because in my opinion (and I suspect many others) there's clear water between Oxbridge/Imperial and Durham, both in terms of the quality of their physics departments and their overall reputation (despite Durhams best efforts to be included in an elite "Doxbridge" top 3.)

Exactly it's all subjective. However, you can't deny the fact that Durham has been consistently in the top 5 universities for physics for the last 5 years now and has topped the times good university guide in the subject which is the league table that is more reliable in most opinions.

Reply 14

ChemistBoy

16

Christophicus

Exactly it's all subjective. However, you can't deny the fact that Durham has been consistently in the top 5 universities for physics for the last 5 years now and has topped the times good university guide in the subject which is the league table that is more reliable in most opinions.

But all league tables are utter crap (this year especially) they are all heavily based on data that is at 7 or more years out of date.

Reply 15

Ben Dover the Lollipop Man

14

human brain

Even tho UCL and King's are not in the TOP 10 for physics is it still worth going there and studying physics (They are in the overall 10 top table but not for PHYSICS in general). I mean will future empolyers (investment banking, government work, Top JOBS) look at what university you went to
(Overall Top ten) Or The best university FOR that particular subject even tho it might be say' 40th in the overall league table??

ditto.

Reply 16

TheLostProphet

I was set on applying to UCL, having some second thoughts now heh. But like the other posters have said, Top 10 uni, it can't be all that bad.

Reply 17

Sarah_V

5

From what friends and my Physics dept. at school said, I'd look at Oxbridge, Durham, Warwick, Nottingham, Southampton if it were me. That's just what we were told by our Physics teachers and what I've heard from friends applying for Physics.

Reply 18

johnboy1984

Oxford, Warwick, Imperial, Durham. Cambridge doesn't offer a straigh physics course. Southampton essentially only has two research departments; optics and astrophysics, this will undoubtely be reflected in the courses available.

Reply 19

Shushi

11

Oxford (AAA plus entrance exam on maths and physics),
Imperial(AAA people have been rejected even they've only missed their 3As by 1 or 2 UMS marks),
Durham(AAA though I never had an interview for it but I know people who got into Durham with AAB)
Warwick( AAB, no interview)
UCL (Normally is AAB but people in my first interview group got ABB and said head of department said to us after presentation 'please try not to miss your offer' which implies you still have a chance if you didn't get ABB)

Edit: If you want to apply to Cambridge.. don't get put off by the Natural Science option. You eventually end up with NatSci Physical degree which is as good as straight physics if not better since you have done a wide range of selection during first year :smile:

If I have a chance to apply university again I would definitely go for NatSci in Cambridge :smile:

Best University For Physics

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