Southampton/ Bath / Loughborough/ Edinburgh for mechanical engineering
Hi everyone ! I'm a french student, my mum is English and i've applied for mechanical engineering for this september, i've received offers from these four universities, and i Wonder which is the best for mechanical engineering, in the sense, where should i go to get the best degree? Not really taking in counter the city.I've noticed that Edinburgh is ranked very high worldwide but not for engineering so i wonder if it's Worth going there seeing it's free for EU students. I feel bath, Southampton and loughborough have an even level, am i wrong ? thanks for any answers
I'd say bear in mind that living costs in Edinburgh are very high so even though the tuition is free that may make the short term affordability more difficult especially as you won't be eligible for maintenance support.
I would consider the city and travel links if I were you e.g. Edinburgh has good access to its own airport but being in Scotland means trains to anywhere are going to take a long time. Southampton has the best access to its own airport but destinations are much more limited so you may have to go to Gatwick, it also has decent access to London but it will take a long time to go much further north and you will be taking the plane for a lot of places. Loughborough gives you good access to East Midlands Airport and will be best for travelling to other destinations as it's roughly in the middle of England.
I would consider the city and travel links if I were you e.g. Edinburgh has good access to its own airport but being in Scotland means trains to anywhere are going to take a long time. Southampton has the best access to its own airport but destinations are much more limited so you may have to go to Gatwick, it also has decent access to London but it will take a long time to go much further north and you will be taking the plane for a lot of places. Loughborough gives you good access to East Midlands Airport and will be best for travelling to other destinations as it's roughly in the middle of England.
Original post by Broussefr
Hi everyone ! I'm a french student, my mum is English and i've applied for mechanical engineering for this september, i've received offers from these four universities, and i Wonder which is the best for mechanical engineering, in the sense, where should i go to get the best degree? Not really taking in counter the city.I've noticed that Edinburgh is ranked very high worldwide but not for engineering so i wonder if it's Worth going there seeing it's free for EU students. I feel bath, Southampton and loughborough have an even level, am i wrong ? thanks for any answers
Hi Broussefr
Congrats on your offers. All of the unis are good and you won't go far wrong whichever one you pick. If I were you first of all look at each of the courses in detail and see which suits your career aspirations the best.
Then look at the experience they can offer you, the careers opportunities, if they offer placement years, extra-curricular activities, accommodation costs,cost of living etc. I won't lie - the fact that you don't have to pay at Edinburgh is a big bonus especially if everything else about it suits you.
You really just have to do your research and see which fits you and what you want to get out of your degree the best. You'll be spending 3, 4 or even 5 years at your chosen uni, so do all the research you can. If there is anyway you can get over to visit, that might be useful too, but appreciate that may difficult.
Good luck with your decision
Vicky
Hi hello word, I hadn't thought about the geographic position because I kind of believe it's not too hard to travel to and from England but thanks. Hello Vicky, I've had a in depth look at loughborough Edinburg and bath and noticed that loughborough and bath are both very interesting in terms of placement year, I believe it's very important but on an another hand the Scottish mechanical engineering degree includes an extra year for a bachelor ( 4 instead of 3) so I believe I might be able to travel during that spare year. I was also wondering if it is possible to get some kind of financial help by the state or any uni in england to help you with tuition fees? Thank you
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Broussefr
Hi hello word, I hadn't thought about the geographic position because I kind of believe it's not too hard to travel to and from England but thanks. Hello Vicky, I've had a in depth look at loughborough Edinburg and bath and noticed that loughborough and bath are both very interesting in terms of placement year, I believe it's very important but on an another hand the Scottish mechanical engineering degree includes an extra year for a bachelor ( 4 instead of 3) so I believe I might be able to travel during that spare year. I was also wondering if it is possible to get some kind of financial help by the state or any uni in england to help you with tuition fees? Thank you
I would take it into account as it can quite easily result in the difference between travelling for maybe 2-3 hours and travelling for most of the day, and that's just for going back to France. Within England a train from Edinburgh to London will take you 6+ hours which isn't exactly conducive to day trips especially given that the prices can easily get up to £150+ return, coaches will take even longer so you will really struggle to see the South of England without taking a plane.
Quite a few English unis will allow you to study abroad if you do an MEng and some will allow it for BEng so I don't know if that would be an advantage. You can also do a placement year abroad, I know a few people who have done this through Erasmus and IAESTE, though the salaries are much better in the UK due to internships not receiving exemptions from minimum wage laws under most circumstances so it's fairly uncommon to see people actually do it. I wouldn't really call it a spare year in Scotland given that you can do an English MEng and be in the same position, which would be recommended as the standard education for engineers in both the UK and mainland Europe is a master's.
As an EU resident you can get a tuition fee loan from SFE which will cover all of your tuition fees at an English university.
Original post by Broussefr
Hi hello word, I hadn't thought about the geographic position because I kind of believe it's not too hard to travel to and from England but thanks. Hello Vicky, I've had a in depth look at loughborough Edinburg and bath and noticed that loughborough and bath are both very interesting in terms of placement year, I believe it's very important but on an another hand the Scottish mechanical engineering degree includes an extra year for a bachelor ( 4 instead of 3) so I believe I might be able to travel during that spare year. I was also wondering if it is possible to get some kind of financial help by the state or any uni in england to help you with tuition fees? Thank you
Hi Broussefr
I don't really know about financial help as it depends on your circumstances.
This would be a good place to look for a start for Loughborough anyway https://www.lboro.ac.uk/students/finance/ug/
Vicky
Hi there!
It's great to hear you are considering Bath for your studies
As Vicky said, you need to find what you are looking for from a uni and which fits that best!
You are right in saying that placement year is very important and we are lucky at Bath to have a really good placement scheme. As a university, we are highly regarded by industry and the students here go on a lot of exciting placements with a variety of companies. Some of the companies where our students go include Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Dyson, Unilever, F1 Companies and so many more. Particularly for mechanical engineering, there is a wide range of options and pretty much any industry is open to you. Our graduates tend to be very employable because of this so it puts you in a great position.
I would recommend having a look at the modules you would study at each uni and see if anything of interest sticks out to you. If you follow the previous link to the Mechanical Engineering MEng course page, you will see each of the modules can be selected and will take you to the programme and unit catalogues where you can read a detailed overview of what is in each unit. This can help you compare between unis and see if the content and assessment methods are suited to you.
Bath is a really pretty city and our campus is a 15 minute bus journey from the city centre. Our campus is a self-contained space with a great community feel. We have an excellent SU with many volunteering, society and sport opportunities to get involved with - there really is something for everyone.
As for transport links, Bath is pretty well connected. London is only 1.5 hours away by train which makes it really easy to explore. Bristol is only 10/15 minutes away by train and from there you can get the bus to Bristol Airport. There is also a bus which you can get from Bath straight to the door of the terminal at Bristol - it's super convenient!
I would recommend having an explore of all the online resources for each university to help you make the best decision. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
Leah
2nd Year Chemical Engineering
It's great to hear you are considering Bath for your studies
As Vicky said, you need to find what you are looking for from a uni and which fits that best!
You are right in saying that placement year is very important and we are lucky at Bath to have a really good placement scheme. As a university, we are highly regarded by industry and the students here go on a lot of exciting placements with a variety of companies. Some of the companies where our students go include Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Dyson, Unilever, F1 Companies and so many more. Particularly for mechanical engineering, there is a wide range of options and pretty much any industry is open to you. Our graduates tend to be very employable because of this so it puts you in a great position.
I would recommend having a look at the modules you would study at each uni and see if anything of interest sticks out to you. If you follow the previous link to the Mechanical Engineering MEng course page, you will see each of the modules can be selected and will take you to the programme and unit catalogues where you can read a detailed overview of what is in each unit. This can help you compare between unis and see if the content and assessment methods are suited to you.
Bath is a really pretty city and our campus is a 15 minute bus journey from the city centre. Our campus is a self-contained space with a great community feel. We have an excellent SU with many volunteering, society and sport opportunities to get involved with - there really is something for everyone.
As for transport links, Bath is pretty well connected. London is only 1.5 hours away by train which makes it really easy to explore. Bristol is only 10/15 minutes away by train and from there you can get the bus to Bristol Airport. There is also a bus which you can get from Bath straight to the door of the terminal at Bristol - it's super convenient!
I would recommend having an explore of all the online resources for each university to help you make the best decision. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
Leah
2nd Year Chemical Engineering
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