University of Bristol, Bath or Edinburgh for Astrophysics/Physics?

I've applied to the UK for my UG studies and would like for some advice on which university I should pick for Astrophysics.

I have received offers from all the Universities mentioned above and want to pick my firm offer from the criterion above

I do live outside of the UK/EU, if that is important

My main points of importance are that the:-

Complete cost of a year should not exceed 26-27k Pounds preferably

Place should be relatively safe.

Quality of teaching is high.

Industry standing of the University is good.

If possible please rank the universities according to your preference.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

Puddles the Monkey

Hey, just giving this thread a little bump in the hopes someone will see it and reply :smile:

Have you found University Connect yet? It's super useful for finding other people on your course/at your university! :smile:

Reply 2

Celloberry

Original post by a1mystery

I've applied to the UK for my UG studies and would like for some advice on which university I should pick for Astrophysics.

I have received offers from all the Universities mentioned above and want to pick my firm offer from the criterion above

I do like outside of the UK/EU, if that is important

My main points of importance are that the:-

Complete cost of a year should not exceed 26-27k Pounds preferably

Place should be relatively safe.

Quality of teaching is high.

Industry standing of the University is good.

If possible please rank the universities according to your preference.

Do you have offers for Astrophysics, straight Physics or a combination of the two?

In terms of costs, it would probably end up being about the same wherever you end up going (unless the course fees are different for international students applying to Scotland). It's probably worth checking what extra funding (bursaries and scholarships etc.) is available for international students at each of the unis. Also, maybe check their accommodation costs?

In terms of safety, I have no personal experience of what it's like in any of these areas. However, from what I have gathered, they are all supposedly reasonably safe (although that's compared to London). I know that Bristol has their own policeman who stays around the main university buildings and Bath, being a campus, is quite likely to be safer than most places. But like I said before, please don't take my word as law, as I haven't actually spent a significant amount of time in any of these places.

Teaching is meant to be excellent in all three and they all have very good reputations. Maybe check the teaching methods in each? i.e. whether or not they have small group tutorials, problem solving classes, extra workshops, reasonable amount of time spent in labs etc.

Reply 3

Astro Girl

Original post by a1mystery

I've applied to the UK for my UG studies and would like for some advice on which university I should pick for Astrophysics.

I have received offers from all the Universities mentioned above and want to pick my firm offer from the criterion above

I do like outside of the UK/EU, if that is important

My main points of importance are that the:-

Complete cost of a year should not exceed 26-27k Pounds preferably

Place should be relatively safe.

Quality of teaching is high.

Industry standing of the University is good.

If possible please rank the universities according to your preference.

Hey I'm applying Astrophysics for Bath, Bristol and Edinburgh and also got offers from three of them too! For Bath, I choose Electronic Engineering with Space Science and Technology.

All three of them are highly ranked universities in the world and have good reputations. Bath has no. 1 student satisfaction and personally I like the subject they offer because, in my case, I get to become an engineer and at the same time, I got to learn about space, which I'm passionate about. From what I've learnt, Bristol is a good and fun place to study. Edinburgh, too is such a lovely city.

Are you from UK or International Student?

Reply 4

a1mystery

Original post by Celloberry

Do you have offers for Astrophysics, straight Physics or a combination of the two?

It's straight Astrophysics in Edinburgh, Physics with Astrophysics in Bristol and Physics with Astrophysics with placement at Bath

Thanks for the insight, I'll check up more about the costs on the University websites.

Reply 5

a1mystery

Original post by Astro Girl

Nice, Congrats! I'm applying from India :smile:

I'll keep what you've said in mind, thanks!

Reply 6

a1mystery

Original post by Puddles the Monkey

Hey, just giving this thread a little bump in the hopes someone will see it and reply :smile:

Have you found University Connect yet? It's super useful for finding other people on your course/at your university! :smile:

Wow, I didn't know about that! Will check it out, thanks :biggrin:

Reply 7

langlitz

Original post by a1mystery

I've applied to the UK for my UG studies and would like for some advice on which university I should pick for Astrophysics.

I have received offers from all the Universities mentioned above and want to pick my firm offer from the criterion above

I do like outside of the UK/EU, if that is important

My main points of importance are that the:-

Complete cost of a year should not exceed 26-27k Pounds preferably

Place should be relatively safe.

Quality of teaching is high.

Industry standing of the University is good.

If possible please rank the universities according to your preference.

Somone went to a private school...? I can't think how you would possibly spend 25k in a year at uni even with 9k tuition fees

Reply 8

a1mystery

Original post by langlitz

Somone went to a private school...? I can't think how you would possibly spend 25k in a year at uni even with 9k tuition fees

I assume you're talking about my profile thing on uni connect... I just filled in what would closely resemble what my education would be like in India, since my real qualifications aren't mentioned on their site. Not to mention, the tuition fees tend to spike for students outside the UK, spiking to between 15-20k Pounds before any scholarships/bursaries.

Reply 9

rachu

Original post by langlitz

Somone went to a private school...? I can't think how you would possibly spend 25k in a year at uni even with 9k tuition fees

The OP is an international applicant. The fees for international applicants is crazy high. Ranging from 17000 pounds to 26000 pounds !!

Reply 10

JuliusDS92

Original post by a1mystery

I've applied to the UK for my UG studies and would like for some advice on which university I should pick for Astrophysics.

I have received offers from all the Universities mentioned above and want to pick my firm offer from the criterion above

I do like outside of the UK/EU, if that is important

My main points of importance are that the:-

Complete cost of a year should not exceed 26-27k Pounds preferably

Place should be relatively safe.

Quality of teaching is high.

Industry standing of the University is good.

If possible please rank the universities according to your preference.

Tuition at Edinburgh will be free if you're from the EU (I couldn't see in your OP whether you are or not)

Reply 11

a1mystery

Original post by JuliusDS92

Tuition at Edinburgh will be free if you're from the EU (I couldn't see in your OP whether you are or not)

Whoops sorry, I misspelt 'live' for 'like', so the tuition fees still apply

Reply 12

chapmouse

Hi guys, I'm a first year undergraduate on the MSci Physics with Astrophysics course at the University of Bristol. Feel free to ask me anything about the university, the department, the accommodation, or the course... or anything else.

Reply 13

a1mystery

Original post by chapmouse

Hey I'm considering an offer for BSc Astrophysics for the year 2015. Any inputs with regards to the faculty, research, prospects for higher studies, student community and approx. living expenses there? Any thoughts on Bristol viz. Bath in terms of academics? Thanks :smile:

Reply 14

chapmouse

Original post by a1mystery

Hey, congrats on your offer! Have you been to an open day at Bristol yet? I highly recommend it, that's when I really decided that I was going to go to Bristol. Given that Bath is so nearby, you could probably check them both out in the same day.
At Bristol, you are assigned a personal tutor in your first year. You see them on a weekly basis in your tutor group (3-5 people) and discuss whats been going on in lectures and things like that. They're really useful, and they're all absolute experts in their field. My tutor worked on NASA's Chandra satellite, and he was also the first person to observe something called the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. He is FULL of knowledge, and he's really, really useful. This is the case with pretty much every tutor. Your tutor will also end up being your lecturer at some point, which has many advantages.
I honestly couldn't tell you very much about the research going on here because i'm a first year, but we usually do really well in the Research Assessment Exercise. Right now, a lot of money is being pumped into improving the undergraduate physics student experience. £7m was recently spent refurbishing our labs. They're quite nice.
The student community in Bristol is unmatched. Roughly half of first year students live in the Stoke Bishop area of Bristol. This means we're like a campus in that everyone lives together, but at the same time we're nothing like a campus university because there are no academic buildings in sight. You'll get a free bus pass in your first year that shuttles you down to the university precinct, which is a really compact area where virtually all of the university buildings are situated. Very useful.
That's pretty much all the information I think I can provide you for what you're asking, feel free to ask a more specific question if you want!

Reply 15

a1mystery

Original post by chapmouse

Hey, congrats on your offer! Have you been to an open day at Bristol yet? I highly recommend it, that's when I really dec+ided that I was going to go to Bristol. Given that Bath is so nearby, you could probably check them both out in the same day.
At Bristol, you are assigned a personal tutor in your first year. You see them on a weekly basis in your tutor group (3-5 people) and discuss whats been going on in lectures and things like that. They're really useful, and they're all absolute experts in their field. My tutor worked on NASA's Chandra satellite, and he was also the first person to observe something called the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect. He is FULL of knowledge, and he's really, really useful. This is the case with pretty much every tutor. Your tutor will also end up being your lecturer at some point, which has many advantages.
I honestly couldn't tell you very much about the research going on here because i'm a first year, but we usually do really well in the Research Assessment Exercise. Right now, a lot of money is being pumped into improving the undergraduate physics student experience. £7m was recently spent refurbishing our labs. They're quite nice.
The student community in Bristol is unmatched. Roughly half of first year students live in the Stoke Bishop area of Bristol. This means we're like a campus in that everyone lives together, but at the same time we're nothing like a campus university because there are no academic buildings in sight. You'll get a free bus pass in your first year that shuttles you down to the university precinct, which is a really compact area where virtually all of the university buildings are situated. Very useful.
That's pretty much all the information I think I can provide you for what you're asking, feel free to ask a more specific question if you want!

Hey, thanks for the reply! Super helpful and I'll definitely take what you've said into account :smile:

I don't think I have any more questions right now, but thanks again for all the help!

Reply 16

reubenhf

Hey there I'm trying to decide between bristol, bath and sheffield for physics. How pleased are you with your professors? Are they good at explaining stuff? Do they put in a lot of effort, or do they care more about their own research? In terms of the main uni site/campus, is there much green space? Are there many communal areas where people from all different subjects mix and hang out? Whats the student union like? How expensive is accommodation after the first year? Thanks.

Reply 17

JuliusDS92

I'm studying Physics at Edinburgh right now, so I'm happy to answer any questions.

Reply 18

frangipani19

On the Physics w/ Astrophysics course do you get to use the telescopes to collect data? Or is there any separate kind of labs or training for those on the astrophysics course?