Choosing between Cambridge and Imperial

I'm holding offers for Engineering at Cambridge and Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial and, despite reading countless threads and spending more hours than I care to remember researching the universities/courses, I can't decide where to put as my firm choice!

I was wondering if any current students studying the courses I have offers for would be able to give me an idea of their workload and how manageable it is. I'm also very concerned that I would underachieve at Cambridge, considering that 25-30% of Engineering undergraduates get a II.ii at the end of their course! At Imperial, about 55% of students get a first (for aero) and only 5% get below a II.i.

Is it really possible to have a social life at Cambridge and still get a II.i or first? Finally, how do people find the courses as a whole? Do you receive adequate support and do you feel prepared for exams?

The offer I have from Cambridge is to study at Trinity College so any information about the college would also be helpful! Thanks in advance!

Go the uni where you feel you're happiest and like the course best, ignore the inevitable "you will end up working in mcdonalds if you don't go to cambridge" comments

Until you get some more helpful replies, one thing I suggest you think about (if you haven't already) is what environment you'd prefer to live in. Cambridge is a relatively quiet, small town whereas Imperial is in a massive city; the two environments couldn't be more dissimilar so presumably you've got some kind of preference about this. Also, remember the fact that you'll probably have the opportunity to live in cheap, university-owned catered accommodation for the duration of your degree at Cambridge, which is not the case for Imperial.

I think this is one of the main reasons why I want to go to Cambridge...

Is that bad?

I

Is it really possible to have a social life at Cambridge and still get a II.i or first? Finally, how do people find the courses as a whole? Do you receive adequate support and do you feel prepared for exams?

I think this is one of the main reasons why I want to go to Cambridge...

Is that bad?

I think this is one of the main reasons why I want to go to Cambridge...

Is that bad?

Can't comment on the academic side, but it is perfectly possible to have a social life at Cambridge and still get a 2.1 or a first - most students manage it fine. There are many, many layers of support at Cambridge, more than most Universities, because of the Colleges.

Having worked for a few companies, I can safely say that most have a preference for Imperial graduates over Cambridge. They say they don't discriminate on university basis, but having employed lots of people from different universities, they have noticed imperial graduates have the edge mostly.

Engineering companies that is

I've heard similar! But then again, I've also heard the opposite so I guess it depends who you ask! If you don't mind me asking, which engineering discipline do you work in?

Just out of interest, do you study there yourself? If so, how much time do you spend working outside of lectures? Thanks

Just out of interest, do you study there yourself? If so, how much time do you spend working outside of lectures? Thanks

I did my PhD there, so slightly different. However, you only have to look at the number of sports clubs that operate across the University and all the Colleges, and at all the music, drama, art, volunteering etc that is going on to see that Cambridge students have just as much social life as students in any other Uni - and still come out with a globally respected degree.