Engineering and placement year

Hi,
I am a french student wanting to study Mech engineering in the UK, but i have not had the chance to go to open days.
I have a question concerning placement years. I am very interested by doing a year in industry but once I enter the university will i be given the choice to do one, or not? Will I be asked if i want to do a placement year?
Also on the Ucas form I have to enter the course code, but will i be put at a disadvantage if i enter the course with a placement year or should i just put a 4 year course? For example is it more competitive to enter a course with placement year?
Any advice would help,
Thanks

The entry requirements are usually similar and it will say on the website if they differ. With most courses you will have till the end of the first year to decide whether to do the placement or not and see if you can get the grades required.

Till the end of first year? The course w/ a placement will be the same as the one w/o a placement (other than presence of a placement year) so it would be very strange to make people decide by the end of first year. Not to mention the fact that if you apply for the course with a placement but don't manage to find one you'll be switched to the course w/o a placement.

The sandwich year is typically done between the second and third years so you start applying for placements in your second year. Unis also have to make arrangements for the placements and space arrangements for students who are staying/returning/going away so yes you typically need to make your decision and work out if you have the grades to do the placement by the end of the first year.

Not on a 4 year course like OP is describing. It is usually done after the penultimate year.
Like I said they can't plan that stuff anyway. You can tell them you plan on doing a placement but you can't tell them you will be doing one until you are offered and accept one. There were people on my course who switched to or from the sandwich course as late as the end of October before final year.

Erm I think you need to actually read through this thread and make sure you understand what is being said. Yes if you do an additional year during a 3 year course that makes it a 4 year course. And yes if you do it between your second and third year as I have said you will be doing it after your penultimate (second) year. You can say what you like hun but unis do plan for this (I used to help with this process) but we do have margins within which we work for when things do go wrong. Usually it'll only be exceptional circumstances in which students will be allowed to switch at the last minute by choice. You start applying for placements in your second year and most people have been placed by March/April time of the second year or at least by the summer after second year. Anyway, I don't have the time to argue about this. The OP has their answer and if you or they have any questions I'm sure the specific uni can answer them, Good luck!