Bath or Bristol for Mechanical Engineering?

Hi. I've received conditional offers for both Bath and Bristol for mechanical engineering. Anyone who has studied in either one of these unis can give me a general idea of the quality of teaching, learning environment, facilities, social life and so on?

I'm just a bit worried because I heard both Bath and Bristol are really good engineering unis and I don't know which to choose. Also, according to one of my seniors in UCL, although the entry requirement for mech eng (which is the same as Bath and Bristol) is high (A*AA), he said he didn't really like it and that UCL wasn't really good for engineering, so I don't want the same thing to happen when I'm choosing these two unis.

Besides, I learnt that Bath is a tourist attraction place, so will the cost of living be higher than that of Bristol? And it is quite small too, so I'm afraid that it might be boring after a while at Bath...

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Original post by ProzoVLA

Hi. I've received conditional offers for both Bath and Bristol for mechanical engineering. Anyone who has studied in either one of these unis can give me a general idea of the quality of teaching, learning environment, facilities, social life and so on?

I'm just a bit worried because I heard both Bath and Bristol are really good engineering unis and I don't know which to choose. Also, according to one of my seniors in UCL, although the entry requirement for mech eng (which is the same as Bath and Bristol) is high (A*AA), he said he didn't really like it and that UCL wasn't really good for engineering, so I don't want the same thing to happen when I'm choosing these two unis.

Besides, I learnt that Bath is a tourist attraction place, so will the cost of living be higher than that of Bristol? And it is quite small too, so I'm afraid that it might be boring after a while at Bath...

Both would be good choices.

They are geographically very close to each other, so you can visit both cities easily.

Bath is a bit more expensive accomodation-wise. But it also offers an industry placement as standard which should be a plus point.

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Reply 3

ProzoVLA

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Original post by Doonesbury

Both would be good choices.

They are geographically very close to each other, so you can visit both cities easily.

Bath is a bit more expensive accomodation-wise. But it also offers an industry placement as standard which should be a plus point.

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Yeah true, the placement is a plus. I think I'll transfer to the course with the placement (if it's possible haha) cos I didn't apply for the one with placements.

I looked at the course units of Bath and Bristol, and it seems like Bath has more. Does that necessarily mean Bath is better? I'm not too sure but the Bath course units sounds a bit more appealing to me than Bristol's...

Reply 4

Doones

21

Original post by ProzoVLA

Yeah true, the placement is a plus. I think I'll transfer to the course with the placement (if it's possible haha) cos I didn't apply for the one with placements.

I looked at the course units of Bath and Bristol, and it seems like Bath has more. Does that necessarily mean Bath is better? I'm not too sure but the Bath course units sounds a bit more appealing to me than Bristol's...

So it sounds like you prefer Bath's course :smile:

Don't worry about the placement bit, you can transfer to that when you get there. It will also be up to you to actually land the placement although the university will help.

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Reply 5

ProzoVLA

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Original post by Doonesbury

So it sounds like you prefer Bath's course :smile:

Don't worry about the placement bit, you can transfer to that when you get there. It will also be up to you to actually land the placement although the university will help.

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What about Bristol's placements? Is it better than Bath's?

Bath's accommodation looks fantastic lol, compared to Bristol's, but it is more expensive. :/ and it's a tourist area so food might be more expensive too

Reply 6

Doones

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Original post by ProzoVLA

What about Bristol's placements? Is it better than Bath's?

Bath's accommodation looks fantastic lol, compared to Bristol's, but it is more expensive. :/ and it's a tourist area so food might be more expensive too

Tagging @Kevin De Bruyne for a Bath student perspective :smile:

Reply 7

Kevin De Bruyne

21

Original post by ProzoVLA

What about Bristol's placements? Is it better than Bath's?

Bath's accommodation looks fantastic lol, compared to Bristol's, but it is more expensive. :/ and it's a tourist area so food might be more expensive too

Is Bath boring?
It's a student city. Has loads of clubs, a few museums, some cinemas, eateries etc, Bristol is a short train journey away and London is not too far out.

Is Bath expensive? Kind of. Rent isn't great. Not comparable with London but also not comparable with really cheap places like in the north of England.

Are the units interesting? Yeah, they're ok. Decent amount of choice so I have avoided, mostly, studying stuff I don't like.

Is Bath or Bristol better for placements? :iiam:

Bath supposedly has a good rep with placement employers

Reply 8

Doones

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Original post by ProzoVLA

What about Bristol's placements? Is it better than Bath's?

Just on this, Bath have offered industrial placements for many years. Afaik, for Bristol it's a more recent innovation.

Reply 9

ProzoVLA

OP

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Original post by Kevin De Bruyne

Is Bath boring?
It's a student city. Has loads of clubs, a few museums, some cinemas, eateries etc, Bristol is a short train journey away and London is not too far out.

Is Bath expensive? Kind of. Rent isn't great. Not comparable with London but also not comparable with really cheap places like in the north of England.

Are the units interesting? Yeah, they're ok. Decent amount of choice so I have avoided, mostly, studying stuff I don't like.

Is Bath or Bristol better for placements? :iiam:

Bath supposedly has a good rep with placement employers

Ok thanks so much for your insight. :smile:

Original post by Doonesbury

Just on this, Bath have offered industrial placements for many years. Afaik, for Bristol it's a more recent innovation.

I see. Aite, thanks for your replies ^^

Reply 10

john_iqbal786

14

Original post by ProzoVLA

Hi. I've received conditional offers for both Bath and Bristol for mechanical engineering. Anyone who has studied in either one of these unis can give me a general idea of the quality of teaching, learning environment, facilities, social life and so on?

I'm just a bit worried because I heard both Bath and Bristol are really good engineering unis and I don't know which to choose. Also, according to one of my seniors in UCL, although the entry requirement for mech eng (which is the same as Bath and Bristol) is high (A*AA), he said he didn't really like it and that UCL wasn't really good for engineering, so I don't want the same thing to happen when I'm choosing these two unis.

Besides, I learnt that Bath is a tourist attraction place, so will the cost of living be higher than that of Bristol? And it is quite small too, so I'm afraid that it might be boring after a while at Bath...

When did you apply and receive your offer? I am still waiting for a reply and getting worried

Original post by ProzoVLA

What about Bristol's placements? Is it better than Bath's?

Bath's accommodation looks fantastic lol, compared to Bristol's, but it is more expensive. :/ and it's a tourist area so food might be more expensive too

Don't know anything about the Bath course, but Mech Eng at Bristol is one of it's premier courses, very well supported by the University, always scores at the top of student satisfaction in internal surveys.

In terms of environment, Bath Uni is set slightly outside the city, so regular bus journeys involved to get off campus and into town. The town itself has a strong tourist component, great shopping, a slightly more up market culture, more theatre than club. Bristol Uni is embedded within the city, though some halls are a bus journey away, fewer tourist in town, but a busier commercial city, great shopping, more youthful culture, or perhaps just a greater variety. A very much more diverse population in Bristol than Bath.

Hi! It's good to hear you're considering Bath.

I am a first year student here in the Faculty of Engineering. I study chemical engineering instead of mechanical engineering, but hopefully I should be able to give you an insight into studying at Bath.

Bath is a lovely city and the University is a campus. It is situated a 10/15 bus journey from the city centre and the busses run 24/7 during term time. It is a smaller city than Bristol but there is still lots to do. Bristol is only a 10 minute train journey away if you do fancy a change of scenery.

As discussed previously, the University is great for placements. It also has a good reputation for graduate prospects. I have quite a few friends studying mechanical engineering and they all enjoy their course.

When making a decision between 2 universities, it is important to consider many things. Which course and modules are more appealing? Which city would you rather live in and do you want a campus or city university?

Hope that helps! If you have any specific questions, please let me know :smile:

Leah
1st Year Chemical Engineering

Reply 13

Varun2111

11

Original post by ProzoVLA

Hi. I've received conditional offers for both Bath and Bristol for mechanical engineering. Anyone who has studied in either one of these unis can give me a general idea of the quality of teaching, learning environment, facilities, social life and so on?

I'm just a bit worried because I heard both Bath and Bristol are really good engineering unis and I don't know which to choose. Also, according to one of my seniors in UCL, although the entry requirement for mech eng (which is the same as Bath and Bristol) is high (A*AA), he said he didn't really like it and that UCL wasn't really good for engineering, so I don't want the same thing to happen when I'm choosing these two unis.

Besides, I learnt that Bath is a tourist attraction place, so will the cost of living be higher than that of Bristol? And it is quite small too, so I'm afraid that it might be boring after a while at Bath...

Which uni did you finally end up joining? I have got conditional offers from Bath and Bristol too, for mechanical engineering. I am kind of in the same dilemma as you. Bath's course modules seem more attractive and offer much more choice than Bristol, but Bristol may have a more reputed department. I have heard that both Bath and Bristol are the best in the UK for mechanical engineering after Imperial - is this the case?

Reply 14

slapsticjoe

15

Original post by Varun2111

Which uni did you finally end up joining? I have got conditional offers from Bath and Bristol too, for mechanical engineering. I am kind of in the same dilemma as you. Bath's course modules seem more attractive and offer much more choice than Bristol, but Bristol may have a more reputed department. I have heard that both Bath and Bristol are the best in the UK for mechanical engineering after Imperial - is this the case?