Is university harder than A Levels?
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I don't want to stay at Uni, am I at a disadvantage if I commute?
Original post by lawlietxtt
You're right. I did try edit in more touching on humanities tbf. That being said there are still essays in STEM subjects. Ironicly, my lowest grade last semester was an essay unit lol. I'm sure engineering has way less essays than other STEM subjects though.
I disagree on your last bit. Washing/hoovering/generally being an adult are basic things everyone should be doing. I did them all during A Levels and I'm sure others did too. It shouldn't be used as a factor for why doing work is harder.
Also I think people are just less disciplined at Uni. At school you'd get there for 8-9 every day. Go home at 3. Do homework.
At University, people will go clubbing, party, oversleep ect. Then they'll regularly miss lectures. That's all making things harder for yourselves. Can't blame course content there.
I disagree on your last bit. Washing/hoovering/generally being an adult are basic things everyone should be doing. I did them all during A Levels and I'm sure others did too. It shouldn't be used as a factor for why doing work is harder.
Also I think people are just less disciplined at Uni. At school you'd get there for 8-9 every day. Go home at 3. Do homework.
At University, people will go clubbing, party, oversleep ect. Then they'll regularly miss lectures. That's all making things harder for yourselves. Can't blame course content there.
University level content is generally far harder, more complicated and in much larger quantities than A Level. It is expected to find university much harder and have to put in much more effort. For whatever reason, your experience is difference is different, and to be honest you should be concerned that it's so much easier than A Levels. It's a sign of underachievement, that you should probably be doing a harder course. But almost everyone finds university way harder and for good reason.
I’m my opinion, no and yes.
For me first year was easier Thant a-levels, as it was all introductory and especially in first term I’d already covered a lot of the content it was easy and it also ultimately didn’t count. So I would say first year was easier for me.
Second and third year, they got real. The workload got higher and the content got harder and it was a lot. Trying to to stay on top of it all was a struggle, there were some deadlines where I had no idea how I was going to get it done in time. It was only after a bunch of us complaining that a deadline got pushed back because there physically weren’t enough hours in the day. So for me the graft really started in second year.
For me first year was easier Thant a-levels, as it was all introductory and especially in first term I’d already covered a lot of the content it was easy and it also ultimately didn’t count. So I would say first year was easier for me.
Second and third year, they got real. The workload got higher and the content got harder and it was a lot. Trying to to stay on top of it all was a struggle, there were some deadlines where I had no idea how I was going to get it done in time. It was only after a bunch of us complaining that a deadline got pushed back because there physically weren’t enough hours in the day. So for me the graft really started in second year.
Original post by lawlietxtt
I did Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at A Level. I'm currently at a top University studying Civil Engineering.
For me, University is SO MUCH EASIER than A levels. To get a First Class you just need 70%+. I'm comfortably above this despite relationships and regular socialising + multiple societies. The papers are at least 2hrs long which gives you more time to check over errors. No exam board politics. At A Levels there were maths papers where you needed 90%+ For an A*. One silly mistake and that's your grade gone. Don't even get me started on controlled assessments. So many schools cheated which raised boundaries. I'll never forget one year where 40/50 in a science ISA was a D.
I'm in 3rd year now. Still putting 5x less effort than I had to at A Level. Still on a First Class. If there's anything whatsoever I've found harder than A Levels, it's group work. But even then despite all the arguing and crappy group mates, we still got above 70 in those too lol.
edit:
The engineering content looks harder. But actually do tutorial questions and you'll be fine. If you mess up something on a test, as I said there's still a 30% safety net. Also, First year even content-wise was easier than A Level. The content in Further Maths is more advanced than any maths you'll touch in first year lol.
The only people I could understand saying Uni is harder are those on Law courses where it's notoriously difficult to get a good grade. Actually, Idk about humanity courses in general. A lot have lecturers who are very strict with their grading.
For me, University is SO MUCH EASIER than A levels. To get a First Class you just need 70%+. I'm comfortably above this despite relationships and regular socialising + multiple societies. The papers are at least 2hrs long which gives you more time to check over errors. No exam board politics. At A Levels there were maths papers where you needed 90%+ For an A*. One silly mistake and that's your grade gone. Don't even get me started on controlled assessments. So many schools cheated which raised boundaries. I'll never forget one year where 40/50 in a science ISA was a D.
I'm in 3rd year now. Still putting 5x less effort than I had to at A Level. Still on a First Class. If there's anything whatsoever I've found harder than A Levels, it's group work. But even then despite all the arguing and crappy group mates, we still got above 70 in those too lol.
edit:
The engineering content looks harder. But actually do tutorial questions and you'll be fine. If you mess up something on a test, as I said there's still a 30% safety net. Also, First year even content-wise was easier than A Level. The content in Further Maths is more advanced than any maths you'll touch in first year lol.
The only people I could understand saying Uni is harder are those on Law courses where it's notoriously difficult to get a good grade. Actually, Idk about humanity courses in general. A lot have lecturers who are very strict with their grading.
I think its worth pointing out that within engineering & STEM civil engineering is known as an easy degree tho, if u did chemical, mechanical or aero engineering for example the content would be much more difficult, id imagine the same would be true for natural science subjects as well.
Every subject type can have a large impact on the overall difficulty of the degree.
I’m finding it easier, but then I’m doing a subject I love (music composition) and enjoying every element of the course so none of it actually feels like work. It’s also mainly coursework based which suits me much better.
Original post by lawlietxtt
I did Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology at A Level. I'm currently at a top University studying Civil Engineering.
For me, University is SO MUCH EASIER than A levels. To get a First Class you just need 70%+. I'm comfortably above this despite relationships and regular socialising + multiple societies. The papers are at least 2hrs long which gives you more time to check over errors. No exam board politics. At A Levels there were maths papers where you needed 90%+ For an A*. One silly mistake and that's your grade gone. Don't even get me started on controlled assessments. So many schools cheated which raised boundaries. I'll never forget one year where 40/50 in a science ISA was a D.
I'm in 3rd year now. Still putting 5x less effort than I had to at A Level. Still on a First Class. If there's anything whatsoever I've found harder than A Levels, it's group work. But even then despite all the arguing and crappy group mates, we still got above 70 in those too lol.
edit:
The engineering content looks harder. But actually do tutorial questions and you'll be fine. If you mess up something on a test, as I said there's still a 30% safety net. Also, First year even content-wise was easier than A Level. The content in Further Maths is more advanced than any maths you'll touch in first year lol.
The only people I could understand saying Uni is harder are those on Law courses where it's notoriously difficult to get a good grade. Actually, Idk about humanity courses in general. A lot have lecturers who are very strict with their grading.
For me, University is SO MUCH EASIER than A levels. To get a First Class you just need 70%+. I'm comfortably above this despite relationships and regular socialising + multiple societies. The papers are at least 2hrs long which gives you more time to check over errors. No exam board politics. At A Levels there were maths papers where you needed 90%+ For an A*. One silly mistake and that's your grade gone. Don't even get me started on controlled assessments. So many schools cheated which raised boundaries. I'll never forget one year where 40/50 in a science ISA was a D.
I'm in 3rd year now. Still putting 5x less effort than I had to at A Level. Still on a First Class. If there's anything whatsoever I've found harder than A Levels, it's group work. But even then despite all the arguing and crappy group mates, we still got above 70 in those too lol.
edit:
The engineering content looks harder. But actually do tutorial questions and you'll be fine. If you mess up something on a test, as I said there's still a 30% safety net. Also, First year even content-wise was easier than A Level. The content in Further Maths is more advanced than any maths you'll touch in first year lol.
The only people I could understand saying Uni is harder are those on Law courses where it's notoriously difficult to get a good grade. Actually, Idk about humanity courses in general. A lot have lecturers who are very strict with their grading.
Okay first of all what university do you go to?
Second of all you study civil engineering, I study Maths , Maths is much harder than civil engineering at degree level.
And A levels Maths was piss easy and 1 mistake and your grade was gone but that's what separates the best amongst the rest so having achieved an A* at A level maths and saying university is harder than A levels, I must be saying it for a reason!
Original post by Pepsey
Okay first of all what university do you go to?
Second of all you study civil engineering, I study Maths , Maths is much harder than civil engineering at degree level.
And A levels Maths was piss easy and 1 mistake and your grade was gone but that's what separates the best amongst the rest so having achieved an A* at A level maths and saying university is harder than A levels, I must be saying it for a reason!
Second of all you study civil engineering, I study Maths , Maths is much harder than civil engineering at degree level.
And A levels Maths was piss easy and 1 mistake and your grade was gone but that's what separates the best amongst the rest so having achieved an A* at A level maths and saying university is harder than A levels, I must be saying it for a reason!
Maths literally has the highest proportion of students getting first class honours in the whole of the UK. If you're finding it hard, that's a personal issue. But it is certainly not harder than engineering. Every stat objectively shows otherwise
And your point on 1 mistake separating the best from the rest is BS. You're not inherently worse at maths because you misread a question. Or missed a negative sign. Or decimal. The penalty just shows who's lucky enough to make no dumb errors.
The university system of 70% is better. You can still show you're amazing at the subject + grasp high level concepts despite making1 or 2 errors
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by Anonymous
I think its worth pointing out that within engineering & STEM civil engineering is known as an easy degree tho, if u did chemical, mechanical or aero engineering for example the content would be much more difficult, id imagine the same would be true for natural science subjects as well.
Every subject type can have a large impact on the overall difficulty of the degree.
Every subject type can have a large impact on the overall difficulty of the degree.
That's just a TSR myth though. In the UK everything's pretty much the same. In fact at some uni's you'll study the same content across mechanical and aerospace for 2 years.
You can ask actual lectures who often teach across multiple disciplines. If anything, the fact that Civil has slightly more report writing makes it harder. Everyone knows essays are more difficult than maths based exams.
The only reason people say some engineering disciplines are much easier is because of American websites. Over there it genuinely is easier. Civil Engineers there don't even do dynamics.
If You don't believe me, hop onto Unistats and look at any university you like. Entry standards and distribution of degree classifications will basically be the same across engineering degrees. There's no trend of aerospace or chemEng students finding it harder to do well than Civil students for example.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by CoolCavy
Of course but it still eats into time, it's an important part of being an adult but it is still a nuisance when you have about 3 pieces of coursework due in and you have to go and find time to cook and wash your clothes etc. I helped around at home but it's different when you are doing every single thing for yourself, you need to factor in scheduling more which is a skill you learn by going to uni.
Everyone has a different uni experience, on the whole people on this thread seem to be of the opinion that uni is harder but if you didnt then that's just as valid. There is no way to know whether OP will find uni harder it depends on their subject choice, experience of adulting thus far and general organisation.
Of course but it still eats into time, it's an important part of being an adult but it is still a nuisance when you have about 3 pieces of coursework due in and you have to go and find time to cook and wash your clothes etc. I helped around at home but it's different when you are doing every single thing for yourself, you need to factor in scheduling more which is a skill you learn by going to uni.
Everyone has a different uni experience, on the whole people on this thread seem to be of the opinion that uni is harder but if you didnt then that's just as valid. There is no way to know whether OP will find uni harder it depends on their subject choice, experience of adulting thus far and general organisation.
Washing and cooking is still just a part of life for me. I'm not denying that it's a nuisance for me too. But I think I make it my own fault. There's more than enough time in uni hours to revise content/do cw. Especially in breaks between lectures. But what I/many would do is procastinate for ages till the evening. Then feel like we have no time because there's cooking ect to do. But my point is that's not an issue with course content. That's just self discipline. At school I was forced to be in from 9-3 so I'd get 70% of university related stuff out the way then. We can in theory do that at Uni. We just choose not to.
As for your last bit, I didn't say otherwise. That's why I stated my course and said that for me, sixth form was harder. Doesn't have to apply to everyone. I honestly don't think I'll ever be under that much stress again. I'm even in an engineering summer placement right now and the environment is more relaxed and stress free than my months leading up to A-Level exams.
Original post by Anonymous
I think its worth pointing out that within engineering & STEM civil engineering is known as an easy degree tho, if u did chemical, mechanical or aero engineering for example the content would be much more difficult
Not only is this not even true (refer to the other dudes UniStat comment... or just ask someone that isn't a TSR user), but it doesn't even apply to me. For my university we share classes with mech and aerospace students until 3rd year. I've done units from all disciplines and there's no "much more difficult" one.
Enginering's just flat out less stressful than sixth form imo. But again these are my experiences. Doesn't mean it applies to everyone.
Original post by Pepsey
Maths is much harder than civil engineering at degree level.
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/uk-law-hardest-subject-get-first-class-degree-study/
HESA seems to disagree with you. Look what tops this list at nearly 40%.... (surprise, it's maths). If students are getting in with the same A Level grades yet finding maths much easier to ace, on what basis is it "much harder than civil engineering"?
Note that law is lowest which supports my original comment.
Original post by lucabrasi98
That's just a TSR myth though. In the UK everything's pretty much the same. In fact at some uni's you'll study the same content across mechanical and aerospace for 2 years.
You can ask actual lectures who often teach across multiple disciplines. If anything, the fact that Civil has slightly more report writing makes it harder. Everyone knows essays are more difficult than maths based exams.
The only reason people say some engineering disciplines are much easier is because of American websites. Over there it genuinely is easier. Civil Engineers there don't even do dynamics.
If You don't believe me, hop onto Unistats and look at any university you like. Entry standards and distribution of degree classifications will basically be the same across engineering degrees. There's no trend of aerospace or chemEng students finding it harder to do well than Civil students for example.
You can ask actual lectures who often teach across multiple disciplines. If anything, the fact that Civil has slightly more report writing makes it harder. Everyone knows essays are more difficult than maths based exams.
The only reason people say some engineering disciplines are much easier is because of American websites. Over there it genuinely is easier. Civil Engineers there don't even do dynamics.
If You don't believe me, hop onto Unistats and look at any university you like. Entry standards and distribution of degree classifications will basically be the same across engineering degrees. There's no trend of aerospace or chemEng students finding it harder to do well than Civil students for example.
Engineering reports are fairly easy to compile and are mostly logic driven method of presenting key information, they should be fairly easy to complete after having done one or two of them.
Civil lacks the in-depth applied mathematics other engineering disciplines have, it doesn't matter what entry criteria is, its the content of the degree of that's fundamentally different, it is well known civil is not in the same echelon as other degrees.
Original post by Anonymous
Engineering reports are fairly easy to compile and are mostly logic driven method of presenting key information, they should be fairly easy to complete after having done one or two of them.
Civil lacks the in-depth applied mathematics other engineering disciplines have, it doesn't matter what entry criteria is, its the content of the degree of that's fundamentally different, it is well known civil is not in the same echelon as other degrees.
Civil lacks the in-depth applied mathematics other engineering disciplines have, it doesn't matter what entry criteria is, its the content of the degree of that's fundamentally different, it is well known civil is not in the same echelon as other degrees.
How are you still posting nonsense to people lol.
1. What are any of your points even based on? I comment because I've been studying all 3 of them. It's well known according to....? TSR? Americans?
2. How easy you think engineering reports are to compile isn't relevant. The question is are they easier than maths based exams. I can tell you I preferred studying mechanics all the reports I had to do last year. Pretty much the whole course did. The grades reflected that. The reports literally dragged everyone's grades down. People looked forward to the maths based units. People choose maths based dissertations for the same reason. It's simply easier to do.
3. Exactly what in-depth applied mathematics are you referring to? I'm starting to feel like you aren't even on an engineering degree lol. They all have high level applied mathematics, just on different things. The Hydraulics in aerospace, ChemEng or MechEng won't be remotely as close to the depths you'll do if you specialise in Civil. Neither Mechanics or Aerospace will even touch Geotechnics (which is disgusting by the time you're in 3rd year). Mech and Aero don't have to deal with the travesty that is Earthquake Engineering. Mech and Aero will do materials science on a more basic level. Likewise, you won't see Civils doing thermodynamics or robotics/
My course is an exception because as I've said, I did units from all 3 of the disciplines. That's why I'm telling you first hand that none are "much harder" than the other. The easiest actual unit is pure maths. But all disciplines did that.
4. If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by lawlietxtt
How are you still posting nonsense to people lol.
1. What are any of your points even based on? I comment because I've been studying all 3 of them. It's well known according to....? TSR? Americans?
2. How easy you think engineering reports are to compile isn't relevant. The question is are they easier than maths based exams. I can tell you I preferred studying mechanics all the reports I had to do last year. Pretty much the whole course did. The grades reflected that. The reports literally dragged everyone's grades down. People looked forward to the maths based units. People choose maths based dissertations for the same reason. It's simply easier to do.
3. Exactly what in-depth applied mathematics are you referring to? I'm starting to feel like you aren't even on an engineering degree lol. They all have high level applied mathematics, just on different things. The Fluid Mechanics in aerospace, ChemEng or MechEng won't be remotely as close to the dephs you'll do if you specialise in Civil. Neither Mechanics or Aerospace will even touch Geotechnics (which is disgusting by the time you're in 3rd year.. So it's a lucky escape). Likewise, you won't see Civils doing thermadynamics. They all have high levels of maths, just in different things.
My course is an exception because as I've said, I did units from all 3 of the disciplines. That's why I'm telling you first hand that none are "much harder" than the other.
4. If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree.
1. What are any of your points even based on? I comment because I've been studying all 3 of them. It's well known according to....? TSR? Americans?
2. How easy you think engineering reports are to compile isn't relevant. The question is are they easier than maths based exams. I can tell you I preferred studying mechanics all the reports I had to do last year. Pretty much the whole course did. The grades reflected that. The reports literally dragged everyone's grades down. People looked forward to the maths based units. People choose maths based dissertations for the same reason. It's simply easier to do.
3. Exactly what in-depth applied mathematics are you referring to? I'm starting to feel like you aren't even on an engineering degree lol. They all have high level applied mathematics, just on different things. The Fluid Mechanics in aerospace, ChemEng or MechEng won't be remotely as close to the dephs you'll do if you specialise in Civil. Neither Mechanics or Aerospace will even touch Geotechnics (which is disgusting by the time you're in 3rd year.. So it's a lucky escape). Likewise, you won't see Civils doing thermadynamics. They all have high levels of maths, just in different things.
My course is an exception because as I've said, I did units from all 3 of the disciplines. That's why I'm telling you first hand that none are "much harder" than the other.
4. If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree.
I probably have no idea, just a 1st class mech-eng degree, aerospace masters, 2 years industry experience & am on an engineering based PhD. I have seen the content in Civil degrees, its really fairly straight forward stuff, i would recommend you look at the maths involved in transient behaviour of dynamic propulsion technologies and have a look at whats more difficult, the stereotypes did not develop out of thin air.
The fact your cohort struggled with engineering reports might say more about the teaching than engineering reports themselves. These reports are designed so to concisely outline the conclusions, critical information, and the methodologies behind the analysis. They are fairly straightforward to complete.
Original post by Anonymous
I probably have no idea, just a 1st class mech-eng degree, aerospace masters, 2 years industry experience & am on an engineering based PhD. I have seen the content in Civil degrees, its really fairly straight forward stuff, i would recommend you look at the maths involved in transient behaviour of dynamic propulsion technologies and have a look at whats more difficult, the stereotypes did not develop out of thin air.
There is the key difference between our perspectives. You have "seen". I have literally studied and been tested on. I think I know which one is more qualified to give an opinion on difficulty. The stereotypes evolved from 2 places.
1. People placing opinions from an american system on a UK country. The US is one of the few countries where they substitute out in depth maths for easier electives. The other guy has said they don't even do dynamics there. It shouldn't be a shock that users will search and see US sites comparing degrees and saying Civil is much easier.
2. People like yourself commenting on things they even admit they don't fully know about. A mech degree, aerospace masters is not studying in depth Civil knowledge. Why comment on it? It's like me commenting on Biochemistry because I saw a past paper.
I'll repeat this again since you brushed over it. "If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree." There's nothing else to debate here lol
Original post by Anonymous
I probably have no idea, just a 1st class mech-eng degree, aerospace masters, 2 years industry experience & am on an engineering based PhD.
Original post by Anonymous
Civil lacks the in-depth applied mathematics other engineering disciplines have,
Civil lacks the in-depth applied mathematics other engineering disciplines have,
Let me get this straight. You openly admit that at no point in your education have you actually studied Civil in depth (or at all?). Then you proceeded to comment about an apparent lack of in depth maths compared to Mech and Aero. How would you meet this in depth Civil maths on an aerospace degree?
Your argument is pretty much "i looked a lecture slide once. Also internet stereotypes agree with me so I'm correct". A 4th Civil student would start laughing if they saw the hardest fluids paper from a Mech or Aerospace student for example.
As a PHD student, you should already know all engineering disciplines go into heavy depth. They just prioritise different things. Degree classification stats should be all the proof needed to say it all evens out in the end. I'd trust HESA over subjective internet posts. Wouldn't you?
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by lucabrasi98
Maths literally has the highest proportion of students getting first class honours in the whole of the UK. If you're finding it hard, that's a personal issue. But it is certainly not harder than engineering. Every stat objectively shows otherwise
And your point on 1 mistake separating the best from the rest is BS. You're not inherently worse at maths because you misread a question. Or missed a negative sign. Or decimal. The penalty just shows who's lucky enough to make no dumb errors.
The university system of 70% is better. You can still show you're amazing at the subject + grasp high level concepts despite making1 or 2 errors
And your point on 1 mistake separating the best from the rest is BS. You're not inherently worse at maths because you misread a question. Or missed a negative sign. Or decimal. The penalty just shows who's lucky enough to make no dumb errors.
The university system of 70% is better. You can still show you're amazing at the subject + grasp high level concepts despite making1 or 2 errors
Maths is certainly harder than engineering!
Not my fault you couldn't achieve an A* in Maths due to your reading skills or the fact you missed a negative sign, that's just you making stupid mistakes then?
Original post by lawlietxtt
There is the key difference between our perspectives. You have "seen". I have literally studied and been tested on. I think I know which one is more qualified to give an opinion on difficulty. The stereotypes evolved from 2 places.
1. People placing opinions from an american system on a UK country. The US is one of the few countries where they substitute out in depth maths for easier electives. The other guy has said they don't even do dynamics there. It shouldn't be a shock that users will search and see US sites comparing degrees and saying Civil is much easier.
2. People like yourself commenting on things they even admit they don't fully know about. A mech degree, aerospace masters is not studying in depth Civil knowledge. Why comment on it? It's like me commenting on Biochemistry because I saw a past paper.
I'll repeat this again since you brushed over it. "If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree." There's nothing else to debate here lol
1. People placing opinions from an american system on a UK country. The US is one of the few countries where they substitute out in depth maths for easier electives. The other guy has said they don't even do dynamics there. It shouldn't be a shock that users will search and see US sites comparing degrees and saying Civil is much easier.
2. People like yourself commenting on things they even admit they don't fully know about. A mech degree, aerospace masters is not studying in depth Civil knowledge. Why comment on it? It's like me commenting on Biochemistry because I saw a past paper.
I'll repeat this again since you brushed over it. "If the criteria is for each discipline AND the distribution of degree classifications is the same, there is literally no difference in degree difficulty. Students of equal ability are finding it equally as difficult to do each degree." There's nothing else to debate here lol
Original post by lucabrasi98
Let me get this straight. You openly admit that at no point in your education have you actually studied Civil in depth (or at all?). Then you proceeded to comment about an apparent lack of in depth maths compared to Mech and Aero. How would you meet this in depth Civil maths on an aerospace degree?
Your argument is pretty much "i looked a lecture slide once. Also internet stereotypes agree with me so I'm correct". A 4th Civil student would start laughing if they saw the hardest fluids paper from a Mech or Aerospace student for example.
As a PHD student, you should already know all engineering disciplines go into heavy depth. They just prioritise different things. Degree classification stats should be all the proof needed to say it all evens out in the end. I'd trust HESA over subjective internet posts. Wouldn't you?
Your argument is pretty much "i looked a lecture slide once. Also internet stereotypes agree with me so I'm correct". A 4th Civil student would start laughing if they saw the hardest fluids paper from a Mech or Aerospace student for example.
As a PHD student, you should already know all engineering disciplines go into heavy depth. They just prioritise different things. Degree classification stats should be all the proof needed to say it all evens out in the end. I'd trust HESA over subjective internet posts. Wouldn't you?
Well your right i have a limited perspective on civil, but ive still seen some content, papers, lectures and a few conversations with civil students.
No i don't think HESA, is that accurate and i do feel that institution might have more to do with difficulty mostly, but honestly i genuinely believe civil is easier (on average) maybe i'll just live in my bliss ignorance.
Original post by Pepsey
Maths is certainly harder than engineering!
Not my fault you couldn't achieve an A* in Maths due to your reading skills or the fact you missed a negative sign, that's just you making stupid mistakes then?
Not my fault you couldn't achieve an A* in Maths due to your reading skills or the fact you missed a negative sign, that's just you making stupid mistakes then?
Maths isn't harder than engineering, on my masters (engineering) i encountered students who had both maths & physics undergrad degrees: the one thing they said was that on most modules the difficulty was similar but on the more applied theory engineering is harder and that the workload is more intense (also they had lower average exam scores). Also I got an A* in Math A-level, i just chose to do engineering... & at least 50% of people on my degree got A* at a level maths, so i'm not sure why your bringing A-level grades into this.
Original post by roberthaske
The two experiences are different, but it is not necessarily hard.
Caveat: I do humanities, so very different from STEM, etc.
I didn't notice a change in workload. At A-Level i did history, geography and maths. At uni, history. It was what I'd always wanted to do, and I am how a postgrad at Oxford. The major change for me was (1) knowing what / how much to read on reading lists, and (2) motivating myself to do it. Humanities is a very personal subject, so it is easy just to say 'I'll do that tomorrow'. I did that a lot, but at the end I was placed 5th out of 400 in my department.
What I really would have benefitted from during my degree would have been somebody telling me that it would be ok in the end, even when I wasn;t feeling motivated and felt like everybody else was doing more work and doing better than me.
Are you going to uni this Sept/Oct? If not, I would recommend doing an EPQ. It very much acts as a bridge between school work and uni work.
Caveat: I do humanities, so very different from STEM, etc.
I didn't notice a change in workload. At A-Level i did history, geography and maths. At uni, history. It was what I'd always wanted to do, and I am how a postgrad at Oxford. The major change for me was (1) knowing what / how much to read on reading lists, and (2) motivating myself to do it. Humanities is a very personal subject, so it is easy just to say 'I'll do that tomorrow'. I did that a lot, but at the end I was placed 5th out of 400 in my department.
What I really would have benefitted from during my degree would have been somebody telling me that it would be ok in the end, even when I wasn;t feeling motivated and felt like everybody else was doing more work and doing better than me.
Are you going to uni this Sept/Oct? If not, I would recommend doing an EPQ. It very much acts as a bridge between school work and uni work.
I am in year 13 in a levels and got C C C in my mocks (Film, Media, and Art) but I am going to open days such as Birmingham City, and Staffordshire University to see if I want to go through with the design route
Original post by Pepsey
Maths is certainly harder than engineering!
Not my fault you couldn't achieve an A* in Maths due to your reading skills or the fact you missed a negative sign, that's just you making stupid mistakes then?
Not my fault you couldn't achieve an A* in Maths due to your reading skills or the fact you missed a negative sign, that's just you making stupid mistakes then?
Who said I didn't get an A*? I said the effort needed to do so is greater. And you're missing the point. Some student missing a negative sign in an exam doesn't mean they're bad at maths. It doesn't mean they don't grasp the concepts. It doesn't mean they're unable to solve the question. It does means they had a lapse in concentration for a few seconds. This shouldn't spoil an entire years of hard work. A Levels punish you by lowering an entire grade (or more)
University's provide you a safety net because 70% is a First Class. I can mess something up and still feel easy knowing I won't get dropped by 1-2 entire grades since I still know what I'm doing. That's why it's easier for me.
Also again, If maths is harder than engineering then why is it literally the easiest subject in the country to get a First in?
Original post by Anonymous
No i don't think HESA, is that accurate
No i don't think HESA, is that accurate
Mate it's data. If what you're saying was true, it would be reflected there. Nothing else to add.
Even if you wanted to disregard objective data and go with subjetive anecdotes, I don't understand how you reading slides/speaking to people with experience in 1 course trumps me actually studying Aerospace, MechEng and Civil units for 3 years lol. Every semester I've certainly found geotechnics harder to grasp than anything Mech related thrown at me. It's to the point where I'm scared to specialise in it in the future. I'd be worried signing off on any documents in a field that has so many uncertainties. I used to think it was only physics that had unexplained phenomena lol. But hey-ho
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by Ratchet Hoe
I am in year 13 in a levels and got C C C in my mocks (Film, Media, and Art) but I am going to open days such as Birmingham City, and Staffordshire University to see if I want to go through with the design route
I have friends who do similar courses, and they tend to say they don't find it a difficult step up. Different to be sure, but not 'Oh my god I'm going to fail'. Good luck
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