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UCL or Bristol for Mechanical Engineering..

I got both offers from the two respective universities requiring AAA for A-levels..
However, Im not sure which Uni should I b choosing.. ><
Bristol of course has a better reputation in Engineering somehow I wanted to go London..
And of course UCL is a more prestigious university..but I heard the Mechanical Engineering department there just sucks..
Really in a dilemma.
Hope u guys can give me first hand experience there..
Im an international student...
UCL! It's great, you'll love it. And no, the Engineering department doesn't suck - it's excellent, but it's just not as good as others.
Reply 2
Bristol is awesome.
Reply 3
Pros and Cons I heard about UCL and Bristol.

UCL.
Pros:
1)In the city
2)A lot of business connections
3)Partying and nightlife
4)Prestigious 4th in the world

Cons:
1)It's mechanical Engineering department sucks
2)The lectures are bad and facilities are outdated

Bristol:
It's just like any other universities..
Just that it's Mechanical Engineering deparments is being ranked very high.
The thing is...UCL is a prestigious Uni while Bristol is just another typical Engineering school..

Im really in a dilemma..
In addition..he said Bristol is AWESome AWwwww
then the other response is UCL IS GREAT.
OMG my head's gonna crack soon..
It's true; Bristol is awesome.
gjaren
Pros and Cons I heard about UCL and Bristol.

UCL.
Pros:
1)In the city
2)A lot of business connections
3)Partying and nightlife
4)Prestigious 4th in the world

Cons:
1)It's mechanical Engineering department sucks
2)The lectures are bad and facilities are outdated

Bristol:
It's just like any other universities..
Just that it's Mechanical Engineering deparments is being ranked very high.
The thing is...UCL is a prestigious Uni while Bristol is just another typical Engineering school..

Im really in a dilemma..
In addition..he said Bristol is AWESome AWwwww
then the other response is UCL IS GREAT.
OMG my head's gonna crack soon..

Bristol is just another typical engineering school, despite its department being highly ranked, contradiction much? :lolwut:
Reply 6
Well if u read back my sentence..in a logical sense..
U will understand that I mean UCL is ranked very highly worldwide while Bristol is ranked highly for it's Engineering department only..
It's of course another typical engineering school like Bath or Loughborough...
But UCL is different in terms of it's worldwide reputation..
Sorry if my sentence sound ambiguous....

Ermm..Im really in a dilemma..
Need some help
gjaren
Well if u read back my sentence..in a logical sense..
U will understand that I mean UCL is ranked very highly worldwide while Bristol is ranked highly for it's Engineering department only..
It's of course another typical engineering school like Bath or Loughborough...
But UCL is different in terms of it's worldwide reputation..
Sorry if my sentence sound ambiguous....

Ermm..Im really in a dilemma..
Need some help

I don't actually think you are in a dilemma, Bristol is clearly the better choice by far, even with UCL overall name it has much worse percentage of graduates in graduate jobs. I think the fact the you believe the engineering industry to be stupid and naive as to what unis have the best courses and which ones don't, is distorting your decision.

The 'prestige' of UCL is unlikely to actually improve your job prospects but much at all.
gjaren
Well if u read back my sentence..in a logical sense..
U will understand that I mean UCL is ranked very highly worldwide while Bristol is ranked highly for it's Engineering department only..
It's of course another typical engineering school like Bath or Loughborough...
But UCL is different in terms of it's worldwide reputation..
Sorry if my sentence sound ambiguous....

Ermm..Im really in a dilemma..
Need some help

Bristol as a whole university is still quite good. :confused: It may not be as internationally renowned as UCL, but that's because it's not in London. Come on, how many freshies know of a UK city other than London? :rolleyes:
Reply 9
Hello I'm in the same dilemma right now and was wondering where u finally decided to go and how was the experience?
Original post by shayanc
Hello I'm in the same dilemma right now and was wondering where u finally decided to go and how was the experience?


Original post by gjaren
I got both offers from the two respective universities requiring AAA for A-levels..
However, Im not sure which Uni should I b choosing.. ><
Bristol of course has a better reputation in Engineering somehow I wanted to go London..
And of course UCL is a more prestigious university..but I heard the Mechanical Engineering department there just sucks..
Really in a dilemma.
Hope u guys can give me first hand experience there..
Im an international student...



Hello guys. I am in that dilemma right now. So, where did you eventually end up going to? Pls reply ASAP! Thanks.
I'm a final year UCL Mechanical Engineer...

Firstly addressing the bad points. UCL Mechanical Engineering is less spoon-fed than the same course at other universities which is why a lot of students complain, and this is reflected in the rankings for the department (based on the National Student Survey that every final year student completes) - however, lecturers and tutors are never going to turn away any student that comes to find them and are always happy to help. Secondly, yes, a lot of the labs/equipment are somewhat dated and not the latest models or newest technology - depends on topic/module/area of use as I'll explain.

At UCL, the uni invests incredible amounts into the research/development of the medical side of engineering and a lot of professors and lecturers specialise in some area of medical engineering - such as artificial heart valves and pumps etc. Which is why we're ranked so highly in the biomechanical side of engineering, and it can be seen first hand from the UCL University hospital, which is a stones throw away, and highly benefits from the research done in the engineering department - and we're recognised globally for this. You'll find that a lot of lecturers also have commitments in the hospital and often go over to carry parts of their research. Because of this, the most invested laboratories and equipment are somewhat medical-related. My final year project is even in conjunction with some guys from Yale Medical School - which is awesome. Naval architecture is also up there with the other big boys and we have good Masters and PhD programs.

As for jobs... we have 4 guys that I know personally going off to work for Rolls Royce after graduating, one to Mclaren, and another 15 going into the automotive/mechanical industries. Something between 5-10 grads are going off into banking, including myself. And numerous (don't have a specific number) going into engineering consultancy and a few staying for PhD's. So if you're worried about jobs ...don't.

At the end of the day, it is what you make it. The first two years are quite theoretical, as with anywhere, but you do get 2 lab sessions for each module per year - thats 16 lab sessions and reports per year. Third and fourth years is when it actually gets interesting and you can become whichever type of engineer you like. We have a formula student (build a kart to race against other unis) project and a solar car project (same idea, different car powered by solar power), and more recently a car built to be made as efficient as possible which is also raced in an endurance race (3 different automation projects). So, yeah ...it really is what you make it.
Reply 12
Original post by ChesterFrench
I'm a final year UCL Mechanical Engineer...

Firstly addressing the bad points. UCL Mechanical Engineering is less spoon-fed than the same course at other universities which is why a lot of students complain, and this is reflected in the rankings for the department (based on the National Student Survey that every final year student completes) - however, lecturers and tutors are never going to turn away any student that comes to find them and are always happy to help. Secondly, yes, a lot of the labs/equipment are somewhat dated and not the latest models or newest technology - depends on topic/module/area of use as I'll explain.

At UCL, the uni invests incredible amounts into the research/development of the medical side of engineering and a lot of professors and lecturers specialise in some area of medical engineering - such as artificial heart valves and pumps etc. Which is why we're ranked so highly in the biomechanical side of engineering, and it can be seen first hand from the UCL University hospital, which is a stones throw away, and highly benefits from the research done in the engineering department - and we're recognised globally for this. You'll find that a lot of lecturers also have commitments in the hospital and often go over to carry parts of their research. Because of this, the most invested laboratories and equipment are somewhat medical-related. My final year project is even in conjunction with some guys from Yale Medical School - which is awesome. Naval architecture is also up there with the other big boys and we have good Masters and PhD programs.

As for jobs... we have 4 guys that I know personally going off to work for Rolls Royce after graduating, one to Mclaren, and another 15 going into the automotive/mechanical industries. Something between 5-10 grads are going off into banking, including myself. And numerous (don't have a specific number) going into engineering consultancy and a few staying for PhD's. So if you're worried about jobs ...don't.

At the end of the day, it is what you make it. The first two years are quite theoretical, as with anywhere, but you do get 2 lab sessions for each module per year - thats 16 lab sessions and reports per year. Third and fourth years is when it actually gets interesting and you can become whichever type of engineer you like. We have a formula student (build a kart to race against other unis) project and a solar car project (same idea, different car powered by solar power), and more recently a car built to be made as efficient as possible which is also raced in an endurance race (3 different automation projects). So, yeah ...it really is what you make it.


Hey I'm a first year Mechanical Engineer at UCL, do you have an idea of the type of grades that are needed to get decent jobs after 3/4 years? Did most of the friends you spoke about get at least a 2.1?

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