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Physics Applicants 2012

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Manchester/Durham just behind Cambridge/Oxford/Imperial?
Beginning to lean towards Manchester over Durham. Manchester's just put up their entry requirements- some (no idea how many) of the offers next year will be A*A*A according to the website. No idea if it'll be the standard offer like A*AA was this year, or if it's just the top end of the offers for people they're unsure of :O
Reply 1642
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11flon
11
Original post by alcimedes
at my school some teachers work as tutors and do stuff like that in the holidays so maybe yours do too. I have A*AA from Manch and Durham, AAA from Lanc and AAB from Sheffield. I picked unis in the top 10 or so for physics but that were nearest where I live ( wimpy I know). You can always do a PhD at another uni after Exeter. I don't know much about them as its too far away!


Hmm, my college isn't particularly brilliant, I've ended up teaching myself most of the Physics syllabus so I'll probably just do the same for Maths as far as I can with revision guides and the internet. Oh wow, offers from all of those is pretty impressive :smile: That's not wimpy at all, that's my main concern about Exeter, it's about 4 hours from where I live which isn't ideal and I'd rather go to more of a city uni; but it's whether I'd want to spend an extra year at college and possibly miss the opportunity of a year in America to apply to nearer-to-home city uni's next year. Which is your firm then? (I'm assuming either Manchester or Durham just because of the grades?)
Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey
Manchester/Durham just behind Cambridge/Oxford/Imperial?


not according to some world rankings tables eg http://www.shanghairanking.com/SubjectPhysics2011.html. I also looked at their research scores, teaching scores and student satisfaction scores ( Lancaster also actually beats most of the others in those areas and it has top UK research score).
which is why I keep changing my mind!
Original post by bistonut
Beginning to lean towards Manchester over Durham. Manchester's just put up their entry requirements- some (no idea how many) of the offers next year will be A*A*A according to the website. No idea if it'll be the standard offer like A*AA was this year, or if it's just the top end of the offers for people they're unsure of :O


Help me! why are you leaning away from Durham. I can't decide between them and then Lancaster pops into my head too.
Original post by 11flon
Hmm, my college isn't particularly brilliant, I've ended up teaching myself most of the Physics syllabus so I'll probably just do the same for Maths as far as I can with revision guides and the internet. Oh wow, offers from all of those is pretty impressive :smile: That's not wimpy at all, that's my main concern about Exeter, it's about 4 hours from where I live which isn't ideal and I'd rather go to more of a city uni; but it's whether I'd want to spend an extra year at college and possibly miss the opportunity of a year in America to apply to nearer-to-home city uni's next year. Which is your firm then? (I'm assuming either Manchester or Durham just because of the grades?)


I can't decide. you can always wait for your summer result then decide about a semi-gap year. my brother missed his medicine grades, resat in January then worked/had fun for 8 months til med school started. you could do the maths A level in January then enjoy yourself!
Username: Summer_Blazed
GCSEs: 7A* 4A
A Levels: A*A*A*AAa*a (f.maths, physics, chemistry, english, maths, + epq + religious studies)
Offers from: Oxford, Imperial, UCL, St Andrews & waiting on Durham.
Original post by alcimedes
not according to some world rankings tables eg http://www.shanghairanking.com/SubjectPhysics2011.html. I also looked at their research scores, teaching scores and student satisfaction scores ( Lancaster also actually beats most of the others in those areas and it has top UK research score).
which is why I keep changing my mind!

You take that league table seriously? They ranked the University of Paris Sud above Oxford. Wut.
Original post by alcimedes
I also looked at their research scores, teaching scores and student satisfaction scores ( Lancaster also actually beats most of the others in those areas and it has top UK research score).
which is why I keep changing my mind!


Be careful when looking at the RAE rankings, as the universities don't have to enter all their researchers. Obviously this is balanced to prevent a university entering it's best researcher who is world class, and getting number 1, by basing their research funding on how well they do and how many researchers they enter. Nottingham, for example, entered every single one of their researchers, and still placed 2nd. Unsure about Lancaster, they're obviously very good (had an offer from them too) but perhaps try find out the ratio between entered researchers and total researchers.

Saying that, any university near the top of that table is undoubtedly brilliant. :smile:
Original post by alcimedes
not according to some world rankings tables eg http://www.shanghairanking.com/SubjectPhysics2011.html. I also looked at their research scores, teaching scores and student satisfaction scores ( Lancaster also actually beats most of the others in those areas and it has top UK research score).
which is why I keep changing my mind!


On that link Manchester's on the rise for physics ranking.

37th to 14th since 2009.
Reply 1650
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Samdude
I heard manchesters one of the best for physics in the country (from many people, including some people i know doing maths at oxford)

This better be the case, I was rejected after interview at oxford and just recently imperial...majorly gutted.
Although I do like manchester :s-smilie:
Original post by vedderfan94
You take that league table seriously? They ranked the University of Paris Sud above Oxford. Wut.


all the league tables have their own criteria so I'm don't really trust any of them tbh but I think it shows that there isn't such a huge difference between the top ones any more.
Original post by Oromis263
Be careful when looking at the RAE rankings, as the universities don't have to enter all their researchers. Obviously this is balanced to prevent a university entering it's best researcher who is world class, and getting number 1, by basing their research funding on how well they do and how many researchers they enter. Nottingham, for example, entered every single one of their researchers, and still placed 2nd. Unsure about Lancaster, they're obviously very good (had an offer from them too) but perhaps try find out the ratio between entered researchers and total researchers.

Saying that, any university near the top of that table is undoubtedly brilliant. :smile:


I also read that some research isn't counted as it isn't assigned to full-time staff so the results can be a bit skewed. also its from 2008. I wanted to get info on where graduates went for further study-do most just stay at their first uni or do unis such as Oxford take many graduates from other unis for PhDsd. that way if I realise I haven't picked the best uni for what I want to do later, I would know I could go elsewhere.
Original post by Samdude
I heard manchesters one of the best for physics in the country (from many people, including some people i know doing maths at oxford)

This better be the case, I was rejected after interview at oxford and just recently imperial...majorly gutted.
Although I do like manchester :s-smilie:


unfortunately the top unis are very competitive. you must have done well to get an Oxford interview but I can imagine how it sucks. St Andresa rejected me and even tho they were my fifth choice I was upset! then I realised how competitive it was and felt a bit better. Manchester is really good. where else are you thinking about or are thaey your definite firm?
Reply 1654
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Samdude
Original post by alcimedes
unfortunately the top unis are very competitive. you must have done well to get an Oxford interview but I can imagine how it sucks. St Andresa rejected me and even tho they were my fifth choice I was upset! then I realised how competitive it was and felt a bit better. Manchester is really good. where else are you thinking about or are thaey your definite firm?


Well, Iv just got an offer from UCL a minute ago, but I also have birmingham too.

Its so annoying though, UCL has such a great reputation and people on TSR seem to have mixed views on whether UCL or MCR are better for physics. But also, their open day was so badly organised, they didn't seem like they care. They also haven't sent any graduate information either, or my offer in a letter or even an email.

Very very confused as to what to do, did like Birmingham though but that may be a backup

Where are you thinking of going?
Original post by Samdude
Well, Iv just got an offer from UCL a minute ago, but I also have birmingham too.

Its so annoying though, UCL has such a great reputation and people on TSR seem to have mixed views on whether UCL or MCR are better for physics. But also, their open day was so badly organised, they didn't seem like they care. They also haven't sent any graduate information either, or my offer in a letter or even an email.

Very very confused as to what to do, did like Birmingham though but that may be a backup

Where are you thinking of going?


I didn't apply to birm as I picked the 5 best ones that were nearest home ( stupid method but all those in "top 10" looked good so I went by distance!). Birm has good reputation tho I'm leaning towards Manchester myself-it has great international and national rep due to all its researchers ( did they mention the Nobel prize winners to u?!). seems to have a lot of money too. Think I'll go in the forums for each uni and ask some current students why they chose each uni. I'm equally confused. off to Sheffield on Thursday as that might be my back-up.
Original post by Samdude
Well, Iv just got an offer from UCL a minute ago, but I also have birmingham too.

Its so annoying though, UCL has such a great reputation and people on TSR seem to have mixed views on whether UCL or MCR are better for physics. But also, their open day was so badly organised, they didn't seem like they care. They also haven't sent any graduate information either, or my offer in a letter or even an email.

Very very confused as to what to do, did like Birmingham though but that may be a backup

Where are you thinking of going?


Sorry to interrupt, but did the offer come through UCAS? Its just that im waiting to hear back from them after my interview which was more than a month ago.
Original post by alcimedes
Help me! why are you leaning away from Durham. I can't decide between them and then Lancaster pops into my head too.


Mainly that Durham is too small- one of my teachers recently put it as bluntly as "there's no where to get pissed!" He's got a PhD but said you really need to enjoy your undergrad years. Enjoying means you'll work more (seems odd that more places to drink/enjoy yourself would make you work harder, but I know what me means), since for 2 unis so closely ranked, your mark at the end of it is far more important (and the specific mark too, which some employers/post-grad applications will want to see for each module, not just a 2:1).
Another teacher said Durham was "a lovely...village"

However, the college system is a big draw. It just seems much easier to make loads of friends, plus at Mildert the accommodation is supposed to be really nice, with a good chance they'll put you up for more than just the first year, rather than renting some rubbish house. And, as I said, the advantage of getting away.

The annoying thing about Manchester is quite how much it seems to have advanced recently. It's not just another good physics department- so much world class research has been done there, and so many people regard it on par with Imperial and Oxford. If it were Lancaster, York, Birmingham etc, I'd choose durham in an instant.
Currently deciding between durham and southampton.

Got offers from durham/southampton/bath/warwick and a rejection from imperial :smile:

I don't know where to go! Going for a visit day to durham on monday so guess I'll have to make my mind up after that D;
UCL offer came through finally!, all decisions are in.
Im now stuck between choosing UCL and Warwick, can anyone give any input?

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