Imperial College London FAQ

Is it normal/correct that Imperial's conditional offer for me is A*A*AA? (Math, triple sciences Alevel)
I understand that they normally ask for grades for only 3 subjects, or did I understand the offer statement wrongly?

If I understand you correctly, commuting from home to Imperial could result in a 3-4 hour round trip every day. Most courses have a pretty full timetable and you may have to go in most days 9-5, which means leaving home at 7ish, and not getting back again until after 7. You might find this pretty tiring, especially with the heavy work load.

Some people to commute to university, and they seem happy enough. But if you are the sort of person who is more social and wants to get involved in things, living closer to campus is better. You get to make new friends in halls, attend all of the hall social events and making use of the gym, student union, societies etc is also more convenient. Whether the cost of living in 2nd/3rd/4th year is higher or not depends on what sort of room you had in first year. The shared bedrooms (twin/triple rooms) are a great way to save money in halls, but when you move out in 2nd year things will be a lot more expensive. On the other hand, if you were in a single en suite for first year, you'll probably find something cheaper (although more basic) when moving out for 2nd year. I stayed in halls for the duration of my course, so I'm afraid I don't know much about private accommodation but maybe someone else here will.

The student loan shouldn't affect you in terms of getting a mortgage or other loans. Student loans don't go on credit files. Also the loans are repaid through the payroll just like income tax, so you won't be chased by debt collectors.

If you have more questions about student finance, we have a student financial support section - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=545

Thanks for your reply.. my course would be EEE (electrical/electronic engineering), so could you tell me how hectic it may become with labs and workload from experiences of people you may have known?
I know on the imperial website it states that it will cost around 11k to live out, but if I go back home during holidays and save money on food etc, do you think I can manage with 7-8k or is that too big an ask?

Cheers

It depends on the person. In general I'd say EEE has a high work load, but there are people who will work solidly all year round, and there are others who work less, them cram around exams/deadlines. Some people are more organised than others. It just depends on what your work ethic is and how organised you are.

Well let's just put it this way - I live on less than 7-8k . So it's doable.

I've applied for Chemical Engineering and still not heard back, even though my classmate who has applied for the same course has. Should I remind them as I believe the last day is Monday?

Thanks.

Sorry for the double post.

Yeah, for me, I have to work my *** off in order to get good grades. I'm not one of those who can skive through the year and get the grades easily. So with that in mind do you think 3-4 hours is a waste of time spending on travel?

Haha, are you living in halls atm? Can I have your budget please

Erm well it depends. If it's going to be a straight forward commute where you can study on the train then it might be ok. But if you have to keep making changes, and it's busy etc then it's perhaps a bit much. It also depends on how involved you want to get with university life. Are you planning on joining clubs/societies etc? Do you want to attend union events? These things might be more of a struggle if you are living further out. I do know people who are commuting a similar distance, but in general they seem less involved.

I will send you a message when I get the chance about budgets etc.

I see. I definitely plan to take part in clubs and societies that would further my engineering experience; I have a few in mind i.e. the projects that I would like to be involved in. Also, I would like to join the Cricket society which may mean that I'll be training there in the vicinity.

My trip would consist of a bus, and a few tube changes. I won't have time on one particular mode of transport for the 1.5-2 hours. What exactly would union events entail? Just nights out at clubs?

Thanks a lot, take your time.

I see. I definitely plan to take part in clubs and societies that would further my engineering experience; I have a few in mind i.e. the projects that I would like to be involved in. Also, I would like to join the Cricket society which may mean that I'll be training there in the vicinity.

My trip would consist of a bus, and a few tube changes. I won't have time on one particular mode of transport for the 1.5-2 hours. What exactly would union events entail? Just nights out at clubs?

Thanks a lot, take your time.

Hey there, I'm an AS Student looking to apply for Imperial in my A2 year for Computer Science- Computer Games! I recently visited London on a trip and absolutely loved it but my main concern is the overall cost.

How much has it cost for your first year in Imperial? Is it as costly and expensive as you'd think or is it more affordable? The cost is literally the only thing that is giving me second thoughts about going.

Also, which close-range accomodation would you recommend to live in? I've heard so many problems when it comes to Imperial's accomodation (mushrooms?)

Thanks!

It is affordable in first year if you are happy to share a bedroom and live a little further out. For example Fisher Hall is only a 15-20 minute walk away from college, and twin bedrooms are £80 per week. For a 38 week contract this is just over £3000 for the year on rent. A couple of halls have triple rooms which are even cheaper. Food costs aren't really any more expensive than elsewhere. Going out and drinking etc is likely to be more expensive, but if you are happy to cut back on this then it shouldn't be a problem. Basically you need to come up with a sensible budget and then stick to it.

It gets more complicated in 2nd/3rd/4th year when you move out of halls and go into private accommodation as rents can be quite high, although some people are lucky enough to have to opportunity to remain in halls.

It really depends on what you consider affordable to be and what your budget is.

Tbh, it'd depend on the financial support I'd receive

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