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ucl all the way
Reply 2
Ucl..
I've applied to both and if I get offers, UCL is easily the higher choice.
Reply 4
Looking at employment prospects, there isn't any difference, they're both really good universities. Just depends on how much you want to and can afford to pay for your education and where you want to live.
boywithathorninhisside
I've applied to both and if I get offers, UCL is easily the higher choice.


I'd be interested to know why you think that? Certainly I can see little or no difference between the two departments.
Reply 6
Bristol; if you're going to spend all that money studying in London, you may as well go for Imperial. :p:
Muse
Bristol; if you're going to spend all that money studying in London, you may as well go for Imperial. :p:


A very good point, especially for physics. Bristol is just as good as UCL, just as prestigious and a cheaper place to study.
Reply 8
ChemistBoy
A very good point, especially for physics. Bristol is just as good as UCL, just as prestigious and a cheaper place to study.


I don't think there's any real 'added London effect' for Physics either (which you might get when comparing Brizzle and UCL for eg. Law).
Muse
I don't think there's any real 'added London effect' for Physics either (which you might get when comparing Brizzle and UCL for eg. Law).


I thought Bristol was top notch for law? There is an imperial effect for physics, but as with all the sciences any prestige effects are minimal anyway.
Reply 10
ChemistBoy
I thought Bristol was top notch for law? There is an imperial effect for physics, but as with all the sciences any prestige effects are minimal anyway.


I don't know much about Bristol's Law department aside from the posts I've read on here, but got the impression that they were pretty much identical in terms of quality and prestige, but UCL had a few more links with City firms as it's bang in the centre of London. I've quickly learnt though that not much written on TSR is gospel, even if written with the utmost of good intention!
ChemistBoy
I'd be interested to know why you think that? Certainly I can see little or no difference between the two departments.


Well, c'mon, London! I gather their offers are a bit higher as well?
boywithathorninhisside
Well, c'mon, London! I gather their offers are a bit higher as well?


Completely irrelevant though. London isn't so great, it's expensive and quite impersonal I have found. Offers reflect popularity, nothing more, and London, for some reason, appears to be very popular.
Easily UCL. It's more prestigious and more widely renowned. Also, UCL has quite an edge when it comes to graduate recruitment. Not to say Bristol is bad, but UCL is that bit higher. Also, if you're interested in nanotech, the new nanotech building is literally out of this world.
fonzievision
Easily UCL. It's more prestigious and more widely renowned. Also, UCL has quite an edge when it comes to graduate recruitment. Not to say Bristol is bad, but UCL is that bit higher.


For physics? I doubt it. In fact, I know it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference between these two institutions. Physicists are in high demand at the moment, any small differences in prestige between good institutions are massively swamped by this need in the market place. To discuss the relative abilities of Bristol and UCL physics graduates is splitting hairs at the very best.


Also, if you're interested in nanotech, the new nanotech building is literally out of this world.


Lets talk nanotech shall we? Architecture aside, Bristol has long had a reputation as a leading place for nanotech research. We're talking top reputation here (well with guys like John Steeds and Andrew Lang it would be). Interestingly the IRC for nanotech which is one of the top research collaborations in the UK includes Cambridge, UCL and, you guessed it, Bristol!
ChemistBoy
For physics? I doubt it. In fact, I know it doesn't make the blindest bit of difference between these two institutions. Physicists are in high demand at the moment, any small differences in prestige between good institutions are massively swamped by this need in the market place. To discuss the relative abilities of Bristol and UCL physics graduates is splitting hairs at the very best.



Lets talk nanotech shall we? Architecture aside, Bristol has long had a reputation as a leading place for nanotech research. We're talking top reputation here (well with guys like John Steeds and Andrew Lang it would be). Interestingly the IRC for nanotech which is one of the top research collaborations in the UK includes Cambridge, UCL and, you guessed it, Bristol!


You are completely missing the point. I'm not saying Bristol is worse than UCL when it comes to research. I'm sure it's better at some things, like UCL will be better at others.
I can assure you though, knowing someone very high up at the nanotech centre that amazing things are coming out very very soon. Regardless, I don't know enough about nanotech, so I'll stay out of it.

When it comes to graduate recruitment, I know some things, and trust me, we are NOT splitting hairs here. I'm not talking about recruitment where they are looking specifically for physicists. I'm talking about things like, investment banking, consultancy, management, publishing, media, etc.... UCL trumps Bristol in this department - there's no denying it. Even if UCL and Bristol students are academically they same (which they probably are, in all fairness), recruiters know UCL students know how to live in a difficult place like London and have gained a few valuable skills whilst doing so. Also, purely based on location, UCL students will have an edge in the market. Many more recruiters will go to UCL. Not saying plenty don't go to Bristol -- I know for a fact Bristol's career service is brilliant.
fonzievision
You are completely missing the point. I'm not saying Bristol is worse than UCL when it comes to research. I'm sure it's better at some things, like UCL will be better at others.
I can assure you though, knowing someone very high up at the nanotech centre that amazing things are coming out very very soon. Regardless, I don't know enough about nanotech, so I'll stay out of it.


I'm certainly not going to diss UCL wrt nanotech, but Bristol is top class too, that is all I was saying. I look forward to hearing about the discoveries in the near future, although sadly, many great new things ending being press office hype in my area.


When it comes to graduate recruitment, I know some things, and trust me, we are NOT splitting hairs here. I'm not talking about recruitment where they are looking specifically for physicists. I'm talking about things like, investment banking, consultancy, management, publishing, media, etc.... UCL trumps Bristol in this department - there's no denying it. Even if UCL and Bristol students are academically they same (which they probably are, in all fairness), recruiters know UCL students know how to live in a difficult place like London and have gained a few valuable skills whilst doing so. Also, purely based on location, UCL students will have an edge in the market. Many more recruiters will go to UCL. Not saying plenty don't go to Bristol -- I know for a fact Bristol's career service is brilliant.


I, personally, have seen no evidence for this so we'll have to agree to disagree here. As I say I know plenty of people who have studied at both institutions and have competed against grads from both institutions for graduate jobs myself.
Reply 17
I have recently visited both and i personally much preferred bristol as a place and now have offers from both... out of those two i would chose bristol anyday but that is not based on prestige or anything like that as i would say they are both the same...:smile:
Reply 18
With Bristol you should be aware that most of the city centre (well it feels like most) is gonna be like a building site up until 2008 and with some building carrying on into 2009, this makes it rather difficult to get anywhere, when I went to the uni for a spectroscopy afternoon at the Chemistry department it took us over an hour to get there and it should only take about 20-30 minutes (and we weren';t in the rush hour time or anything)

Bristol is meant to be a respected area, but I didn't apply there because they don't give places in halls to people within a certain radius of Bristol which i come into and it's too close to home.

Basically go to wherever you prefer as a place because from the rest of the thread it seems like they have similar reputations :smile:
Reply 19
Ucl :d