MSc Computer Science: Imperial or Oxford?

OP

solo2wolf

OMG what are you doing using tables at this stage!Tables should be used AS A ROUGH GUIDE to make initial choices. at this stage you have your shortlist (Oxford and Imperial) and you must then choose between them based on the finer points of the two institutes.

haha, chill out. :biggrin:

i think i'm entitled to hold on to whatever can help me decide (while panicking at the same time! :biggrin:

only a few weeks left to decide!)

Reply 42

OP

solo2wolf

i need to go training so will post latet but OP you should go to the Imperial and Oxford forums respectively with the same question. you may also find this thread useful: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=11881659&highlight=oxford+vs+Imperial#post11881659
infact very useful given Oxford and Cambridge are similar in terms of Collegiate system, demographic and general lifestyle.

thanks for the link. but wow, 10 pages! need to sleep first then read. :eek:

Reply 43

hey chessman, you on chesspark?perhaps we could duel sometime :wink:

.

Reply 44

OP

solo2wolf

yes but i was confused as im doing MEng but thats a BEng + the 4th year MEng so i just assumed you, like me, had signed up for the 4 year course! yes it makes a big difference! if youre looking at research afterwards then its your tutors who provide the reference that will decide if you get the PhD. also its a lot easier if its your lecturer youre applying for a PhD to haha. what field are you interested in? Imperial and Oxford lead in different things and only certain areas will be available to study/research. if youre not looking at research then what industry do you want to go into? if banking id say just go to Imperial without a doubt as its second only to LSE in that department, far above Oxford and some way above Cambridge. being in london for a year will allow you to get in touch with global companies and have interviews/go through selection processes without extra transport and living costs.

so you're already in your 4th year MEng? i thought undergrad courses were usually 4 years long. that's cool to already have a masters included. :yep:

i'll be pursuing my PhD afterwards. but it's sort of not a normal set-up. remember the external institution that'll be paying for my 1-year masters in the UK? i actually got a full scholarship from them to attend my master's degree in their university. but the thing is, it's a new one which will only open on sept. 2009. but since i already finished my undergrad this May 2008, i'll have a gap year of nothing to do. if i wanted to, they agreed to sponsor me a one-year masters wherever, and commit to a PhD instead in their university come sept. 2009. i'll be taking a PhD in the field of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, this is why i chose to take an MSc in CS either in Imperial or Oxford.

well, my point is, whatever school i choose, both leads to the same fixed path for me. :smile:

Reply 45

Psyk

16

whitelighter

so you're already in your 4th year MEng? i thought undergrad courses were usually 4 years long. that's cool to already have a masters included. :yep:

In England and Wales degrees are normally only 3 years. That's for something like a BSc. Now there are quite a few 4 year courses that get you a masters at the end, but a masters from one of them is distinctly different from getting a masters as a postgrad qualification. I.e. An MEng is better than a BSc, but not as good as an MSc.

Reply 46

OP

Psyk

In England and Wales degrees are normally only 3 years. That's for something like a BSc.

wow, that's so fast! :eek:

but how is the normal school year divided? back home, we also have unis with 3 year degrees, but they have trimesters instead of the usual 2 semesters a year. one even has 4 "quarterms" a school year. so their courses end quickly.

Psyk

Now there are quite a few 4 year courses that get you a masters at the end, but a masters from one of them is distinctly different from getting a masters as a postgrad qualification. I.e. An MEng is better than a BSc, but not as good as an MSc.

i sure hope so. :yep:

or else i wouldn't have spent 5 years for that engineering BSc plus 1 year for an MSc. our BSc courses last usually for 4 years, like math, management, literature... but if it's an engineering course, it becomes 5! oh, the injustice! :frown:

Reply 47

Master Polhem

15

kat2pult

Imperials plus points :
- huge spending on students
- the clocktower in the middle is pretty at night
- cheap (ish) food
- good transport
- very practical courses
- plenty of available computers
- long opening hours (many buildings shut at 11pm. Library is 24/7)
- close to good shops/restaurants/cafes
- the year starts in october which means you have a long summer
- regular bbqs in summer

bad points :
- it may be difficult to randomly bump into people on different courses reguarly
- despite the renovation to the library, I find the area very 'concrete'
- some courses force you to do auxillary subjects which do not contribute to your final degree
- LOADS of exams and coursework
- some courses don't finish until mid to late july which may mean missing out on summer jobs
- VERY male dominated
- few black people (most are asian)
- expensive accomodation
- may be disturbed by the music college onsite
- only have access to certain buildings which may mean you can't use the facilities you want to
- few social events
- a very touristy area (you may get annoyed at the slow walking people when you're running late)
- lots of lecturers still use chalk, so if you've an allergy...good luck lol

What kind of friends do you have?

Reply 48

Psyk

16

whitelighter

wow, that's so fast! :eek:

but how is the normal school year divided? back home, we also have unis with 3 year degrees, but they have trimesters instead of the usual 2 semesters a year. one even has 4 "quarterms" a school year. so their courses end quickly.

I think it's normal to have around 24 weeks of teaching then maybe 2-4 weeks for exams each year. Oxford and Cambridge have fewer teaching weeks apparently.

Reply 49

Psyk

I think it's normal to have around 24 weeks of teaching then maybe 2-4 weeks for exams each year. Oxford and Cambridge have fewer teaching weeks apparently.

39 weeks at Imperial. Oxford has like 24 weeks total, 8 week terms. Cambridge is similar.

Reply 50

Psyk

16

Bristol has 24 teaching weeks. But then there's an exam period of about a month. Still quite a lot less compared to Imperial.

Reply 51

Oxbridge has very short terms compared to normal unis. Imperials is kinda long though but i think UCLs is 37 weeks so i imagine its not alone in being so long.

Reply 52

yeah id say something like that.

Reply 53