UCL civil engineering

Hi I’m currently on this course and I will honestly say that it’s very likely you may struggle without maths alevel :/. This course isn’t super math heavy and is structured in a way where TECHNICALLY you don’t need maths alevel, if you are willing to put in A LOT of work. There’s a maths module called MMA (which you can read about on the UCL website) that is very difficult if you have not previously done maths alevel. They do however offer extra classes for those who did not study maths beyond GCSE however I will say that, even as someone who did maths alevel, I’m currently struggling with this module. If it is a course you truly want to study then I would say try to get in some of the maths alevel basics before you start to give you a better chance. Good luck and if you have any other questions I’m happy to answer )

Hi, may I seek your comments why you choose to study civil engineering at UCL, and the overall course arrangement at UCL? I see quite a number of comments saying that the IEP at UCL is quite teamwork intensive. I am not negative to team projects, but just wondering if students could have sufficient opportunity to learn the base theory/knowledge to complete those projects. Also how is the learning atmosphere at UCL civil eng? Thanks alot for your help!

Heyy, this is gonna be long but:
The course has 6 modules in the first term and 5 in the second.
Some modules are continued throughout the year, for example engineering design and professional skills. These modules are kinda random where every couple weeks you are doing something different.
You can read about the modules on the UCL website for some extra info )
For every module you have 1-2 2 hour lectures every week. None of the modules are super content heavy per se but there’s a lot of physics and maths concepts involved, lots of equations to memorise too <\3.
For the ones with 2 sessions per week,the first one tends to be a lecture and the second is working through problems/ experiments.
At the end of the term you have this thing called a scenario week where you get a brief and you have to work in a group to product a project responding to it.
There’s A LOT of group work. At the beginning of the year you get put into a tutor group of around 5 people and these are the people you do a lot of projects with. Depending on ur luck it can be a great group or one that sucks :/.
I chose civil engineer coz I did a work placement at a civil engineering company and thought it was a bit interesting, I wanted to do architecture at first but thought the more technical side would be interesting.
The IEP is an extra module you take in second year that can be anything loosely related to engineering, for example a language, robotics, management etc. depending on which one you pick, the amount of group work you do will vary. But this course as a whole has a lot of group work. If you actually wanna get things done then most times you will find yourself taking Initiative and being the team leader.
Honestly it’s kinda difficult to grasp all of the concepts in a group project because tasks are divided. But if you are willing to understand it all then there should be no problem. You can also push yourself to do this by being a team leader as they have to have a strong overall understanding of the project.
Tbh the learning atmosphere is good in terms of students, quite libraries and everyone is willing to help you out. However a lot of the lecturers aren’t that great, the maths ones are fantastic tho 🙏🏼.
It’s not that good of an idea but I just don’t go to most of them anymore, I just choose to go over the content myself at home 😭😭
If you have any more questions or need more clarification on something let me know )

Heyy, this is gonna be long but:
The course has 6 modules in the first term and 5 in the second.
Some modules are continued throughout the year, for example engineering design and professional skills. These modules are kinda random where every couple weeks you are doing something different.
You can read about the modules on the UCL website for some extra info )
For every module you have 1-2 2 hour lectures every week. None of the modules are super content heavy per se but there’s a lot of physics and maths concepts involved, lots of equations to memorise too <\3.
For the ones with 2 sessions per week,the first one tends to be a lecture and the second is working through problems/ experiments.
At the end of the term you have this thing called a scenario week where you get a brief and you have to work in a group to product a project responding to it.
There’s A LOT of group work. At the beginning of the year you get put into a tutor group of around 5 people and these are the people you do a lot of projects with. Depending on ur luck it can be a great group or one that sucks :/.
I chose civil engineer coz I did a work placement at a civil engineering company and thought it was a bit interesting, I wanted to do architecture at first but thought the more technical side would be interesting.
The IEP is an extra module you take in second year that can be anything loosely related to engineering, for example a language, robotics, management etc. depending on which one you pick, the amount of group work you do will vary. But this course as a whole has a lot of group work. If you actually wanna get things done then most times you will find yourself taking Initiative and being the team leader.
Honestly it’s kinda difficult to grasp all of the concepts in a group project because tasks are divided. But if you are willing to understand it all then there should be no problem. You can also push yourself to do this by being a team leader as they have to have a strong overall understanding of the project.
Tbh the learning atmosphere is good in terms of students, quite libraries and everyone is willing to help you out. However a lot of the lecturers aren’t that great, the maths ones are fantastic tho 🙏🏼.
It’s not that good of an idea but I just don’t go to most of them anymore, I just choose to go over the content myself at home 😭😭
If you have any more questions or need more clarification on something let me know )

Heyy, this is gonna be long but:
The course has 6 modules in the first term and 5 in the second.
Some modules are continued throughout the year, for example engineering design and professional skills. These modules are kinda random where every couple weeks you are doing something different.
You can read about the modules on the UCL website for some extra info )
For every module you have 1-2 2 hour lectures every week. None of the modules are super content heavy per se but there’s a lot of physics and maths concepts involved, lots of equations to memorise too <\3.
For the ones with 2 sessions per week,the first one tends to be a lecture and the second is working through problems/ experiments.
At the end of the term you have this thing called a scenario week where you get a brief and you have to work in a group to product a project responding to it.
There’s A LOT of group work. At the beginning of the year you get put into a tutor group of around 5 people and these are the people you do a lot of projects with. Depending on ur luck it can be a great group or one that sucks :/.
I chose civil engineer coz I did a work placement at a civil engineering company and thought it was a bit interesting, I wanted to do architecture at first but thought the more technical side would be interesting.
The IEP is an extra module you take in second year that can be anything loosely related to engineering, for example a language, robotics, management etc. depending on which one you pick, the amount of group work you do will vary. But this course as a whole has a lot of group work. If you actually wanna get things done then most times you will find yourself taking Initiative and being the team leader.
Honestly it’s kinda difficult to grasp all of the concepts in a group project because tasks are divided. But if you are willing to understand it all then there should be no problem. You can also push yourself to do this by being a team leader as they have to have a strong overall understanding of the project.
Tbh the learning atmosphere is good in terms of students, quite libraries and everyone is willing to help you out. However a lot of the lecturers aren’t that great, the maths ones are fantastic tho 🙏🏼.
It’s not that good of an idea but I just don’t go to most of them anymore, I just choose to go over the content myself at home 😭😭
If you have any more questions or need more clarification on something let me know )

HI
Im currently a Year 12 student with my mocks in 2 weeks time . I had just completed work experience at an civil engineering firm and now im confused between mechanical engineering or civil engineering at UCL as will i have a better chance of getting an offer for Civil rather than Mechanical because of the work experience and how competitive are both of the degrees
Ps I study Maths, Physics, Design Technology for alvls
Thanks 😃

Hi. Appreciate the long reply because I’m an offer holder for the same course. Would you say, considering all the focus on groupwork, that there’s a very high workload? Is it easy to manage alongside social life and other activities?
I’ve also seen some negative opinions for engineering at ucl. Do you think I should accept the offer or consider my other unis (imperial, manchester) over ucl. I know imperial is better but I also want a good work life balance.

I don’t think the workload is too bad, it can get overwhelming sometimes when many deadlines overlap but usually you are given longer deadlines for group work and it is manageable. You will be fine and will 100% have time for other things.
And this is coming from a level 1000 procrastinator so you’re going to be okay😭😭🤣 .
But I will say I think going to a university like imperial or Manchester that has a greater specialism in engineering would benefit you more. I don’t know much about work life balance at these unis but I do know it’s a lot more intense, especially at imperial.
good luck with your decision!

I don’t think the workload is too bad, it can get overwhelming sometimes when many deadlines overlap but usually you are given longer deadlines for group work and it is manageable. You will be fine and will 100% have time for other things.
And this is coming from a level 1000 procrastinator so you’re going to be okay😭😭🤣 .
But I will say I think going to a university like imperial or Manchester that has a greater specialism in engineering would benefit you more. I don’t know much about work life balance at these unis but I do know it’s a lot more intense, especially at imperial.
good luck with your decision!

Hii, I studied physics math chemistry and music for A level. And I got a predicted grade of A*(math)AAA.But my gcse is really bad 76665555, 7 in math and 66 in double science.Do I still get a chance for ucl civil engineering? I really like this course, do they care more about my PS?

heyy, as long as your personal statement isn't bad, you're definitely gonna get in don't sweat it. Just make sure to include how aspects of your a level and extra-curriculars link to the course and you will be fine. its not a super competitive course to get into and I only did 3 a-levels. the fact that ur doing 4 is so impressive you are 100% gonna be fine . Also, since you are doing physics and maths a-levels, your GCSE grades don't really matter too much as you meet the minimum threshold.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!

heyy, as long as your personal statement isn't bad, you're definitely gonna get in don't sweat it. Just make sure to include how aspects of your a level and extra-curriculars link to the course and you will be fine. its not a super competitive course to get into and I only did 3 a-levels. the fact that ur doing 4 is so impressive you are 100% gonna be fine . Also, since you are doing physics and maths a-levels, your GCSE grades don't really matter too much as you meet the minimum threshold.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!