KCL Vs Bristol Computer Science

Hi I'm thinking about my options and I'm searching for unis better than Bristol (already thinking about Cambridge and Imperial) and I was wondering how KCL was.

I like the idea of being in London and there might be more job opportunities (please correct me on that if I'm wrong) but the only thing I was worried about was if the course is not mathematical enough.

If so, can't this just be fixed by using my bsc to get an MSc at a top uni then?

Personally, I would recommend having some insurance choices. You've applied to Cambridge and Imperial but you also want some insurance choices if you get offers from Cambridge and/or Imperial (speaking from my current experience).

I applied to:

1) Cambridge (2A*s A minimum entry - rejection ☹️).
2) Imperial (A*AAA minimum entry for applicants with 3 A levels - offer at standard requirements (A star 3 As and grade 2 in STEP II)

3) Edinburgh - (AAB minimum entry - 3 A* offer. On the website, it says that your offer can be anywhere from AAB all the way to what I got. I was hoping for a lower tariff but evidently not the case.)

4) Manchester (3A* minimum entry - offer that matches minimum entry)

5) Durham (A*AA minimum entry - still waiting).

All for 2024 entry.

If I were to re-apply, I would go for the following:

1) Cambridge
2) Imperial
3) Bath
4) Warwick
5) UCL, KCL or anywhere else.

For applicants with Further Maths and/or EPQ (like me - I do Maths, Further Maths, Computing, Chemistry and EPQ), Bath give out reduced offers so I would clinch it with both hands. It's a really good university too but I wasn't a fan of the place because there wasn't too much to do. There wasn't the hustle and bustle of a big city whereas Edinburgh met both of these needs. I don't regret applying to Edinburgh and I would have definitely insured it had I received a lower requirement. But simply on the basis of the higher offer condition, it has made me change my mind (though I LOVE the city and EVERYTHING it has to offer). Warwick is really good for CS and I'd drop Durham because they take too long to hand out offers (I've been waiting for the past 5 months for the update to my application but nothing so far). They send out loads of mailing list emails, which make me think it's a portal update when in reality, it's just them saying look at the sport we have on offer, which is really annoying but also kinda interesting to see what's on offer.

London does indeed have more job opportunities but the cost you pay for these opportunities comes in the form of living expense. How mathematical the course is is all down to how mathematical YOU want your university course to be. If you don't like Maths much, then KCL might be for you (not that I'm saying the course isn't Mathsy). If you are after a Mathsy course, I would consider UCL, St Andrews Warwick etc. Also, on this whole "Mathsy course" you want to do, I mean you are applying for Computer Science. If you want to do a Mathsy course, apply for joint honours courses. Apply for Maths and Computing everywhere and that will ensure you get a healthy mix of maths and computing.

To be honest, most places don't care about where you graduated from (though this sometimes does set up a good first impression). What sets you apart when applying for jobs is your experience and how good of a candidate you are. You might go to Oxford, get a First but then have no experience programming with industry standard frameworks or you might go to a slightly lower tier university like Durham (I'm not saying Durham is bad here - it's just that it's not on the same level as Oxbridge let's be real), have loads of experience in industry through work experience, internships, courses, the lot and be offered the place. They really don't care as to how mathematical your course is and it definitely won't impact your chances of getting an MSc at a top uni. That being said, if you want to take up an MSc in something that requires a lot of Maths like the Cambridge MPhil in Machine Learning, I would recommend doing a Mathsy CS course so that you have that strong foundation.

Good luck! I hope this was helpful. I know I talked about my own situation more but I hope my experience helps you to make a decision about what you want to do and apply for.

Thanks for your input. Also, for Bristol I am eligible for contextual and will hopefully be accepted into one of their widening participation programmes which will give me a guaranteed offer at contextual level (grade requirements AAB isn't that OP??)

I've also just right now checked the university of Edinburgh for CS and I believe I meet the requirements for a plus flag (3A* all the way down to AAB which is super OP) so I might apply there as well.