what should i accept?

hi everyone,

i have recieved back most of my offers for uni and i am really stuck for what to go for. I have applied for biomedical engineering and with it being in only restricted to the medical side of engineering, year in industry is crucial as the job market is not as broad as most engineering courses, so this will make it much much more likely to get a job fast.

my offers are for Meng in:
-loughborough (guaranteed year in industry)- ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Sheffield -AAB CONTEXTUAL
-UCL -ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Glasgow- AAA
-Imperial (not received decision)-A*AA

it is very hard to get year in industry while actually already being there for this course so thats whats worrying me.

also, i should note that i have been to london but really disliked it both times, but the universities there i feel are too good of an opportunity to miss out on. i like to go out and do things but can entertain myself wherever if theres people to have a laugh with. i prefer a place to remind me of home (liverpool) but once again its not a necessity as long as its good.

so if anyone can help me i would very much appreciate it.
i am also predicted A*AA

(edited 4 weeks ago)

Reply 1

Kuriknowsbest98

Hey! Congrats on your offers! For biomedical engineering, the guaranteed year in industry at Loughborough is a big advantage for getting a job after graduation. While UCL, Sheffield, Glasgow, and Imperial are strong, if location and enjoying your time are important, Loughborough could be the best balance of work experience and day to day happiness.

Reply 2

McGinger

You have until MAY to make this decision - and there is no advantage with making a decision this early.
You will be invited to all sorts of Offer visits days and this is the time to have a more critical look around and thinking about the reality of being at that Uni, and doing that course every day for the next 3 or 4 years.

Any sort of placement or work-experience or placement adds heaps to your graduate CV - it can even lead directly to your first job. Loughborough has some of the best sports facilities in the UK - and its vastly cheaper living there than living in London. Recommended.

Reply 3

University of Bath

Official Rep

Hi J,

Nobody can tell you which uni will be best for you, but as McGinger has said, you do not need to decide right now. Its good that you've got it in your mind already, but I'd defo recommend going to a few offer holder days and off the back of them visiting the cities around the uni to see if you like it there. Try if you can to chat to a few current students and ask them what they like and don't like about the uni etc, and see if you like the atmosphere of the place.

Having a year in industry is a huge plus as has been said, and so if this is integrated into Loughborough's course this to me would be a huge incentive to seriously consider it.

Loughborough is a lovely uni which is high-performing for engineering. So I would also recommend considering this uni, especially if your UCL and Imperial courses do not guarantee years in industry. However at the end of the day you are the best judge of which uni you will be happiest at and where will give you the best springboard into your future.

Hopefully this adds a bit, best of luck with your next steps and hopefully Imperial will get back to you soon 🙂

Reply 4

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post

by Jcole3

hi everyone,
i have recieved back most of my offers for uni and i am really stuck for what to go for. I have applied for biomedical engineering and with it being in only restricted to the medical side of engineering, year in industry is crucial as the job market is not as broad as most engineering courses, so this will make it much much more likely to get a job fast.
my offers are for Meng in:
-loughborough (guaranteed year in industry)- ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Sheffield -AAB CONTEXTUAL
-UCL -ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Glasgow- AAA
-Imperial (not received decision)-A*AA
it is very hard to get year in industry while actually already being there for this course so thats whats worrying me.
also, i should note that i have been to london but really disliked it both times, but the universities there i feel are too good of an opportunity to miss out on. i like to go out and do things but can entertain myself wherever if theres people to have a laugh with. i prefer a place to remind me of home (liverpool) but once again its not a necessity as long as its good.
so if anyone can help me i would very much appreciate it.
i am also predicted A*AA

Hi @Jcole3 !

Congratulations on your offers! This sounds like a really tricky decision, but it's great that you're in a position where you have lots of choice. Of course, I can only speak in experience in regards to the University of Sheffield, but I have multiple friends that do courses within the Faculty of Engineering here that had similarly hard decisions to make back in Year 13.

First of all, I echo some of the previous comments in that there is no major rush to make this decision immediately! Taking your time to make the decision might actually help you make the right one for you. It could also be helpful to look at some of the modules on offer at each University, which you can usually find on each University page. I've linked the University of Sheffield page for MEng Biomedical Engineering here for ease:

https://sheffield.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/2026/biomedical-engineering-meng

Open days are a fantastic way of getting a feel for the University city as well as the course itself! You can ask the students individually on how they are finding the course, top tips for revision, how they have found getting a year in industry and what support they received from the University. Here at Sheffield, 3 of my friends were supported in getting a year in industry by the Engineering department (and were successful!), so I am under the impression that the Departmental support is pretty good here if you're keen on the idea of a Year in Industry.

Course aside, open days are also helpful to see if you can 'see yourself' living in the city! A work-life balance is crucial for all courses, particularly those with high contact hours, so I would also recommend thinking about how happy you would personally be at each University city, what societies they offer that you might be interested in, etc... The University of Sheffield has over 350 societies and sports clubs, which you can find out more about here:

https://sheffield.ac.uk/study/clubs-societies-sport

I hope this is useful! Do you have any further questions we can help with? 🙂

-Alicia
MbChB Medicine (Final Year) + BSc Intercalated Medical Research Sciences

Reply 5

zumainahamid

when did you apply and when did u hear from ucl?? I applied on 27th oct (biomed Meng) and havent heard anything from ucl and imperial yet

Reply 6

LancashireRep4

Official Rep

Original post

by Jcole3

hi everyone,
i have recieved back most of my offers for uni and i am really stuck for what to go for. I have applied for biomedical engineering and with it being in only restricted to the medical side of engineering, year in industry is crucial as the job market is not as broad as most engineering courses, so this will make it much much more likely to get a job fast.
my offers are for Meng in:
-loughborough (guaranteed year in industry)- ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Sheffield -AAB CONTEXTUAL
-UCL -ABB CONTEXTUAL
-Glasgow- AAA
-Imperial (not received decision)-A*AA
it is very hard to get year in industry while actually already being there for this course so thats whats worrying me.
also, i should note that i have been to london but really disliked it both times, but the universities there i feel are too good of an opportunity to miss out on. i like to go out and do things but can entertain myself wherever if theres people to have a laugh with. i prefer a place to remind me of home (liverpool) but once again its not a necessity as long as its good.
so if anyone can help me i would very much appreciate it.
i am also predicted A*AA

Hi @Jcole3

I understand this is a difficult decision. The most important thing is to be somewhere that you are happy at, as being happy will help you excel with your degree as you will have a positive mindset. Coming out with a 2:1 or a 1st is more important than going to a good university.

Secondly, attend offer holder days. This can make or break your decisions. Experiencing the campus first hand and looking around the local area is important, so if its possible give it a go.

Particular factors such as cost of living, modules available, placement year and more can all be important factors. I recommend your next step to be to decide what factors are important to you, then compare the universities based off these.

Also remember, you have months to decide your decision so don't rush, take your time. 😊

I hope this helps, please feel free to make me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Lancashire)