Apprenticeship or Universities (like Cambridge, oxford or imperial) after A-Levels?
I'm planning on doing engineering, possibly electrical - but I was wondering whether I should go to the apprenticeship route (direct to industry, salary - but locked in course wise) or universities (like Oxbridge and imperial) that have a more open course teaching all disciplines (obviously cost of living will be crazy) - and of those universities which is the best for engineering?
Reply 1
Hi Ardwolf,
Obviously either has pros and cons,
A degree apprenticeship is obviously a competitive job and has far less debt, but does lock you more into a specific company and section of the industry, its also less common to get a masters on apprenticeships which could increase the time it takes to get Chartered afterwards. From the people I've spoken to who've done them (Rolls Royce, BAE etc) financially they're happy but I think they tend to have smaller social circles because of their jobs.
On the other hand if you want a more in depth academic experience, ICL and Oxford/Cambridge specialise in that, the networking available in Oxbridge is very impressive, but it is a very intense atmosphere (from my friends who go there), the jobs you get after if you survive the degree will be worth it if you get accepted, but if money is a big concern for you, the loan will not cover everything and working during term time is also prohibited (at least at Cambridge).
I took the middle ground for my degree (Lancaster Uni), and I feel as though the friends/jobs/experience balance was worth it because I prioritised internships every summer, worked during the other holidays, plus the low accommodation cost here made it more manageable, yet still had enough time to build a decent social circle and try new hobbies (there's so many societies). General engineering first year was great for my overall understanding which helped me get to internships outside of Chem Eng (fairly limited area). The integrated masters saved me on post grad loans too, which I feel is worth it for me so I can get chartership (and the bigger money) faster.
Overall if you have a good attitude to networking you'll end up in the right place regardless though, just dependent on what you want your lifestyle to look like over the next 3-5 years.
Sophia (Lancaster University rep)
Obviously either has pros and cons,
A degree apprenticeship is obviously a competitive job and has far less debt, but does lock you more into a specific company and section of the industry, its also less common to get a masters on apprenticeships which could increase the time it takes to get Chartered afterwards. From the people I've spoken to who've done them (Rolls Royce, BAE etc) financially they're happy but I think they tend to have smaller social circles because of their jobs.
On the other hand if you want a more in depth academic experience, ICL and Oxford/Cambridge specialise in that, the networking available in Oxbridge is very impressive, but it is a very intense atmosphere (from my friends who go there), the jobs you get after if you survive the degree will be worth it if you get accepted, but if money is a big concern for you, the loan will not cover everything and working during term time is also prohibited (at least at Cambridge).
I took the middle ground for my degree (Lancaster Uni), and I feel as though the friends/jobs/experience balance was worth it because I prioritised internships every summer, worked during the other holidays, plus the low accommodation cost here made it more manageable, yet still had enough time to build a decent social circle and try new hobbies (there's so many societies). General engineering first year was great for my overall understanding which helped me get to internships outside of Chem Eng (fairly limited area). The integrated masters saved me on post grad loans too, which I feel is worth it for me so I can get chartership (and the bigger money) faster.
Overall if you have a good attitude to networking you'll end up in the right place regardless though, just dependent on what you want your lifestyle to look like over the next 3-5 years.
Sophia (Lancaster University rep)
Reply 2
Original post
by Ardwolf1532I'm planning on doing engineering, possibly electrical - but I was wondering whether I should go to the apprenticeship route (direct to industry, salary - but locked in course wise) or universities (like Oxbridge and imperial) that have a more open course teaching all disciplines (obviously cost of living will be crazy) - and of those universities which is the best for engineering?
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- A-levels or Engineering BTEC/T-Level for Top Uni Engineering or High-Paying Apprentic
- Degree apprentiships
- Pharmacy or Engineering as a career
- Oxbridge or Degree Apprenticeship?
- Apprenticeship vs Cambridge
- the Route to becoming a quant?
- How likely am i to get into Cambridge with Level 3 Tlevel + 2 Alevels + personal proj
- Oxbridge or Degree Apprenticeship?
- Cambridge Engineering VS Dyson Institute
- Should I reapply to Cambridge if I get good results?
- Would you rather attend...?
- Should I apply to oxford CS or not
- St Andrews vs Oxbridge
- A*A*A, Maths, FM, Physics | Bristol Mathematics or Gap Year for Oxbridge and Imperial
- Degree Apprenticeships degree VS university degree
- PAT and ESAT
- Applying for Oxford chemistry
- Reapplying to Cambridge Maths
- Is the University of St Andrews considered one of the top universities in the UK?
- British universities to study International Relations
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 months ago
What spec laptop would I need for aerospace engineering?Last reply 8 months ago
Oxford or Cambridge Engineering - worth applying without further maths?Engineering
4
22
Articles for you
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
