Sheffield, Warwick, or Southampton Mechanical Engineering

1.

Mech Eng is by far the most popular course this year and based on what I've heard and seen, the course structure has a wide variety of modules and projects. One of the most notable things about engineering at Warwick is that the entire first year is general engineering across all streams. No matter what type of engineering you pick, everyone does the same modules until the end of the year, where you get to re-select your specialisation. I, myself switched, from biomedical engineering to systems engineering. This gives you not only a basic understanding of all core topics (electrical, mechanical, even engineering business management), but also gives you lots of time to really evaluate what field you want to go into. You get the opportunity to do projects in biomedical engineering, automotive, electrical, etc. In first year, the contact hours are very high (lots of labs, group projects, lectures), but in first year people typically live on campus, saving you lots of time on commuting, transportation, etc. It also makes you feel much closer with your cohort and allows you to make friends really easily! We also have lots of engineering societies and student-led projects that you can apply for and take part in. For example, Warwick Racing is very popular among those interested in going into the automotive sector and tends to be very popular among employers. I would encourage going to one of the open days, where you can visit the school of engineering, see the different societies in the exhibition, go to the talks, and speak to the students.

2.

The nightlife is honestly what you make of it. While it's true that we're a campus uni and not in a big city so we don't have massive clubs or raves, there's still loads of places to go everyday of the week. At the end of the day, no matter what uni you go to (party uni, quieter uni), the circles you choose to be a part of will most likely determine how much you go out. If nightlife is something important to you, I recommend choosing a first year accommodation that's more social (e.g. Sherbourne, Rootes, Arthur Vick, etc...), joining societies and going to their socials (pub crawls, circling, etc.), and overall putting yourself out there. I personally love going out here in Leamington Spa, but if you're looking for big 'city' clubs, you can also go out in Birmingham which is only a short train ride away.