Should i do physics or engineering

13

Like the title says I have been wanting to do physics at Oxford but now I’m not as sure on it but I prefer particle and quantum physics rather than applied which makes me lean more towards that than engineering which is apparently more applied physics. What do you think?

Reply 1

bhs009

9

Original post

by shaggy-delicacy

Like the title says I have been wanting to do physics at Oxford but now I’m not as sure on it but I prefer particle and quantum physics rather than applied which makes me lean more towards that than engineering which is apparently more applied physics. What do you think?

I think you prefer the part of physics that general engineering may not cover. Look at some university course modules for physics and whatever type of engineering you'd go for if you didn't do physics, and decide on which topics you enjoy and would prefer to study. good luck!

Reply 2

Smack

20

Original post

by shaggy-delicacy

Like the title says I have been wanting to do physics at Oxford but now I’m not as sure on it but I prefer particle and quantum physics rather than applied which makes me lean more towards that than engineering which is apparently more applied physics. What do you think?

There's nothing in your post that indicates a desire to study engineering, only uncertainty about which specific branch of physics you're most keen on.

Reply 3

asjdfojweoifj

3

Original post

by shaggy-delicacy

Like the title says I have been wanting to do physics at Oxford but now I’m not as sure on it but I prefer particle and quantum physics rather than applied which makes me lean more towards that than engineering which is apparently more applied physics. What do you think?

If you prefer particle and quantum then definitely Physics, which is the only course where you can learn the full theory of quantum mechanics, other than maybe electrical engineering. Particle physics arises from quantum field theory which itself is built from quantum mechanics and special relativity, so you definitely won't be learning that from any engineering degree.

Reply 4

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

18

Original post

by shaggy-delicacy

Like the title says I have been wanting to do physics at Oxford but now I’m not as sure on it but I prefer particle and quantum physics rather than applied which makes me lean more towards that than engineering which is apparently more applied physics. What do you think?

Hi,

I'm a second year Natural Sciences student and studied maths, physics and general engineering in my first year, so actually you could study both if you want to! Currently, I am studying maths and mechanical engineering. For me, I dropped physics because it became a bit too theoretical and was becoming something I wasn't particularly interested in, but don't let that deter you.

Physics at Lancaster has been consistently been ranked in the top 10 in the UK, and is 1st in student satisfaction this year according to the Complete University Guide. The research for both astro and particle are pretty established, here's the link to Lancaster Uni's physics page for more info: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/

We pretty much offer most major engineering streams at Lancaster apart from aerospace and is ranked quite highly. For the first year, everyone does general and then you specialised in the second and third years. You can also work closely with the physics department on certain projects, especially in third year/master's. Here's the link to Lancaster Uni's engineering page for more info: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/engineering/

One of the reasons I chose Lancaster was because of its location, especially its proximity to the Lake District, plus there are direct trains to Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, as well as Scotland, Birmingham and London. For me, being based near London, it's not as far as you think it would take as the fastest train from Euston to Lancaster is just under 2.5 hrs and from Milton Keynes 2 hours.

Lancaster is a campus uni, so is separate and located outside the city centre, but there are regular buses to the centre which take around 10-15 mins as well as bike lanes.To be honest, in my first year I lived on campus and only went to town for either social events or supermarket shopping, otherwise you got all the essential amenities within a 10 minute walking distance.

I want to highlight natural sciences as a degree, because if you are undecided on what you want to do at uni and as a career, as well as not wanting to commit too early to a specific career then I would strongly recommend natural sciences. I chose natural sciences at Lancaster University, because I had the ability to study maths, physics and engineering in my first year, which I couldn't find in other unis that offered the course. Regarding your case, compared to taking straight engineering or straight physics, not only can you do both but the modules are more flexible in the second year so you have more choice e.g. for straight engineering thermodynamics is compulsory whereas for me it's not. Here's the respective link for more info: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/natural-sciences/

Hope that helps!

Seb
Natural Sciences Student Ambassador at Lancaster University

Should i do physics or engineering

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