Uni Choices

[Spinney]

...go and look at K.A. Stroud ...

Is that the 'programmed learning' one? That takes me back! I remember working through almost the whole book before my first year exams!

 

[Yellow Fang]

I suggest that you become a bit more focussed as 'some form of engineering' covers:

civil engineering
electrical engineering
materials engineering
bio engineering
fuel engineering
mechanical engineering
chemical engineering
aeronautical engineering
automotive engineering
and many other disciplines

There's also

production engineering
electronic engineering
software engineering

I think production engineering is setting up production lines.

 

[summerdays]

Also Computer Systems Engineering - which a couple of my friends did. (Actually a large number of my friends seemed to have done engineering of some kind or another...).

 

[BrumJim]

Visit them all.

Go to the one that is best funded - new equipment, computer labs, etc. It shows a dynamic department, and one that is supported by industry, which is most of the point of engineering. Find out what jobs and offers those just about to graduate are getting. Find out why current students chose the university. I didn't go to any open days, but did go to some interview days, which were very useful.

Sheffield is a lovely location, and a classic Redbrick university. Durham has a very high general reputation historically, and Loughborough is supposed to be very good for engineering, so three good choices there.

And engineering is a very good choice of degree, if that floats your boat (i.e. don't do it if you hate science, maths, practical stuff, but it's not about getting your hands dirty). Engineers tend to put in more hours of lectures that most other subjects, so are preferred by recruiters for accounting (boooooring), actuaries (even worse), management consultants, etc.

Yes, I did go to University and get an engineering degree. I went to Birmingham Uni (also very good) and got a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacture and Management, which I didn't regret until I got to filling in the answers booklet in the exam room. Then wish I had done something with a shorter title. Like "Law"!!

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Def not on the list - OxBridge, in that I'm not a genius.

Go.

Guy I went to school with (not a good school) was clever enough to do medicine at Oxford. He left Oxford after a year and went to another university. He didn't go to an elitist school and despite being reasonably full of himself compared to others at our school he was a decent bloke and didn't fit in with some of the worst of the people the private school system *may* produce who were coincidentally on his course. My wife has worked at a few of these schools so I've seen it from both sides.

Definitely worth going to the open days of anywhere you fancy going to and see the place. Look at the student housing areas too. You don't want to end up in somewhere like Perry Barr (don't go to UCE or Birmingham City University as it is now called). As good a sa place is you don't want to be too scared to leave the house/campus on your own. In reality there are only a few places like this but you don't want ot end up living somewhere really dodgy.

 

[XmisterIS]

University of Birmingham - really big campus, loads to do there. Loughborough is a bit small.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

My brother went to Sheffield in the 80s and did an electronics course. He really liked it there. He's a computer chip designer in Austin Texas now so he did quite well I rec.

 

[battered]

Vernon's advice is excellent.

My 2p: I have first hand experience of Imperial, albeit from 20 years ago and I still shudder when I think of it. I spent the worst 3 years of my life there. Since then I have experienced job loss, periods of unemployment, collapse of a long term relationship and recently long term illness following an accident and all of these are kids' stuff compared to 3 years at Imperial. It felt like doing time. I wouldn't send my worst enemy there to do an undergrad degree.

 

[Yellow Fang]

If one were to say to a prospective student go and look at K.A. Stroud and see whether you could handle that sort of stuff none of them will actually do it .

A lot of ex engineering students appear to swear by Stroud. I worked my way through Mathematics for Engineers, which is also a good book. If you can work your way through books like those, you should be able to cope with the maths. Electronics and electrical engineering involves lots of complex numbers. Fluid mechanics involves lots partial differentiation.

 

[Kirstie]

Durham is full of toffs. Don't go there if you're anything like a class warrior...

 

[SimonC]

From what I dimly remember of being seventeen, Loughborough had the reputation of being a bit terribly dull and Sheffield seemed a lot cooler. I didn't take much notice of what was offered by the course, though, I'm ashamed to say.

Yay for Sheff!!

Good control engineering dept methinks, went to Nottingham Uni meself, which is campus based, and I think I would have preferred Sheff-style which isnt.

But I'm from Sheff so it wasnt done thing to go to uni in your home city.

Notts was cool though, and good elec eng dept.

You should probably look at the more academic/serious aspects of uni life to make your choice, but I would guess most kids go on what feels right when they go for a look around. I know I did, looked at Leeds, Manchester UMIST and Uni and Leicester also.

 

[ColinJ]

A lot of ex engineering students appear to swear by Stroud. I worked my way through Mathematics for Engineers, which is also a good book. If you can work your way through books like those, you should be able to cope with the maths.

Blimey, are they still using Stroud? I think he was a lecturer at the old Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry and his book was being used there when I was learning how to drop out of an Electronic Engineering degree back in the mid-70s!

Electronics and electrical engineering involves lots of complex numbers. Fluid mechanics involves lots partial differentiation.

Sure does! In the mid-80s, after I'd learned how not to drop out of an Electronic Engineering degree, I had another go (successfully!).

As soon as we started on the heavy stuff, my fellow students were shouting out "What's a complex number?" or "What's calculus?" In the end the lecturer gave up on what he was supposed to be teaching to back up what we were doing in our engineering mathematics lectures.

It was a bit annoying for me because I'd just done a DIY refresher course in maths before starting my degree. (I'd bought copies of my old maths text books and worked through every example in them, first at O level, then at A level.) I then had to plod through it all again because somehow half the younger generation had managed to get good A levels in maths without having a clue about complex numbers and calculus.

 

[vernon]

A lot of ex engineering students appear to swear by Stroud. I worked my way through Mathematics for Engineers, which is also a good book. If you can work your way through books like those, you should be able to cope with the maths. Electronics and electrical engineering involves lots of complex numbers. Fluid mechanics involves lots partial differentiation.

K. A. Stroud. What a man. My copy of his book got me, a fellow undergraduate and next door neighbour's son through our maths re-sits

I can not bring myself to be parted from it.

 

[vernon]

Is that the 'programmed learning' one? That takes me back! I remember working through almost the whole book before my first year exams!

I remember working through almost the whole book after my first year exams

 

[Will1985]

Also consider the environment and potential for extra curricular activities. Are you interested in joining the cycling club and doing some competitve riding for example?

P.S. ILB, get yourself a track bike in preparation for November's track champs. They are going to be awesome. Yesterday was brilliant until the rain came near the end. Bit of Birmingham and Cambridge domination of the medals.