Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

With only a month left of compulsary education i will soon start college (UK style, from 16 to 18) and so university is only two years away. Being the tzeentchian lad I am deep down I feel the need to begin to plan for this as two years really isnt that much time but I am at a loss of where to go.

At college i am taking physics, chemistry and double mathematics a levels (thats 4 a levels all together) and at university I would like to get a degree in physics with a future career in either experimental physics, theoretical physics or weapons technology.

Something else that appeals to me is the idea of going to university (college as they call it) in the United States of America so any advice on the pros/cons of that would be appriciated.

So yeah, what are your thoughts dakka?
Do I stay in the UK? If so which uni's are best for physics?
Or do I take the plunge and hop over to the states? If so then which college?

This site might help you with picking out the best universities for different subjects.

Gives you student satisfaction, research rating, and entry requirements (some courses may have different requirements, so check the prospectus), and some courses may offer different entry requirements based on your application (I was offered BBB entry for my course rather than ABB as I was taking extra qualifications along side normal 3 A-Levels + 1 AS).

I would advise staying in the UK unless you have vast riches and can afford to pay your way through the US system (although don't rule out foreign exchange, overseas work experience etc).

I can give you good words about Sheffied (no 21 for Physics & Astronomy according to the link above). I did my MEng there, and they have a really good research lead ethos, and the city itself is pretty cool to live in (if hilly ).

My dad did physics in Durham (no 4) about 30ish years ago and he turned out alright Also had a friend at school who did the same. Only thing I can say is it will probably be very cold, and you might get some anti-southern problems in non-studenty areas.

Imperial (no 3) is probably the best university for research lead sciences. A solid degree from them will set you up well for pretty much anything you want to do.

I would also advise taking every chance to get industrial experience - holidays, weekends, evenings - anything you can get. Many universities will try and help you with getting placements, but there are plenty of agencies and so on dedicated to it as well.

Quite a usefull site Silver, thanks alot

Good point about the cost of american education, I had completely forgotten about it so i will likely stay in the UK (maybe Oxbridge )

No worries. And I seem to remember that you can only apply for one of the two Oxbridge universities, so if you intend to apply for one of them, make sure you know which one is best for you.

I've never been to Cambridge but my brother-in-law has done a degree, masters, and is almost through his PhD at Oxford and I've been to visit him a couple of times. It is quite a nice place, but you may have to ensure you can put up with the smug Oxbridge air of superiority, and that you don't mind the risk of becoming one of "them"

SilverMK2 wrote:No worries. And I seem to remember that you can only apply for one of the two Oxbridge universities, so if you intend to apply for one of them, make sure you know which one is best for you.

I've never been to Cambridge but my brother-in-law has done a degree, masters, and is almost through his PhD at Oxford and I've been to visit him a couple of times. It is quite a nice place, but you may have to ensure you can put up with the smug Oxbridge air of superiority, and that you don't mind the risk of becoming one of "them"

Thanks to my mum ive been gifted with an Oxford accent and im a smug git anyway so I should be fine at Oxford For Cambridge... At least i have the smugness and talent

If you really want to study at a university in the U.S., don't let the cost sway you. There are lots of exchange programs and scholarships available for that kind of thing, and if you are interested in graduate studies there are even more opportunities. A lot of graduate assistantships offer tuition remission (i.e. you pay $0 for tuition) and stipends, as well as other benefits. Just make sure you do your homework before you dive in, and keep your grades up if it's something you're serious about. Talk to your professors and do some internet research, and you ought to be able to find something.

corpsesarefun wrote:With only a month left of compulsary education i will soon start college (UK style, from 16 to 18) and so university is only two years away. Being the tzeentchian lad I am deep down I feel the need to begin to plan for this as two years really isnt that much time but I am at a loss of where to go.

At college i am taking physics, chemistry and double mathematics a levels (thats 4 a levels all together) and at university I would like to get a degree in physics with a future career in either experimental physics, theoretical physics or weapons technology.

Something else that appeals to me is the idea of going to university (college as they call it) in the United States of America so any advice on the pros/cons of that would be appriciated.

So yeah, what are your thoughts dakka?
Do I stay in the UK? If so which uni's are best for physics?
Or do I take the plunge and hop over to the states? If so then which college?

Cambridge, and some of the London colleges such as UCL and Imperial, have the best reputation for the harder sciences.

Don't rule out other major universities like Edinburgh or Liverpool though. My knowledge is relatively specialised and out of date. Ask your careers service at school and get in touch with any physicists you know or can contact to ask their opinions. Also look around the various government sponsored science agencies and see where their staff got their degrees.

You will find you are over-qualified for US universities but you might get credit for the A levels which would let you skip the first year. The issue with going to the USA is the expense and IMO the fact that it is not all that "foreign".

If you want to study overseas -- which is a very broadening experience -- it would be better to choose a country which will test your language and skills. Your four A levels do not leave a lot of time for a language course, however if you have a language GCSE you might fit in the extra tuition required.

Hordini wrote:If you really want to study at a university in the U.S., don't let the cost sway you. There are lots of exchange programs and scholarships available for that kind of thing, and if you are interested in graduate studies there are even more opportunities. A lot of graduate assistantships offer tuition remission (i.e. you pay $0 for tuition) and stipends, as well as other benefits. Just make sure you do your homework before you dive in, and keep your grades up if it's something you're serious about. Talk to your professors and do some internet research, and you ought to be able to find something.

Word. I would recommend against doing your undergraduate in the US, as it is something of a racket with respect to financial aid, and scholarships are certainly no guarantee. Graduate studies are entirely different. Most schools offer graduate assistantships which, at the minimum, eliminate your tuition and often give you a decent stipend.

Also, in the states PhD programs are closer to jobs than schooling. There is no tuition, and you can expect to receive a stipend of 30-35k USD a year.

He he, FuMa isn't a proper subject, silly
/jk


Anyway, as someone who is starting into the system (4 weeks of yr13 left )

I really don't think US uni is a good idea - UK-uni debt is bad enough, the US is crazy. Also, the US isn't any better than the UK for HE, and has lower entry standards than most UK unis.
UK system is both relativly cheap and has extremly high academic and (more importantly for a scientist) research standards. There is no reason to leave unless you despiratly want the expernce of a forien uni, and the US is no more forein than RoI.

@Oxbridge - Cambridge is sterotypicly best at Maths (and therefore the big 3 sciences) and Oxford at English (and so History etc)

Oxbridge (this may apply less of Oxford, as I've only got real expence with Cambridge) is good, but very hard to get into. Academic achivement is nessasry, but not enough. What you need is to demonstraight in interviews is the abilty to learn/understand complex sciences and how well you can work and devolpe something you have not been taught. The example being with NatSci interviews at Cambridge, they will bring up different subject topics, at a much higher level than you get with A-levels, and ask you questions to try and get you to show how you would work through the problem.
It is also worth noteing that they may not be the best if you want to do pure reseach, so you really need to look into the other good reseach unis (Imperial, UCL, York, Manchester, Edinbough etc) are all good, and can be just as good as Oxbridge to someone who is clued up about the subject.
Oxbridge also work you a lot harder than some of the others do, so if you don't think you can keep up 40-50 hour weeks you might want to look somewhere else. (Also, I hear they rank lower on the party scene, not that that bothers me )

If you go to somewhere that offers a 'year in industry' TAKE IT. Its excellent, especily for pure science and sci-eng students, who are likely to get paid during that year.
A year in europe is also good, but often needs a AS in a MFLang.


Another thing worth considering is what level you intend to take your studies too. For pure reseach, you either need to get a BSci (or BA from Cambridge, 'cos their special like that ) and then work your way up, or work for a Dphy and get in half way up the ladder. Consider a MSci for a middlegroud, as its only 1 year.

If fees bother you (I assume not if you are considering the US) look at a Scottish Uni. Get in the in second of 4 years (as they leave school at 17, so have a 4 year BSci course) as Scottish unis are cheaper (Edinbough is about £1,800/year, compaired to a English £3,290/year).


Hope my mad rambleing helps

I finished uni 6 years ago and also studied physics. Went to Hatfield Uni, which although very crappy, has a wicked astrophysics department.

Of course there are some places you just can't beat, but if you wanna get prepared I suggest heading to all the places that interest you and take a look at their facilities.

Word of warning, physics is boring. First year astro and normal physics the courses were identical, then I made the mistake of continuing the regular course while all my friends took astro. They had all the fun classes which included all the theoretical and experimental stuff and I was stuck with learning about water flow through a pipe of varying volume.

Brighton may also be viable. I had a friend go there and he just finished his PhD and is now working for the MoD in the experimental weaponry department.

If your looking at Cambridge you really need excellent GCSE results and they will look at each individual module you take for AS level. The same goes for Durham and a couple of London Unis. Oxford however could care less about what you got in your GCSEs and you don't even have to state your AS results. The way you get into Oxford is through there entrance exams and the interviews. So if your very academic but socially inept then Cambridge is for you .

Hmm I got excellent results in Physics and Maths at GCSE. However when I got into sixth form I realised that I didn't really interest or entertain me. I realised history was a more dynamic and engaging subject (to me at least). Basically what I'm trying to say is leave an option open. You never know who you will turn out to be.

yani wrote:If your looking at Cambridge you really need excellent GCSE results and they will look at each individual module you take for AS level. The same goes for Durham and a couple of London Unis. Oxford however could care less about what you got in your GCSEs and you don't even have to state your AS results. The way you get into Oxford is through there entrance exams and the interviews. So if your very academic but socially inept then Cambridge is for you .

Hmm I got excellent results in Physics and Maths at GCSE. However when I got into sixth form I realised that I didn't really interest or entertain me. I realised history was a more dynamic and engaging subject (to me at least). Basically what I'm trying to say is leave an option open. You never know who you will turn out to be.

I don't know about GCSE results, but Oxford still want AAA at A-level regardless of how you do in the entrance exam. Besides, you have to put your modular scores and GCSE results onto UCAS anyway, so they can still see them.

I don't remember having to put modular scores on my UCAS form (then again, I did apply to university about 6-7 years ago now ).

We just had to put GCSE and AS/A level results (or predicted results).

My year is the first or second year to use a new system.

After all:
Britain - Changing what ain't broken since before you were born