Experiences of Imperial College

[Partridgewell]

Hi all,

DS had his heart set on Oxford, but it wasn't to be. He has offers from Imperial College and Warwick to study Maths. He slightly prefers Warwick in terms of location and lifestyle. However, he wants to be an academic, so Imperial would make sense from the point of view of it being a slightly more prestigious university.

His main concerns about Imperial are the location and the fact that there are no arts students. He is looking on The Student Room etc, but I said I would ask on here too. Any experiences? We know lots of people who have been to Warwick but very few who have been to Imperial.

Thanks in advance.

Beware it's not mostly online. Not really a student area. Probably better experience at Warwick. Definitely cheaper to live there.

DS turned down Imperial as his insurance (tho he is at Cambridge) because although he loved the course, he felt the student experience would be stressful as one of the less affluent students, living on the minimum maintenance loan and us topping up to the recommended level. Most people on his offer holder day were (he said) Asian, wealthy, dripping in designer gear and living in South Kensington...I'm sure he was exaggerating somewhat but it did put him off.

Our friends' daughter is in her first year of a STEM subject at Imperial, and went out with our DD yesterday (reading week) and was telling her how hard she is finding it financially - and her halls are c. 40mins away from her faculty. She's quite stressed about how she is going to manage next year and where she is going to be able to afford to live (we actually are only c. 45 mins from London so she's seriously thinking of commuting...a season ticket is significantly cheaper than rent...but then you aren't getting the student experience).

Not really a student area? What a bizarre thing to say, evidently by someone who has zero experience of London.

OP, Imperial will be a fantastic experience - an opportunity to learn in a world class research institution in one of the most exciting cities in the world. He will make friends with people from all over the world which will kickstart his professional network in ways that very few U.K. universities can. The lack of humanities students isn’t really an issue as it’s very easy (and usual) to build a social life that doesn’t revolve around college - why would you do that when you have all that London has to offer? Having said that there are a huge variety of student societies, clubs and sports on offer. Music is particularly strong (lots of scientists are accomplished musicians).

It’s a fantastic university and the closest that the U.K. has to institutions like MIT and KIT. It is NOT a place for dilettantes - he’s likely to be have lectures and labs 9-5 (or later) every day, although Wednesday afternoons are still kept clear for sports. There is no place to hide and nowhere to cruise - first year is VERY intensive especially in the maths-heavy subjects (ie all of them except life sci and med).

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@Partridgewell suspect dc should really go where he prefers in terms of student living (and budget!). If he wants to be an academic it makes no difference I'm sure, and an undergrad degree is just the very first step anyways. DC did undergrad at Warwick in maths, had lots of fun, then an Oxbridge masters - all good. Lots take that route.

Thanks everyone. Money does concern me - we are comfortably off but DH and I both work in the public sector, so not wealthy by any stretch. We are not within commuting distance of London. That said, DS has diagnosed autism, so would qualify for college accommodation for all four years. I'm aware that will still be expensive.

Ugh. It's such a shame he can't do a few weeks at both and then decide!

Warwick and Imperial are equally good for maths from what I know.

From an academia perspective I feel Imperial would win out for maths (but only fractionally).

Since you're not already from London, the sensible financial choice would probably be Warwick. It's an excellent uni for maths.

DS wants to be an academic and is just completing a PhD, albeit in economics.

Career paths for each subject appear to be quite different. DS started in London, at LSE and enjoyed the (different) student life there. Students live all over, including at home, so as a result the University campus and societies tend to be the focus of student life. Certainly different from Bristol where virtually no one used the Union building, and probably different from Warwick where second and third years live in Leamington or Coventry.

He might consider:

1. which branch of maths interests him most. Warwick has a strong economics department so might be better for financial maths/econometrics. Imperial's engineering department is very strong.
2. the reputation of their research. It wont affect undergraduate teaching much, but DS found it an advantage, when applying for PhD places, to get advice from postgrads, and references from well regarded professors. DD spent a year at Imperial intercalating in engineering (unfortunately during lockdown so she got no further than her bedroom) and found herself enjoying the innovative research that was going on around her.
3. International reputation. With economics DS has found that there is a level of divergence between what MN might consider a strong department and international perception. Is your DS planning to stay in the UK? In economics some international, preferably US experience, is advantageous. DS' job market applications were then spread over four continents. Imperial is the bigger international brand name.
4. Where would he want to take his masters? An oddity of the student loan/fee system is that you pay UG fees and get a loan for the fourth year of a MMaths. To switch at that point to take a stand alone Masters, means that you pay post graduate fees and have to find a different source of finance. Imperial fees for Masters degrees are astonishing.

I would add that DS has found his continuing membership of the LSE library (and his ability to blag some informal office space when over) useful. London is an international cross roads and all sorts of people pass through giving talks or seminars, and it has been relatively easy for him to keep up contacts. People talk about the "university experience" but DC have different priorities. DS loved having bright focussed friends, from all over the world, who shared the same passion for their subject and he found that in London.

FWIW when applying to be an undergraduate, DS was rejected by Cambridge. Having LSE on his CV appears to have been just as useful. The same would apply to Imperial. I know less about maths/Warwick.

@Needmoresleep is perfectly correct.

If money was not an issue. I would chose Imperial for mathematics all day everyday.

If we weren't from London and DC wanted to go to a top London uni. UCL,LSE, Imperial etc we would scrap the money we have to give them the world class education they want.

Imperial has the well deserved reputation of working the students hard and having high expectations (DFIL is a prof there). It had a much more international student body than one of the more provincial Unis like Warwick.
neither of those points are in themselves good or bad - it depends on best fit for your DS.
reputation wise I would say Imperial is closer to Oxbridge, particularly in international rankings.
academia is less interested in your UG than where you did your PhD as that is where you will really build your network and benefit from working with world leading academics. At UG level I’d focus on what he wants from the course.

I loved it. There’s definitely a strong student community. I made really good friends there. The union bar is very cheap! It’s a beautiful building and I loved walking through the park to get there, or past the museums. Loved it so much I never left London!!

His main concerns about Imperial are the location and the fact that there are no arts students.

There are plenty of arts students in the immediate vicinity at The Royal College of Music and the Royal College of Art.

I’ve worked at both Warwick and Imperial. I’m probably going against the majority view but given that both are good universities I’d focus on where he’d be happiest. Look at the details of the course units in each year including the options. Which suits his interests more? Maths is a broad subject with a lot of specialisms.
If it were me I’d be more inclined towards Warwick if the syllabus looked right for me. It’s a lovely environment. Accommodation is expensive and scarce in London, the air quality is horrendous at South Kensington and it’s busy and crowded. It would have been my autistic child’s worst nightmare (and they weren’t interested in going there at all).
If he wants to be an academic, what’s more important is the class of degree he gets and where he does his PhD.

@MsAnnFrope I would disagree slightly in that for funding reasons OPs DS is very likely to take his Masters at the same University. PhD places with funding are very competitive, and you are right that you want to get the most prestigious possible. DS stayed on at LSE for his Masters and found that having referees who were well known internationally, indeed at one interview the interviewer was on first name terms with his referee was very valuable. Not least because they were able to make a crucial phone call shortly before deadline day.

@Westfacing indeed. And there is an interesting joint masters design course. In practice students go to other colleges. DS joined the Imperial climbing society with a school friends, and the same friend used to go to LSE discos. One advantage is that London colleges are within easy reach so sports and other matches are played against each other. (DD at Bristol spent her Wednesdays travelling to Wales and once went as far as Brighton.) Public lectures, music events. Loads of opportunities. It is worth adding that Imperial is relatively rich and so has great sports facilities and is able to give quite generous bursaries.

@Needmoresleep yes good point about the MSc/MEng.
Im a social scientist so that had less impact on my PhD application/funding as it is more common to move for your MA and continue to PhD.
DH back in the day went straight to PhD at Oxbridge after his BSc but I don’t know how common that is now. I know the links he had via Imperial helped though!

My DS did economics at LSE and really wished he did his MSc at Imperial. His 2nd year grades put him off applying and he just did the generic economics masters elsewhere at a "regular" RG. (Admittedly we made the mistake of the discouraging the specialised imperial courses at the business school.)

DS loves Kensington as an area and has often gone into imperial and had a wander around and thinks it's very cool and sciency. He really likes the campus as well.

Having done an undergrad and masters at Warwick, I couldn’t recommend it. The pastoral care is awful.

My DS is second year Imperial and happy. It is hard work but the facilities are extraordinary.

I work in HE and am continually surprised by the resources DS takes for granted. They are generous with their undergraduates in both faculty time and materials.

It is intense and he’s flagging a bit at the end of year 2 but confident things will improve next year. He has a non-uni sporting hobby and seems to find plenty of parties. His social network extends beyond Imperial and he has friends at UCL.

Imperial has been an absolute revelation for my ds - he was finally diagnosed as having high functioning autism & the Uni has been very supportive. They also have a good social side & great societies and he has made loads of friends through this, which is something he has often struggled with in the past e.g when changing schools. It has been perfect for him and I'm so glad he got in. The downside is that we barely see him as he spends holidays taking part in his club hobbies or helping people research things!

Going to uni in London is an amazing experience - DD there at the moment and the access she has had to speakers, events and other experiences - whenever we speak there is something amazing going on in the background - the whole capital is there campus and there's lots for Imperial students to join in with. It's an amazing name to have on your cv - I would def say go for it if they can..

Their campus **

As someone who used to select students to sign ICAEW training contracts to become chartered accountants, I would say Imperial College has the edge.

Just to be aware that masters in maths - unless they are in say financial maths do not seem the cost what economics ones do (£40k...?!). So dc had offers for masters in maths at imperial and Oxford and each were about £12k - the pain is that it isn't covered by the student loan in the same way as if you stayed at your current place and did an mmath (9.2k for final year). You can get a masters loan though. Imperial don't offer any postgrad accommodation options so you have to sort that yourself. I don't think you can go wrong with either option for UG - depends where they'll be happiest and I suppose that depends on them.

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share information and experiences. This has been incredibly helpful.

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