Engineering PS

[Bickleymumma]

My son wants to apply for Mechanical Engineering courses for 2024 entry. He’s thinking of applying for the likes of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Sheffield, Loughborough etc. He’s doing work experience at a London architects shortly. He’s worried these courses are so competitive that grades and generic extra curricular/WE aren’t enough. What advice do you have for boosting his PS for an engineering course and what else can he do between now and application deadline to make him stand out?
Thank you.

@Bickleymumma I got mixed up, I meant exactly same subjects & predicted grades as your son, no FM as his school doesnt offer it.

My son is still Y13 and ended up changing his course to Civil after he realised Mechanical Engineering wasn’t really for him from all the open days. He’s had all his offers from Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and his back up Exeter. Bristol is his first choice but at A*AA a big challenge. Personally I preferred Leeds and Sheffield. He’s still deciding so would also welcome any feedback on this shortlist. Good luck to your son @NamechangeRugby

@Bickleymumma thanks very much for quick response especially after all this time. All very best to your son!

Our guy was a bit distracted during the Covid years, as I guess many were (he is capable and did ok, but not a great deal of evidence of any school work going on and as we had a lot going on we just decided to focus on a peaceful happy home not realising how long the whole school disruption was going to drag on for. He seems to have matured greatly by throwing himself into part time jobs and really seems to have gained focus and motivation with Uni applications.

We are quite a distance from all these Uni's, there is no one who has done engineering in the family - my son will chart his own course, very independent and unlikely to take much heed of me 😂 - but it will be a big investment for him, so I am curious for feedback too.

@Bickleymumma For Civils, Sheffield is a powerhouse! It’s very highly respected in this discipline. Bristol too but be aware there might be more students wanting jobs in financial services type roles there. Engineers can easily transfer to mathematical jobs! DH is a Sheffield grad of decades ago but it’s never lost its reputation for Civil and Structural Engineering. I would say Exeter is not really known for Engineering when compared to the others you list. Like many degrees, it’s not where you have studied but what you can do that matters.

Sorry but my update is not going to be particularly helpful as my DS switched from Engineering to Maths. He eventually heard from Bristol on the last day and it was a rejection but he had already decided to firm his first choice uni, Bath, doing Robotics. A week or two after starting, DS decided to switch to Maths. He told me that once the exams had finished and he had time to think things through over the summer, he was wondering if he had made the right decision. Maths has always been his passion so it was a surprise to us that he was going down the engineering path. He called me a week in to say that he absolutely loved the Uni but was looking at changing courses. Bath were fantastic. His personal tutor talked it all through with him and helped him come to a decision. The Maths department were very helpful and quick to respond. Fortunately, they could accommodate him so all was well in the end and he’s thoroughly enjoying it! It’s a tough time having to make these decisions whilst doing the A-levels and they grow up and change so much during Y12/13. Good luck to your son, I hope that he gets all of his offers back and does well in his exams.

@NamechangeRugby my DS didn't do FM and us coping with the maths on his course but he's always been good at maths. It was by far his favourite subject all through school.