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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Bristol, KCL and UCL for Chemistry

33 replies

JulietOnTheMoon · 11/12/2024 22:32

DS got offers from the above universities. He is still waiting to hear from Imperial and Oxford but has been saying UCL may be his favourite.

I know nothing other than they are all good. Any thoughts/advice/information about those universities are very much welcome! I would like to give him some balanced views before he decides where to go.

We are in London and DS is quite keen to stay in London.

OP posts:
KittenPause · 11/12/2024 22:36

Has he visited them?

Which did he prefer ?

Will he stay in halls?

Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 11/12/2024 22:49

He hasn't visited Bristol yet. He was planning to visit before he heard from UCL. Now he bagged UCL, he seems less keen to make a trip. I, on the other hand, feel he should still see what he got offered before making his mind up. He plans to stay in halls for the first year wherever he goes.

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dizzydizzydizzy · 11/12/2024 23:17

I have a DC who just graduated from Imperial in Chemistry this year. If your DS gets an offer, he should seriously consider it - Imperial is a fantastic place.

(my DC is now working as a theoretical scientist).

Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 07:47

Well done to your DC, dizzydizzydizzy. Sounds amazing.

Actually, Imperial is the university I know most about. We live near the university, so we know the area well, and I hear great things about their science dept. I will be ecstatic if he goes there. But DS prefers UCL at the moment. I don't know anything about the university, the people, the area. If he gets an offer, perhaps he might change his view...

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hennybeans · 12/12/2024 08:06

My ds has applied to all the same as yours, bar one, for chemistry. I think Oxford and Imperial are more highly regarded than UCL. Ds's plan is to have Ox or Imp as a firm if he gets an offer, UCL as insurance as their offer was lower than Bristol's.

Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 08:23

Oxford was added at the last minute but Imperial was in our conversation in the past due to its reputation and location so I thought Imperial was DS's first choice. But he seems to like UCL at the moment. Did your DS get a different offer from Bristol and UCL? DS got the same AAA from them for 3-year courses. Bristol also offered AAAA* for a 4-year course. DS isn't sure if he wants to do a master's yet. May I ask you what your DS got from them?

OP posts:
Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 08:27

Sorry, AAAstar not AAAAstar for master's at Bristol!

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hennybeans · 12/12/2024 08:47

Ds got offered Astar AA for MSci with industrial experience at Bristol and AAA for BSc chemistry with maths at UCL. He's predicted 4Astars.

So actually, fair enough to Bristol for the higher offer since it's MSci. Ds is just a bit more keen to do the maths as well, and also to be in London as we live in the north.

hennybeans · 12/12/2024 08:57

We had a fantastic open day in the summer at Imperial. It was the best open day out of all the unis visited. Two PhD students gave us a tour around the chem labs and we had a really in depth conversations them about their experiences ( very positive). Then we got to sit down and talk to a lady ( can't remember her position) in more depth about admissions and the different chem degrees offered.
The campus is, of course, in a great location, but unlike UCL which felt very open, Imperial felt a bit more like a campus that was closed off to the public.
It was just a great first impression.

poetryandwine · 12/12/2024 09:15

Congratulations to your DS, OP.

All excellent choices. Of course he needs to hear from O and I before making his Firm choice but between them and UCL he cannot go wrong. (There is no disrespect to Bristol or Kings in that statement, only a reflection of his preferences. As he is focussed on London and UCL is a great choice I see no reason to consider Bristol further.)

Transferring between BSc and MChem subject to good progress is completely routine, so that is a nonissue.

The reason I am writing concerns DS’ Insurance choice. Does he have an option that, ideally, gives him slip in two subjects? Unless a gap year is preferable, when the Firm is very competitive the Insurance needs to be very attainable.

We constantly see on this forum that students are being accepted at the last minute without meeting their offers but that is in a different tier of universities. And you never know who is going to get a bad set of exam results. Sorry to sound a bit grim there, but I am writing to a wider audience. Thanks for letting me do that, OP

KittenPause · 12/12/2024 10:40

My DS had an interview at Oxford but was rejected

He had an offer from Imperial which he firmed and put Warwick as his insurance

He only got A star A star A then sadly a B not the required A

So he ended up going to Warwick which he loves and is having a brilliant time

KittenPause · 12/12/2024 10:43

Annoyingly he'd have got into Oxford with his A star A star A if they hadn't rejected him after the interview

He has lots of students at uni who had Oxbridge offers but didn't make the grades and they're all quite happy there

fgsistwbotp · 12/12/2024 14:55

Perhaps he's worried he might not get Oxford or Imperial so he's bigging up UCL as it were, in case he doesn't get one of the others. Things might change if he receives offers from the other two.
BUT he can't go wrong with UCL. Excellent chemistry department. No need to go to Bristol if he's sure he wants to stay in London and really likes UCL.
If he does get offers from the other two he can see how he feels then.

dizzydizzydizzy · 12/12/2024 14:56

JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 07:47

Well done to your DC, dizzydizzydizzy. Sounds amazing.

Actually, Imperial is the university I know most about. We live near the university, so we know the area well, and I hear great things about their science dept. I will be ecstatic if he goes there. But DS prefers UCL at the moment. I don't know anything about the university, the people, the area. If he gets an offer, perhaps he might change his view...

Honestly Imperial is the place to go for science - that is all they do.

A thing to bear in mind is that they are absolutely awash with money. They pay for a lot of stuff for the students - pizza nights for example. They also have a huge bursary fund, so any student whose family has a household income of less than £70k is given £2k a year, or more depending on how much below £70K the family is. You don't apply, you just receive it based on the details given to Student Loans.

They also have lots of well paid jobs for for the students both in term time and holiday. My DC was paid £17/hour for babysitting a group of 16 year olds in the summer.

Imperial has close links with other unis around the world. So my DC applied for an exchange programme with the university of Toronto. They worked with a research team in Toronto for 2 months in summer 2023, which as an amazing experience in so many ways. (And Toronto sent a student to Imperual). Imperial gave my Dc £3000+ for this to cover their rent and other living expenses.

DC2 is at another prestigious uni and there is absolutely no cash for anything.

ErrolTheDragon · 12/12/2024 16:19

Re @dizzydizzydizzy 's post ... pretty sure Oxford isn't short of cash, and it's a great world class chemistry department.

They're all good departments, OP.

Choosing the one where he'll thrive as a person is important. They're all maybe a bit marmite but in different ways!

Another question is if he's got any inkling of what sort of thing he may want to do after his undergrad degree, and if so whether any of his choices seem more or less well aligned with that.

dizzydizzydizzy · 12/12/2024 16:23

Yes @ErrolTheDragon I'm sure it's true case that Oxford has plenty of cash too. I was trying to point out that it is something to bear in mind because most unis don't.

Anyway, OP, all the best to your DS. Chemistry is a wonderful subject and a degree in it will definitely open doors.

mitogoshigg · 12/12/2024 16:27

All very good options, a lot depends on whether he wants to live at home. The only thing I would caution is that none of these are the kinds of institutions likely to drop on offers day, theres no insurance option really but it's too late now.

Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 21:56

The insurance option is exactly my concern but DS says he has to get 4 grades down to miss UCL/Bristol and 5 grades down for KLC so pretty confident he has no problem achieving the offered grades. I know anything could happen on the exam day though.

He hasn't decided what he wants to do after his undergrad degree. So he chose the subject based on his pure enjoyment. After all, he will spend the next 3-4 years studying it so he wants to do it because he enjoys it rather because it's something he has to do for his future.

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Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 12/12/2024 22:00

And I agree with the money talk. UK universities are facing such financial difficulties. If we are in a position to pick, def pick the one with plenty of cash...

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Needmoresleep · 13/12/2024 10:33

Imperial is great, but extremely specialist.

It is absolutely reasonable for the very gifted scientist to want to go there and be surrounded by others, staff and students who want to live and breathe science. There is lots of scope to work hard/play hard but science is the focus.

It is also reasonable for equally gifted scientists to want a broader mix of peers. To hang out with people studying humanities, drama, art, languages. UCL is linked, in varying forms, to SEES, RADA and the Slade. It is part of what is effectively London's student district, with China Town as a canteen and scope for cheap tickets at theatres and cinemas.

An alternative question might be what student society stands he would aim for first during freshers week. Robotics or drama? If the latter then UCL.

Both are expanding. UCL to the East, Imperial to the west. Perhaps worth checking whether he might find his course is based in Olympic Park.

poetryandwine · 13/12/2024 13:01

That is a lot of slip, OP! Most candidates do not have such luxury.

dizzydizzydizzy · 13/12/2024 18:34

Needmoresleep · 13/12/2024 10:33

Imperial is great, but extremely specialist.

It is absolutely reasonable for the very gifted scientist to want to go there and be surrounded by others, staff and students who want to live and breathe science. There is lots of scope to work hard/play hard but science is the focus.

It is also reasonable for equally gifted scientists to want a broader mix of peers. To hang out with people studying humanities, drama, art, languages. UCL is linked, in varying forms, to SEES, RADA and the Slade. It is part of what is effectively London's student district, with China Town as a canteen and scope for cheap tickets at theatres and cinemas.

An alternative question might be what student society stands he would aim for first during freshers week. Robotics or drama? If the latter then UCL.

Both are expanding. UCL to the East, Imperial to the west. Perhaps worth checking whether he might find his course is based in Olympic Park.

I'm not sure you're completely right about the robotics or drama point. My DC was at Imperial and went to sports societies but one of their friends was in an acapella group and they performed regularly in Covent Garden and also in the Edinburgh Festival.

Other friends were in orchestras and also performed at some prestigious locations - can't remember where.

I know Imperial has links to the royal college of music. Not sure the exact nature of those links.

Needmoresleep · 13/12/2024 18:43

I don't disagree. Plenty of good mathematicians are also musical. DD, when she was there (for a year and during lockdown so not representative) found her tribe playing sport.

However will be a difference between a University that offers a full range of subjects and one that is specialist. And that, to a large extent will be the difference between IC and UCL.

FWIW IC also has links with the Royal College of Art. A friend of DS took a joint Masters linking engineering with design.

Original poster
JulietOnTheMoon · 14/12/2024 21:38

Interesting to read the UCL/IC discussion. DS attended RCM junior so we are aware of the connection between RCM and IC. I think IC has plenty of young musicians.

But DS hasn't got an offer from IC yet so... My current concern is more on Bristol vs UCL vs KCL.

DS seems to think UCL is the one. He likes their maths-heavy course, but I think it is also due to the location (London). He wasn't interested in any university outside London but attending Oxford's open day changed his views and eventually, he decided to put it on UCAS. I think he should visit Bristol also in case he changes his views again. I hear Chemistry there is well-regarded?

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ErrolTheDragon · 14/12/2024 23:34

I hear Chemistry there is well-regarded?

Yes, it's always had a good reputation. I'd probably rate them in pairs
Oxford/imperial
UCL/bristol

Then KCL - I'm not sure about it nowadays, the chemistry department used to be excellent but then bafflingly was closed for some years