Bristol or Birmingham for Maths and Computer Science with quant ambitions?

[mat150]

DC has applied for Maths and Computer Science. Can't decide between Bristol or University of Birmingham for Insurance. Both have the same offer of A*AA.

Likes them both. No preference as such of a city or a campus university. DC is a non contextual offer holder. Accomodation costs not an issue as aware that Bristol will be more expensive.

Essentially would like to go into 'Quant' after graduating, so wondering out of the two which would give him a better chanceto break into the field.
Anyone in a similar situation or have DCs studying maths and CS at either one with any feedback? Which would you choose and why?

Also, say one decided later on to do a separate post graduate masters say from Imperial or Oxford, would either one (Bristol or Birmingham) give you an advantage over the other for getting in?

Appreciate any suggestions/thoughts to help decide.

Thanks.

This is tinkering at the margins, OP. These are two excellent programmes and the quant jobs are extraordinarily competitive.

Bristol has better Maths and Birmingham has better CS. In both cases I would say that the reputational difference is greater than the difference in the CUG rankings. But each is really very good in the other field.

My guess is that Bristol is better connected to quant jobs, because by reputation their Econ graduates do well. OTOH an elite MSc programme such as Imperial or LSE or Oxford is a better qualification than either. To get there, DS mainly needs to excel and stand out from the crowd.

If your family can afford the MSc (in the event of the Insurance route) I think the question is, is DS’ greater strength in Maths or CS? I would choose the corresponding uni. I assume you are accurate that the degree programme is ‘and’, which is generally about 50-50; is that right?

Best wishes to DS.

I would treat the quant aim as a portfolio question as much as a university-name question. Between two strong courses, look at the exact maths depth, programming/project work, internship support, finance/data societies and whether he can build evidence outside the degree. For a later MSc, first-class marks, hard modules and strong technical projects will matter more than a small Bristol/Birmingham difference.

To add to what @TravisWritingCoach said, the reason I suggested DS go with his strength if an MSc is the aim is to maximise his chances for the strongest possible academic record.

Also, for an MSc he should do a Y3 project in his stronger subject, possibly with a focus towards the MSc specialisation though this is less important. The main thing is to stand out from the early part of the year as an excellent project student, taking initiative, showing originality, keeping to an ambitious timetable, and meeting his supervisor with reasonable though not excessive frequency.

This person will be well placed to write a meaningful letter of reference. When it is strong it can clinch an acceptance.

Agree with @TravisWritingCoach that meaningful involvement in relevant societies and of course internships can also be very helpful.

Hardly anyone had heard of quant a few years ago but thanks to TikTok videos proclaiming you can earn £500k a year or two out of uni and now it seems every other STEM student wants to be a quant.

'Quant' is a wide ranging field. Has your son researched which part of quant he's interested in? The three highest profile areas are trading, research and development and all are insanely competitive to get into even if you get into Oxbridge or Imperial which are the top feeders in the UK.

At this early age he might be better off keeping his options open as wide as possible whilst doing more research. Some of the quant firms run Insight Days for school students in yr 12 and 13, it might be good to see if he can get on one of those. DS is in Yr 12 and has an opportunity to attend one on a school trip next month.

You can also do searches quite easily on LinkedIn for people in quant roles and see what undergrad/post grad unis they attended.

Oh, that’s disappointing. I misread and wanted to know what the ‘quaint ambitions’ were.

Either are good universities, Birmingham has a different vibe as a city, and the accommodation situation is definitely better, not just a cost thing, it’s less stressful to get a place, more options, but I now live near Bristol and do like it (I’m a Birmingham grad). I suspect that Birmingham would be more flexible on grades if needed though just a suspicion

Quant firms have no interest in students with degrees in Economics, Finance or Business. It's all about Maths, CS, Physics or Engineering.

OP should look at the Bristol and Birmingham courses and see what their offerings are for statistics and probability which are vital for most quant roles.

One thing I learnt recently is that some quant firms are creating more hybrid roles so the distinction between a Quant Trader, Researcher and Developer are blurring a bit. Having top notch maths skills with CS will be a good combination.

One thing to look at is employment stats. Birmingham often comes very near the top of this and is very much a targeted university on what we used to call the 'milk round'. In increasingly blind recruitment, access to big employers at careers fairs etc may be worth more.

Both universities have fine offerings in P&S. Every Russell Group university does.

Bristol is stronger in Maths. However it is my impression that strong CS may be equally valuable for some quant jobs.

I am in maths-intensive STEM and we place graduates and new PhDs as well as the occasional postdoc in quant jobs. However it is my impression that strong Econometrics students with good CS are also desirable hires in certain areas.

This is a good point. Some universities will have sector specific careers fairs - Cambridge has one just for quants.

Also look for details of employer visits and relevant student societies - there might be something like an algorithmic trading society or tech/finance which organise events, networking, visits etc.

Bristol is highly targeted and probably has more London connected students. They have always been on the elite milk round and they are 7th for employability in the uk but it depends what dc actually want.

Here is the list .

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/graduate-employability-top-universities-uk-ranked-employers

Birmingham and Bristol both appear in the top 20 for UK employability. Bit of a global gap.

And this id the High Fliers report which looks at 'targeted universities:

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/1057082063/10/#zoom=true

Brum is second and Bristol sixth. I have no axe to grind here. Just sharing data. Looks good for both universities.

Bristol is 6th for top employers. Its n the report

Yes, as I wrote. I did edit it.

@Piggywaspushed I thought you wrote nowhere. Plus for some areas of employment it’s about where you want to work. There are quite big pay differences.