Which is best for Engineering Degree 3 A levels or 4?

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Ds def doing Maths,Further Maths and Physics. He’s toying with chemistry too. He’s bright and should get 8/9s in these subjects but a tad fly by the seat of his pants, leave it all until the last minute ie not a swot. Would it be better to focus on 3 to get more chance of As? Ie are 3 strong better than 4 weaker? He’s supposed to do a project if not doing a 4th. Any ideas of something that would help with Engineering applications?

The courses at Oxford and Cambridge are general engineering. There is quite a big difference between them and Imperial. Imperial for many employers is the gold standard. However it’s not vital to go there to do extremely well! It’s absolutely not necessary. There are very well regarded courses at, say, Sheffield and Southampton. If Imperial looks like one hell of a stretch and your bag isn’t London, it’s really no back number going somewhere else! Not every high earners or successful engineer has been to Oxbridge and Imperial.

The reason for this is that other attributes are needed to climb up the salary ladder. Other grads have this expertise and sometimes Imperial is just too academic. Therefore it really is best to choose a course that suits your personality and aspirations but being a boffin only gets you so far! It might not get you the highest salaries!

Yes. Sheffield is first class. Why wouldn’t any engineer be happy at Sheffield? Did DH pretty well! Back in the 70s!

So did my DH, and now he freelances for AMRC AKA Sheffield University

I am an A Level Psychology teacher and many schools and colleges now only allow students to do three A Levels as they are now linear. Doing an EPQ could be a good thing to pick up as an additional thing if it is offered?
As the course he is thinking of is likely to be competitive it's also massively important to make sure he gets experience beyond his academic subjects as this will really help set him apart from other applicants (think about what is it that makes him stand out from other uni applicants who are likely to have also got these A Level grades in similar subjects).

What about Brighton for engineering? Not mentioned in thread so far and thought a bit strange.

Also forgot to add..as I said most places don't allow students to do 4 A Levels anymore and with the course being linear most schools and colleges don't do the whole 'dropping subjects after a year' thing anymore. It's worth checking with the place your son is looking to attend to give you a clearer idea.
A levels are a massive step up and many students grades slip slightly from GCSEs because they are very demanding. It will take consistent revision throughout the two years and motivation really is key.

Ha! Sheffield grads always do well!

Automotive was always good at Warwick. Bristol for Aerospace but of course these universities are great for any engineering they offer.

There is a mistaken belief that employers only look at university attended. They don’t. They run their own tests. They look at how grads might fit into teams. They look at problem solving by giving design tests. Grads are asked to talk through their ideas. Have students actually worked? Do they understand client/company relationships? Can they design within budget? Much of this is not in the gift of any university. So the person and their cv matter!

When your students go into the world of work they will find it’s not like university. There are not neat solutions to problems. Thinking outside the box (I know! Ugh!) is imperative. Eventually engineers might need to cost work. Bid for work. Be the face of their company to pitch. There’s more to the job than they could ever imagine when they are students. That’s why it doesn’t have to be Oxbridge or Imperial.

Brighton is very mid div in the tables. Generally we have talked about top 20. However it’s important to realise that ex polys have a long history of engineering tuition and offer a year out in industry. This can be invaluable.

What about Bristol? I know someone who turned down Oxbridge for Bristol (personal reasons really) and ever wondered if that was a good career decision.

Haven't RTFT but DS has an offer from Bristol for MEng and he's doing 3, which dont include FM.

@Rockylady I also know someone who did that because he felt Bristol offered a more interesting course. He graduated last year and as far as I know hasn't regretted it at all.

THe best course for an individual pupil takes into account many things

• their personal interest v. the structure of the course
• whether they want to live in a large or small town
• whether they want a campus or city experience
• what extra curricular activities interest them

therefore blindly suggesting that certain universities are right for everybody is not useful

What about Brighton for engineering? Not mentioned in thread so far and thought a bit strange.

A quick look at the website suggests it might be a good choice for someone a bit less academic than the OPs DS sounds. That's the great thing about engineering - masses of choice for all sorts of interests and aptitudes.

@Rockylady

I can honestly say my partner could not give a toss which university any one has been to he looks at whether they are suitable for the job they are applying for and whether they are willing to go through the years of work that being a graduate engineer entails and whether they can get on with the people.

Dad has 5 offers from RG unis for Meng with a year in industry. All are AAA or AAB.

She is doing 4 A levels but none of her offers require a fourth and as long as her top 3 meet the offer she is fine. A couple of unis said that if she writes 4 and drops a grade in any other subject but maths they will still take her.

Unless you are targeting Oxbridge or Imperial the advice we were given is do 3

Sorry Dad should read Dd

Maldives2006: I think most employers of engineers are the same. That’s why I initially answered by saying how do you define a top university for engineering? The usual suspects believe it to be Oxbridge and Imperial but in the real world, ability to do the job isn’t confined to a narrow selection of universities.

Of course Bristol is fantastic. Brighton is mid div but suits people without the higher grades. I would caution that having lower grades and doing BEng does make it a slog to get Chartered but Incorporated might be good enough for some grads. In fact it is for lots of Engineers.

The OP worries about what universities are top and where there are good employment opportunities. The answer is truly everywhere!!! There are massive shortages of engineers. If a DC is likely to get AAA then most top 20 universities are in reach.

I would also add, being able to write coherently and accurately is also important. Conveying ideas and solutions in writing or aurally is a necessary skill for many but some very mathematical engineers will sit with a computer all day and never expect to speak to anyone!

bubbles
Oh sugar, do they expect engineers to be able to write now !!!

When I was at Uni it was the running joke that all graduate engineer jobs were done by multiple choice questions as those lads could not string a sentence together ;-)

Haha, at DS 6th form, the English department help aspiring engineers with their applications

My DD spent most of the Christmas holidays moaning about the literature review, report and ethics essay she was doing! Unfortunately there is a lot of writing involved in an engineering degree - not all having fun building things in the workshops/labs.

My son is in the same situation he is now taking the 4 subjects for AS and will drop Chemistry after the first year. So should end up with A level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and AS Chemistry.

I emailed Cambridge University admissions for advice on A level courses for engineering. They were really friendly and helpful. I would recommend doing that if you are still unsure.

In Hampshire they no longer offer AS levels

How can kids from here compete on Ucas points that way?! Strange to have such regional differences...

The higher ranked unis don't use points afaik. And the admissions staff do undoubtedly realise that most kids aren't given the option of AS now.

You just need the standard 3 A levels. That will give the points total which is now often quoted. You cannot up the total by AS these days as the universities want the points in A level results. No university asks for AS points in an offer. They want A levels.

AS are worth nothing now
Points are good for bragging in league tables

Admissions are based on A Level grades for all decent engineering degrees
and nothing else