Why did I choose Imperial College? [Back to Top]
To make the extra year at St. Bede's School worthwile I had to apply to an excellent university. As you might have guessed I applied to Cambridge and Imperial College. They came joint second when the "Stern" did a ranking of European Universities in 1998 or 1999. Also I did like the course and what they promised to teach us and facilities seemed pretty good. Another attraction was obviously to be living in London.
What you need to know about the systems? [Back to Top]
Theoretically anyone allowed to study in any European country should
be allowed to study in the other ones. Of course it does not always work
that nicely. All you can do is try and it's getting easier every year.
Especially British universities have loads of experience with foreign
students as they are obviously popular due to English.
There are two levels of degree in the UK: the bachelor and the master
(both of which are increasingly offered at German universities as well).
Both are complete degrees and on the level of Folkshochschule and university
respectively. The masters is generally fully recognized in all European
countries, at least as far as I know. Also, as the employment market is
very international these days anyway, I don't expect employers to be to
fussed, where your degree is from. Since quite recently PhD-titles entitle
you to call yourself a doctor in Germany without having to get it approved.
How to choose a British university? [Back to Top]
Again there are books available in Germany (which I personally did not
use as I was in England at the time). As far as I know there is a book
called "Which University" from the same series mentioned in
the St. Bede's Section.
As UK universities select their students, the second thing you will need,
is some book or document, maybe best obtained via UCAS (see below), listing
the grades required by each university for a certain course.
A good indication of these requirements and the quality of the university
can be obtained from the famous "University League Table" published
annually by "The Times". Please be aware that the workload of
the high ranking universities will be significantly higher throughout
your course.
Once you have identified some universities, fitting your grades and offering
your course, you can request a prospectus, normally via their websites.
You will have to reduce your selection to 6 courses maximum. You may select
2 or more courses at the same university.
How to apply to a British university? [Back to Top]
Every applicant has to use the Undergraduate
College Administration Service (UCAS), an institution similar to for
example the German "Zentrale Vergabe Stelle". Normally you apply
by October of the year before you want to start your course. Also note
that you can apply one year in advance ("deferred entry"), if
you are planning to have a "Gap Year", i.e. go traveling, Bundeswehr
or work for a year. Applying then can increase your chances to get the
place you want. There is also a second chance called "clearing"
in the summer holidays used by the universities to fill places they have
not yet assigned and for students to apply for these if none of their
6 choices accepted them.
After applying in October quite a few universities will want to interview
you. You will then hear about their decision around May. The university
will normally give you, what they call "Conditional Offer",
i.e. you will be admitted given you achieve certain grades. Of all the
positive replies you receive you will have to choose two. If you decide
not to take any of them you are not allowed to apply again for that year.
If you achieve the marks they have to take you, if you don't, they may
lower their offer or refuse you.
Congratulations! From now on it is all very straight forward. The university will send you all the necessary documents like forms for the university halls of residents (all British universities guarantee the first year in halls). You will also receive the forms from the local authorities (LEA). As you might be aware British universities charge tuition fees. These are £1075 per year (in 2002) for home students and between £8000 and £15000 per year for international ones. Now for EU nationals these forms are very important as you will be classed as overseas if you do not complete these forms. And I am sure you know better things to do with your money. Also if your parents are of low income you can get a grand paying your tuition fees partly or totally. Please refer to the Department for Education and Skills for further information.
While you are there... [Back to Top]
Living costs:
Additional to the aforementioned tuition fees you will have to expect
for accommodation, food and going out. Keep in mind that life in the UK
is expensive, due to the strong pound and high living costs. According
to the "Bundesamt fuer Statistik" €1 had the buying power of
about €0.72 in 2001.
Costs vary a lot depending where you live. In London you will need about
£400/month for rent (Imperial College halls are £85/week for a single
room) and between £300 and £500 monthly for everything else.
If you live outside London, according to what I hear from friends, your
rent is between £40 and £60 per week and your pocket money can be reduced
to £200 to £400 monthly without running into too much trouble.
Do not forget to account for your travel costs. In my experience the average
ticket will set you back about £100 return.
One thing I will never understand, is the policy on Loans, the British
equivalent to "BAFOEG". As you will not be studying in Germany
you will not be entitled to "BAFOEG". You are only eligible
to a loan if you have been living in the UK for longer than 3 years, and
not for the sole purpose of education, i.e. you have to prove employment
throughout that time or have to be living with your family in the UK.
Wouldn't the best way to get Europe to grow together and the people understanding
each other be to get students to mix? It would only take one law by the
European Court to make either the home country or the guest country support
the student, wouldn't it?
Academic life:
Well not too much to say here... No matter which uni you choose, you will
have to do some work. This varies quite a bit though. Here at Imperial
College we are officially expected to work about 40 to 50 hours a week.
If you consider that I had 30 hours of lectures a week for the first 2
years, I doubt this was enough, as I should have done some work on a daily
basis and only take off a whole weekend off twice or 3 times a term.
Some friends of mine in Brighton (a university of very good reputation
as well) on the other hand would be doing some work outside college 2
or three days a week.
But don't worry now, you will find enough time to enjoy yourself. Prepare
yourself for going through hell during the revision period though.
Social life:
I am sure wherever you go you will always have a great time. All unis
have loads of activity groups, where you can follow up pretty much any
interests. Halls have committees, which you can get involved in and which
organize cheap trips to France, Paintballing or Paragliding. And there
will be loads to do with your new friends within college, for example
the union, the other student bars or in many cases even a cinema.
What can I say, I am not done yet. But to date I have immensely enjoyed myself, both socially and the academic challenge of being at one of the best universities. I am hoping to do a PhD and also for a slight advantage when looking for employment. This will definitely exist her in the UK and is likely to be found elsewhere too. I would do it again!
My work: Some of my papers: [Back to Top]
Below you will find some of the reports I have written over the last 3 years. I would like to point out that this is not for fellow students to copy. Some of them did not get me very good marks anyway.
Most of these files are pdf.
- To download, right click on the links and select Save As....
- To view, get Adobe Acrobat Reader for free here.
This site has become a bit of a "Downloadside" for Imperial College Students. As copying is quite unfair towards people actually doing the work themselves, I decided to take most of the documents of the web. If you are not at this college and interested, drop me an email and I will send you a few examples.
Sorry guys! :)
Tim
University related links [Back to Top]
- Imperial College
- Electrical Engineering
- Intelligent and Interactive Systems
- LEO - online English - German dictionary
- E-Fellows.net, a very useful site giving scholarships to good students
- Talentladder, a site claiming to help you find all kind of jobs. Worth a try...
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©2002. Last updated: August 2002