He said companies will look at the university you went to, to see if that university turned out good students in the subject you chose !!! So it sounds like the companies know best and so if you know where you want to work ask the company which uni you should go to. Sorted !
Another source you can always look at is a website called UniStats! They gather Surveys from graduates and ask about the quality of the course in many different aspects! It’s well worth a look at to help with the process! ^^
In the UK, for degrees like physics and engineering, the top half or 1/3 of universities basically are teaching you very similar stuff with very similar qualities. The reason is that they have accreditation by professional bodies which set out the basic curriculum. Whether the universities get Gold or Silver or even Bronze in TEF doesn't tell you a lot because there are departments variations, and variations from lecturers to lecturers. I would say you just can just consider two factors, reputation and environment. You want peers who are hard working and enthusiastic, you want lecturers who are stimulating in teaching and active in research too, you worry about the quality of facilities, accommodation, the type of area the university is situated in, and the living costs. All of these are covered by reputation and environment. If you are aiming for universities ranking about 5 to 25 in your subject, they all are pretty similar in reputation too. Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton, Leeds... very little to distinguish them in terms of reputation. So, in the end you can just look at the environment. Look at the campus and the city. This is just my suggestion.
This video mainly addresses students in UK. Those things are harder to do as an international students. For example, I have to fly to the UK to attend to open day.
top 10 unis are about the same, they will all be good, you have to look at things like social life and resources like swimming pools, gyms, cafe and drinking policies!!! unis are not just about academic learning but about social maturity: girlfriends, foreign friends and all that
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!! I think all students can agree how much things like this really do help. I really wish there were more like it!
I think I said this on one of the other videos of this type, but I'll say it again: This is an enormously helpful service you folks are doing for your viewers. It adds a LOT of value to this channel. Please keep this up. I'd like to note that this doesn't even help me in any way. I'm an Engineering student in the US. I wish I had this kind of advice about 13 years ago (when I was 17), and I'm VERY happy to see that it's available to students in the UK.
One trick for average graders is to apply at a good uni for an HND. Enough people drop out of degree courses in the first few weeks you can transfer up to a degree. I did... at Nottingham, and got a 2:1.
Definitely: one of the pieces of advice I often give is to take every opportunity to talk to current students in your subject on open days: not only do they actually know what it is like to be a student on the course, but they also do not have the agenda that any member of staff has, that their job depends on convincing you how good they are!
The UK university rankings like the Guardian ranking etc might as well have been drawn out of a hat. The international rankings however, such as the QS world rankings are pretty much on point.
i agree although thecompleteuniversityguide is a much better table than the guardian, plus QS places a lot of emphasis on research which a lot of students i know aren’t that bothered about.
Interesting to see how it works in a other country. In Switzerland you just go to your university of choice and register. All you need is a Highschool diploma (Matura). I guess I had it easy. Still no idea what i want as a job but I still have 2 more semester to go to my BA.
I absolutely agree, I am a physics student at Hasselt University (BE) and also a member of our council and I take every chance I have to come in contact with interested youngsters. I've been present on the open days, just because I believe I can give complementary info about the discipline. I hope to be able to complete the picture they have of our university by telling them how I experience things from the inside and to tell them that professors do care about their students.
Would love a video for mature students, or people who aren't applying straight from school. That's been my position this year, and a lot of advice out there hasn't been relevant
The other thing to consider is whether there are similar courses which may be of more interest. Engineering vs physics? With a language? With a work placement? There's lots of variety available.
Most universities will interview students for most subjects, if you can show that you have actually learned what you've said you have learnt then there is no reason that should count against you. The ucas website has a list of international qualifications along with their ucas points (points that used to compare qualifications in the UK) if the qualifications you have are comparable to Alevels you shouldn't have much trouble applying in the UK.
Thank you very much for this video, very helpful as someone aspiring for Physics at either Oxford, Imperial or Nottingham and as someone about to go into A2 levels. Thanks :)
I don't know exactly how it works internationally, but i'm a grade 12 student from Canada, and application for universities were done a few months ago, and by now pretty much every course accepted it's students and most students already have registered to their classes and got next year's schedule all worked out. It's a great video but I wish it had been uploaded earlier. I was faced with the problem of choosing between two Universities (both in same town) which both said they were the best.
I can't speak for other institutions, some of whom definitely take such things into consideration, but our view is that applicants should be assessed on what they ultimately achieved, and not penalized for earlier attempts, so we only look at the final results, not whether they were retaken.
I've just finish my as level exams and I'm starting to think more about courses and universities I don't want to pinpoint exactly what I'd lime to do but I have a good idea and will probably be applying or at least starting a UCAS in 4 months time. I'm sure this video will Come in handy for me and many others so thank you for uploading this.
I'm sad to have had to reject my place for Physics at Nottingham, as meeting all of these people whom I've come to know and love through Brady's videos would have been extremely enjoyable.
Doing a degree in physics shows that you are numerate and can problem solve, those 2 skills make you a very good applicant to jobs in finance, engineering and software engineering/programming (Although there will be other field-specific skills needed obviously).
You could rephrase that "What's the second or third best place?" question to sound more flattering. Something like: "What other places would you recommend if I don't get the chance to study here?"
It's better to do something you're interested in but not very good at than something you're good at but not interested in. What makes you think you won't be good enough anyway?
If you have specific questions, every department usually also has students representing it (in german it's called "Fachschaft") who can give you very in depth answers to questions like how are theory and experiments weighted, how many math courses do undergraduates have to go to, are the professors strict or more lax...
That depends. Being a professor is a 2-person job: you do the professor stuff, and your significant other runs the rest of your life. As for becoming a professor in physics, you need to do 3 postdocs (2-year jobs) on 3 different continents after your PhD. That means that any relationship you might have before you're 35 is going to last for 2 years max. That sucks. This does not even guarantee tenure.
I'm interested in physics, but I'm afraid that if I finish the course, and I'm not good enough to be a physicist then my degree is useless. I don't see a lot of practical uses for physics. I don't want to just take another course after physics
If you're interested, it's much easier to develop the skill you want. Also, you may very well have set higher standards for yourself in physics because of this.
Thank you! I've watched the video a couple of times now. I had to re-watch because my mind did explode a bit or at least melted a little. But that is really interesting and I'm happy I know this now! Thank you so much! :)
Dr. Merrifield, Think we could see some videos on different areas of research in physics (condensed matter, high energy, medical, nuclear, theoretical/experimental general relativity, etc.)? I try looking up information but most the time it's fluffed up, I would love to see more of the gritty day to day side of different research areas. Warm Regards.
I wouldn't suggest trying to tell my wife that, as she has a serious career of her own! But the basic point is a sound one: following an academic career often (but not always) involves a number of moves, and presents the risk of reaching a dead end with no permanent position.
Really almost year since I posted the comment I now get a replie. I was not compatible with there style of teaching, I did not learn anything useful, I hated every day I was there, most of the in class helpers were not helpful but some were, I can go on. I have leaned more in the last 2 years of learning outside of education than the last 5 years of being in education.
I am sorry for what had happened to you. What was their style of teaching like tho ? I have to submit my application next year and I am still have no ideas of where to apply.
From the perspective of the State, where i live, I think local state is the most important for cost, as you get discount for being instate as you pay taxes to state universities; the next would be what you are going for. Personally, I believe if you dont have a Major picked, don't go as it could be a waste of time and money when you do decide. The first University i attended had a Math program with 1 Professor/teacher/mentor, after 2 years i realized that was not something i wanted for my Major, so i transferred to a Large University with a very large Math program which now helps with opportunities to tutor.
Hi, I am not from the UK but I am giving a serious thought about studying in Nottingham, do you mind explaining what you mean by "HND" and "transfer up a degree" ? Thanks.
Basically a list of the universities, ranked by one or more criteria. So here, you tend to get places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College consistently at or near the top since they are, supposedly, the 'best' (whatever that actually mean)
For more questions should I write an e-mail to professor's address or should I send it to you and you'll eventually send it to professor? Or could you make a video with him or someone else about studying abroad or foreign students in UK?
Hi, I am planning to take up physics too. I know physics is a vast subject, so I am quite clueless about which area of physics I might be interested in. Can you tell me a little about which part of physics interests you, and why? Thanks.
12000Km for a university and I can't legally go back, I don't think "is it close to home?" Is such a big deal on the longer run. Just my opinion though. Great video btw.
im a pre-IGCSE international student. recently i found out that im interested in chemistry. i gave it a bit of thinking and decided on chemical engineering, if any of you guys are already studying it or finished, can you please tell me what subjects should i take besides chemistry of course. will i need physics? will i require alot of math knowledge?
+Dana Mohanad maybe a bit late, you cant do without maths-physics would help(preferred by Uni's) but would also give you very tough a levels/equivalent. do maths/chem/phy if you know you can work hard enough to do well in all 3.
I'm 21 and i have an equivalent of a highschool diploma. I'm from an ex-USSR country, so things are a bit different over here. Self-education doesn't count, i guess. Now i need to google up some info and start to save money for the next year :)
That sounds really nice and fair. In my country only your papers count, no additional interviews. And educational system is so bad that you basically need to pay for your session exams, you don't even need to study anything. You are basically buying a degree and wasting 5 years of your life. That's why i didn't go to the university after school. I'm not OK with that type of stuff, even if that means i won't get a decent job.
Well this would have been useful last year. But now I've applied and been accepted. Just have to wait for school to start up. But I've got Brady and other RUclipsrs to fill up my summer with SCIENCE!!
***** I'm only 18, but my advice to you would be what my band director gave to me. "Find something that you love, something you've loved to do or would love to do, and pursue it." Especially considering you"re 35, you really don't have anything to lose. If you hate Software Development, find something you love to do. When you're 60 you don't want to have any regrets do you?
Sorry for my grammar its 3 o' clock at morning and I am relaxing from my 2 months preparation for master finals. (Yup we have not only the defense of thesis, we have the state final exams from everything in every detail what we learned or talked about in master degree)
Do you want to have a great memories about your 18-27 years? Then chose some easy university. Do you want to get the best education even if it means that you will loose everything else what was and is important in your life? Then chose some hard university. Its really the matter of "what you want to do with your life". But what do I know about the class of US universities.
He said companies will look at the university you went to, to see if that university turned out good students in the subject you chose !!! So it sounds like the companies know best and so if you know where you want to work ask the company which uni you should go to. Sorted !
Another source you can always look at is a website called UniStats!
They gather Surveys from graduates and ask about the quality of the course in many different aspects!
It’s well worth a look at to help with the process! ^^
In the UK, for degrees like physics and engineering, the top half or 1/3 of universities basically are teaching you very similar stuff with very similar qualities. The reason is that they have accreditation by professional bodies which set out the basic curriculum. Whether the universities get Gold or Silver or even Bronze in TEF doesn't tell you a lot because there are departments variations, and variations from lecturers to lecturers. I would say you just can just consider two factors, reputation and environment. You want peers who are hard working and enthusiastic, you want lecturers who are stimulating in teaching and active in research too, you worry about the quality of facilities, accommodation, the type of area the university is situated in, and the living costs. All of these are covered by reputation and environment. If you are aiming for universities ranking about 5 to 25 in your subject, they all are pretty similar in reputation too. Birmingham, Nottingham, Southampton, Leeds... very little to distinguish them in terms of reputation. So, in the end you can just look at the environment. Look at the campus and the city. This is just my suggestion.
This video mainly addresses students in UK. Those things are harder to do as an international students. For example, I have to fly to the UK to attend to open day.
this guy is awesome. thank you for this video!.
top 10 unis are about the same, they will all be good, you have to look at things like social life and resources like swimming pools, gyms, cafe and drinking policies!!! unis are not just about academic learning but about social maturity: girlfriends, foreign friends and all that
I don't think I've got the information I wanted...
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO!! I think all students can agree how much things like this really do help. I really wish there were more like it!
I think I said this on one of the other videos of this type, but I'll say it again:
This is an enormously helpful service you folks are doing for your viewers. It adds a LOT of value to this channel. Please keep this up.
I'd like to note that this doesn't even help me in any way. I'm an Engineering student in the US. I wish I had this kind of advice about 13 years ago (when I was 17), and I'm VERY happy to see that it's available to students in the UK.
One trick for average graders is to apply at a good uni for an HND. Enough people drop out of degree courses in the first few weeks you can transfer up to a degree. I did... at Nottingham, and got a 2:1.
Definitely: one of the pieces of advice I often give is to take every opportunity to talk to current students in your subject on open days: not only do they actually know what it is like to be a student on the course, but they also do not have the agenda that any member of staff has, that their job depends on convincing you how good they are!
"The Atlas of Creation" book is interesting to see on his shelf.
The UK university rankings like the Guardian ranking etc might as well have been drawn out of a hat. The international rankings however, such as the QS world rankings are pretty much on point.
i agree although thecompleteuniversityguide is a much better table than the guardian, plus QS places a lot of emphasis on research which a lot of students i know aren’t that bothered about.
no the other videos deal with different aspects of the process
I left university a few years ago. Good video but I wish it had been uploaded 9 years sooner... wait...
Gotta love the thumbnail. Nice pout PROF!
Interesting to see how it works in a other country.
In Switzerland you just go to your university of choice and register. All you need is a Highschool diploma (Matura).
I guess I had it easy. Still no idea what i want as a job but I still have 2 more semester to go to my BA.
I absolutely agree, I am a physics student at Hasselt University (BE) and also a member of our council and I take every chance I have to come in contact with interested youngsters. I've been present on the open days, just because I believe I can give complementary info about the discipline. I hope to be able to complete the picture they have of our university by telling them how I experience things from the inside and to tell them that professors do care about their students.
Would love a video for mature students, or people who aren't applying straight from school. That's been my position this year, and a lot of advice out there hasn't been relevant
Thank you very much Brady, and Dr.Merrifield, for this lovely video with invaluable information and priceless insight.
The other thing to consider is whether there are similar courses which may be of more interest. Engineering vs physics? With a language? With a work placement?
There's lots of variety available.
Most universities will interview students for most subjects, if you can show that you have actually learned what you've said you have learnt then there is no reason that should count against you. The ucas website has a list of international qualifications along with their ucas points (points that used to compare qualifications in the UK) if the qualifications you have are comparable to Alevels you shouldn't have much trouble applying in the UK.
Thank you very much for this video, very helpful as someone aspiring for Physics at either Oxford, Imperial or Nottingham and as someone about to go into A2 levels.
Thanks :)
I don't know exactly how it works internationally, but i'm a grade 12 student from Canada, and application for universities were done a few months ago, and by now pretty much every course accepted it's students and most students already have registered to their classes and got next year's schedule all worked out. It's a great video but I wish it had been uploaded earlier. I was faced with the problem of choosing between two Universities (both in same town) which both said they were the best.
I can't speak for other institutions, some of whom definitely take such things into consideration, but our view is that applicants should be assessed on what they ultimately achieved, and not penalized for earlier attempts, so we only look at the final results, not whether they were retaken.
I like this advice to take a step towards maturation.
yes. it generally recommended you find out what the academic tutors think of your qualifications and then you apply through UCAS.
Great advice. This guy really cares
just visited the university of Nottingham today, great uni, definitely will be applying and thanks for the advice!
I've just finish my as level exams and I'm starting to think more about courses and universities I don't want to pinpoint exactly what I'd lime to do but I have a good idea and will probably be applying or at least starting a UCAS in 4 months time. I'm sure this video will Come in handy for me and many others so thank you for uploading this.
I'm sad to have had to reject my place for Physics at Nottingham, as meeting all of these people whom I've come to know and love through Brady's videos would have been extremely enjoyable.
why did you reject it?
Doing a degree in physics shows that you are numerate and can problem solve, those 2 skills make you a very good applicant to jobs in finance, engineering and software engineering/programming (Although there will be other field-specific skills needed obviously).
You could rephrase that "What's the second or third best place?" question to sound more flattering. Something like: "What other places would you recommend if I don't get the chance to study here?"
It's better to do something you're interested in but not very good at than something you're good at but not interested in.
What makes you think you won't be good enough anyway?
I'd argue that asking the students who study there is a very good way to get some info as well
If you have specific questions, every department usually also has students representing it (in german it's called "Fachschaft") who can give you very in depth answers to questions like how are theory and experiments weighted, how many math courses do undergraduates have to go to, are the professors strict or more lax...
As someone from Sweden, I just: don't students just apply for all universities at one place (i.e. one application)?
Loffy Yes through the UCAS system.
+Loffy you can only apply to 5 per year. (4 if applying for medicine)
I'm 21 and about to start my 4th year studying for a masters of physics and I still don't know what I want to do career wise :P
That depends. Being a professor is a 2-person job: you do the professor stuff, and your significant other runs the rest of your life. As for becoming a professor in physics, you need to do 3 postdocs (2-year jobs) on 3 different continents after your PhD. That means that any relationship you might have before you're 35 is going to last for 2 years max. That sucks. This does not even guarantee tenure.
I just chose the one that was nearest to me.
Same XD
Same but it turns out to be the worst to go in 😔
Good for you (both)! Thank you for clarifying that I was generalizing. I was not clear about that.
I think I looked at the guardian league table top 20 for engineering and used that as a shortlist
I'm interested in physics, but I'm afraid that if I finish the course, and I'm not good enough to be a physicist then my degree is useless. I don't see a lot of practical uses for physics. I don't want to just take another course after physics
If you're interested, it's much easier to develop the skill you want. Also, you may very well have set higher standards for yourself in physics because of this.
Looking forward to joining the university of nottingham this year (grades permitting)
Wish i'd knew this when I applied. Even not being from the UK.
Crap, i stumbled around like 5 years before going into IT.
These videos are really helpful, Brady. Keep them coming please!
I`m 17 and don`t know yet what job I`ll have,but having the job of Mike Merrifield would certainly be great wouldn`t it?
I'm 17 now, and how I wish I could make it into a university. :/
Thank you! I've watched the video a couple of times now. I had to re-watch because my mind did explode a bit or at least melted a little. But that is really interesting and I'm happy I know this now! Thank you so much! :)
Depends on what degree it is.
I doubt that the number of chemical engineering degree holders will increase anytime soon.
Too bad this video only has 62,00 views. More students should pay attention to things like this.
Dr. Merrifield,
Think we could see some videos on different areas of research in physics (condensed matter, high energy, medical, nuclear, theoretical/experimental general relativity, etc.)? I try looking up information but most the time it's fluffed up, I would love to see more of the gritty day to day side of different research areas.
Warm Regards.
Very useful advice,but it's a pity there aren't many students out there that have such a broad range of possibilities to choose from.
There isn't really one subject I prefer over an other. But I do prefer theoretical physics over experimental.
I wouldn't suggest trying to tell my wife that, as she has a serious career of her own! But the basic point is a sound one: following an academic career often (but not always) involves a number of moves, and presents the risk of reaching a dead end with no permanent position.
Perfect time for me
How would you even word that question tho? What's stopping the staff from just talking about their own university?
I chose the wrong university.
Am a university drop out.
Why it was a wrong uni to you?
Really almost year since I posted the comment I now get a replie.
I was not compatible with there style of teaching, I did not learn anything useful, I hated every day I was there, most of the in class helpers were not helpful but some were, I can go on. I have leaned more in the last 2 years of learning outside of education than the last 5 years of being in education.
I am sorry for what had happened to you. What was their style of teaching like tho ? I have to submit my application next year and I am still have no ideas of where to apply.
CaptainJS101 Aberdeen?
well, i didn't have much problem during my time, because from where i am, there were only 2 universities to apply for.... :)
From the perspective of the State, where i live, I think local state is the most important for cost, as you get discount for being instate as you pay taxes to state universities; the next would be what you are going for. Personally, I believe if you dont have a Major picked, don't go as it could be a waste of time and money when you do decide.
The first University i attended had a Math program with 1 Professor/teacher/mentor, after 2 years i realized that was not something i wanted for my Major, so i transferred to a Large University with a very large Math program which now helps with opportunities to tutor.
What's the best way to decide what university to go to if I want to study in the UK, but am currently living abroad?
What would it take you to at least apply at the University of Nottingham,if you are practically a foreigner?Does that possibility even exist?
If I get a AAA-AAB but did some AS levels again in my second year, would that affect my application much?
Have you taken the English Literature and film course, how has it turned out?
Hi, I am not from the UK but I am giving a serious thought about studying in Nottingham, do you mind explaining what you mean by "HND" and "transfer up a degree" ? Thanks.
What is a league table? We don't have this term on the west coast of North America.
Basically a list of the universities, ranked by one or more criteria. So here, you tend to get places like Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College consistently at or near the top since they are, supposedly, the 'best' (whatever that actually mean)
It also varies per course. I do computer science at one of the 'top 5' unis but its overall ranking is pretty low.
We have university/college rankings. There's a ton of services/newspapers that make them in the US and Canada. If that's where you are.
Could you ask the lady that does the bumble bee research to talk about what degree she did please ?
For more questions should I write an e-mail to professor's address or should I send it to you and you'll eventually send it to professor? Or could you make a video with him or someone else about studying abroad or foreign students in UK?
Hi, I am planning to take up physics too. I know physics is a vast subject, so I am quite clueless about which area of physics I might be interested in. Can you tell me a little about which part of physics interests you, and why? Thanks.
12000Km for a university and I can't legally go back, I don't think "is it close to home?" Is such a big deal on the longer run. Just my opinion though. Great video btw.
im a pre-IGCSE international student. recently i found out that im interested in chemistry. i gave it a bit of thinking and decided on chemical engineering, if any of you guys are already studying it or finished, can you please tell me what subjects should i take besides chemistry of course. will i need physics? will i require alot of math knowledge?
+Dana Mohanad Maths and physics.
+Dana Mohanad maybe a bit late, you cant do without maths-physics would help(preferred by Uni's) but would also give you very tough a levels/equivalent. do maths/chem/phy if you know you can work hard enough to do well in all 3.
omg yas I'm a pre igcsr student and love chemistry. How did u do? have you got any advice for me?
for a levels chemistry and maths you don't need physics
Dana Mohanad do maths chemistry and physics....the word engineering requires an in-depth knowledge of physics
I'm 21 and i have an equivalent of a highschool diploma. I'm from an ex-USSR country, so things are a bit different over here.
Self-education doesn't count, i guess.
Now i need to google up some info and start to save money for the next year :)
Is it possible to do a series of these for American audiences?
I wish this video was posted last year when I was applying :P
If I would like to be analytically chemist should I study at Nottingham university?
Are citizens of other countries allowed to apply to university in UK?
At university, you don't study one specific area over the course do you? I would assume you studied a broad range of topics.
Very good video qlthough i think its a reupload?
That sounds really nice and fair.
In my country only your papers count, no additional interviews. And educational system is so bad that you basically need to pay for your session exams, you don't even need to study anything. You are basically buying a degree and wasting 5 years of your life. That's why i didn't go to the university after school. I'm not OK with that type of stuff, even if that means i won't get a decent job.
this guy speaks so much truth they should of considered blurring his face
You sir deserve some accolades
how about asking university students?
Hey, Brady what about Grad Schools?
I'll do some further research,but thanks anyway. :)
What's the multiverse?
multiversity
My interview at a university was very misleading, which has lead to two very unhappy years. Don't just go to uni for the sake of it!
If you are reading this - you should study physics! Yes. That's right. Physics.
SAME
This advice works here too
University!!!!
3:55 Oh, UK, you are funny. I bet british also enjoying queues.
Well this would have been useful last year. But now I've applied and been accepted. Just have to wait for school to start up. But I've got Brady and other RUclipsrs to fill up my summer with SCIENCE!!
As a 17 year old, thank you!
@Tahir lol, I'm 17 now and your 19 and he is 26. I'm going through what u went through 2 years ago.
***** Is there a specific reason you don't want to be in software development?
*****
I'm only 18, but my advice to you would be what my band director gave to me. "Find something that you love, something you've loved to do or would love to do, and pursue it." Especially considering you"re 35, you really don't have anything to lose. If you hate Software Development, find something you love to do. When you're 60 you don't want to have any regrets do you?
its ok jamil
Sorry for my grammar its 3 o' clock at morning and I am relaxing from my 2 months preparation for master finals. (Yup we have not only the defense of thesis, we have the state final exams from everything in every detail what we learned or talked about in master degree)
Do you want to have a great memories about your 18-27 years? Then chose some easy university.
Do you want to get the best education even if it means that you will loose everything else what was and is important in your life? Then chose some hard university.
Its really the matter of "what you want to do with your life".
But what do I know about the class of US universities.
It doesn't, but you have to remember this is reality.
I'm pretty sure it was, they just re-posted it.
Notting Ham universirty, here i come
knotted ham