Best universities to study Physics in the UK?

[Roger Dalton]

Hello everyone!

I'm studying Physics at college and next year I'll be doing a course abroad in the UK. After doing some research and considering my college's international agreements I have to decide between Durham University, Manchester University, and the Imperial College of London, but I don't have any references for the pros and cons of any of them.

Please, could you help me make an idea which one is better? Or which one offers the most interesting opportunities?

Thanks in advance!

 

[f95toli]

They are all good Russell group universities so which one is "best" very much depends on the specific field. Generally speaking, Imperial probably has the best reputation of the three for undergraduate physics but the differences are small.

Personally, I would worry more about WHERE you want to live/study? Imperial is in the middle of London which has pros (great of you like central London) and cons (expensive and you might need to spend a lot of time commuting). Manchester is a nice city and the university is also near the centre (my step-son is studying there), it is well liked by the students (my step-son picked Manchester over Imperial, albeit not for physics) and the university is doing well.
Durham University looks more like what most people imagine a British University should look like, but Durham is also a small town in northeast England which you may or may not like.

 

[PeroK]

Just to add to that, if you like the outdoors, then Manchester is near the only real mountains in England and Wales and some good rock climbing. But, bring a raincoat!

 

[pbuk]

Is this just a one year placement? What stage of your studies are you at?

The information above is all relevant if you are choosing between 3/4 year undergraduate degrees, but for a placement I think what's more important is how what they are offering fits in with your main course of study.

For what its worth I also know a number of people who have chosen Manchester over Imperial, although they all live in London so that was a big element in Manchester's favour due to the way accommodation loans work out (basically if your parents live in London and you study in London you can't afford not to live with your parents). Again this is not really relevant for you.

I don't know anything about Physics at Durham [Edit: the following statement may have been correct 30 years ago but it's not now! its not in the same league for the sciences as Imperial or even Manchester] - but it is a lovely city with the University at the heart of it. Manchester and even more so London are large metropolises where students, and studying, are less significant.

 

[f95toli]

I don't know anything about Physics at Durham - its not in the same league for the sciences as Imperial or even Manchester -

Again, it depends on the topic. Durham has some very strong research group (in e.g. AMO) . Even large universities have a few areas they specialise in so comparing them is actually very difficult. Durham does tend to do better than Manchester in most ranking tables in physics, but if you were e.g. comparing their research on graphene and 2D materials Manchester would obviously be much, much better.
None of this is likely to be very relevant to you as an undergraduate student

 

[Roger Dalton]

Thank you very much! Your answers are being really useful for me.

I'm now in my second year of undergraduate Physics in Spain, so if everything goes fine, I'll have my third year in the UK (I don't know if the whole year or only half). With study plans at first, there wouldn't be any problem.

Basically, my idea (as most of the students) is to study at a university that offers good preparation for Physics but also where students have the opportunity to be in contact with some research groups (perhaps) to be knowing the job of a physicist.

Imperial could be a great option, but I don't know if it could be too self-sacrificing because it appears as the third best university in the UK after Oxford and Cambridge, and I think I'm a good student (I have curiosity and I like the matter) but I'm not excellent or a genius.

@f95toli, why is Manchester well-liked by students?

In addition, I've seen in rankings that the University of Durham is one of the best in the UK for Physics, (The Guardian says it the best of these three and gives the Imperial the 33rd position, a bit weird). I like living in small towns as well. But @pbuk, what do you mean that in Manchester or London students and studying are less significant?

By the way, how could vary the cost of living from London or Manchester to Durham? How could be the price for a student's hall?

The raincoat, mandatory!

Regards.

 

[pbuk]

Again, it depends on the topic. Durham has some very strong research group (in e.g. AMO) . Even large universities have a few areas they specialise in so comparing them is actually very difficult. Durham does tend to do better than Manchester in most ranking tables in physics, but if you were e.g. comparing their research on graphene and 2D materials Manchester would obviously be much, much better.
None of this is likely to be very relevant to you as an undergraduate student

Thanks, my opinion on Durham was clearly out of date! I have corrected the post.

 

[pbuk]

But @pbuk, what do you mean that in Manchester or London students and studying are less significant?

I don't know how accurate these figures are (they came from various sources) but the overall sense is there:

Durham: population 65,000; students 19,000
Manchester: population 550,000 students 100,000 (including Salford, MMU and a couple of others)
London: population 9 million students 300,000

By the way, how could vary the cost of living from London or Manchester to Durham? How could be the price for a student's hall?

Imperial student halls are about £250 per week for an ensuite room on campus. There are rooms miles away off-campus and other options but most people in your year will live in shared flats in private accomodation; the halls are full of 1st years. Best way to find out more would be to contact the Imperial Spanish Society.

Manchester is cheaper, about £190 per week.

Still no idea about Durham :)

 

[f95toli]

@f95toli, why is Manchester well-liked by students?

I think it is hard to pin down. Part of it is that Manchester is a nice city, big enough to have "everything" but still small enough that you can walk places and most students can live reasonable close to where their lectures/labs are (the university building are scattered all over the city centre). Both the city and the university are growing quite rapidly and many of the buildings/facilities are therefore quite new.

In addition, I've seen in rankings that the University of Durham is one of the best in the UK for Physics, (The Guardian says it the best of these three and gives the Imperial the 33rd position, a bit weird).

Again, be very careful about rankings. Different rankings measure different things. University of Birmingham used to quite consistently get the best ranking in "student satisfaction" but it is obviously not nearly as famous as say Cambridge or Oxford.
How well a university does in rankings for research output is not very relevant if you are an undergraduate student(but might be important if you planning to do a PhD). Some universities in the UK (including Imperial) are quite heavily focused on research and sometimes that is at the expense of the undergraduate courses.

Basically, my idea (as most of the students) is to study at a university that offers good preparation for Physics but also where students have the opportunity to be in contact with some research groups (perhaps) to be knowing the job of a physicist.

You should check with the university, but typically this is very hard to do as an undergraduate student in the UK. Most undergraduate students in the UK do not get to spend much time in a research group until they start doing a MSc project. There are summer placements they are often heavily over-subscribed.
Chances are that there is a 3rd year project, but these are often quite short and are not always done in a research group.