Masters in UK or Masters abroad?

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The discussion centers on the decision between upgrading to an MSci at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) or pursuing a Master's degree at a more prestigious institution in the UK or the US. The individual is currently a first-year Physics undergraduate and will be studying abroad at UCLA, which may influence their future academic choices. Key points include the importance of aligning educational paths with career goals, particularly in fields like astrophysics or the space industry. The consensus suggests that while university prestige can play a role, achieving excellent grades is more critical for graduate school applications. The opportunity to study abroad is highly valued, with the belief that it enhances one's resume and should be prioritized over other considerations.
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Hello everyone, I'm in quite a predicament. Currently I'm a first year Physics Bsc(Honours) Undergrad at Queen Mary University Of London. I'll be going to UCLA next year for a study abroad exchange programme and hope this will help me decide my plans but here's my question:

Is it best to upgrade to an Msci at QMUL or do Msc/Masters either at a better university in the UK (UCL, Imperial, Oxford) or in the US (I.e UCLA, MIT, etc)?

help would be much appreciated.
 
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I'm sorry you are not generating any responses at the moment. Is there any additional information you can share with us? Any new findings?
 
Well, IMO it depends on what you want to do/work on-this will lead you to where you want to go. It doesn't go otherwise...
The university won't change itself to fit your own tastes or talents- your talents/tastes are supposed to lead you at the appropriate university and master program. For example you want to work on the A field- you should look for a university that's working intensively on that field and/or has the appropriate professors with whom you can cooperate/work.
So the question as stated, can't really accept an answer (lacks information as Greg pointed out).
 
Well I primarily would like to seek a career in astrophysics or in the space industry; hence the reason I would like to study abroad in the US. I also like the idea of becoming a full time international student (I know it also looks good of your resume/CV) and I was wondering how much importance Grad schools place on your previous universities reputation as oppose to the grades you achieve there.
 
Your grades and ability to work hard are more important. The prestige of Universities is only relevant if you really go to such a great University such as MIPT, Heidelberg, Leiden etc.

An excellent grade from a standard state university is more desirable, than a mediocre grade from a prestigious university. Of course, getting an excellent grade from a top university like MIPT will probably triumph over other applications in most cases.
 
I think the opportunity to study abroad is something you should never pass up. I would put all other considerations behind that. I could be wrong.
 
Bit Britain-specific but I was wondering, what's the best path to take for A-Levels out of the following (I know Y10 seems a bit early to be thinking about A-levels, but my choice will impact what I do this year/ in y11) I (almost) definitely want to do physics at University - so keep that in mind... The subjects that I'm almost definitely going to take are Maths, Further Maths and Physics, and I'm taking a fast track programme which means that I'll be taking AS computer science at the end...
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...

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