Aston vs Surrey for Electrical Engineering, genuinely stuck
I’m really stuck between Aston and Surrey for Electrical and Electronic Engineering and I’d really appreciate some honest opinions, especially from current or former students.
I have offers from both and I genuinely can’t decide.
From what I can tell, Surrey has the better overall reputation, especially for engineering, which is obviously a big factor for me. But Aston has the advantage of being in Birmingham and I think I’d probably enjoy the city experience more. I’m from London and I like being around lots of people and having things to do, so I’m wondering if I’d actually prefer the overall experience at Aston.
Aston also seems to have a really strong focus on placements and careers. I’ve seen people mention opportunities with companies like Rolls Royce, Red Bull Racing and Samsung, and I’m wondering how much of that is genuinely an advantage of going to Aston. Could I realistically get similar opportunities through Surrey, or is Aston actually better for this?
I’m also interested in studying abroad, placements/year in industry and how much support you actually get when looking for these opportunities.
Another thing that matters to me is diversity. I’m Black, so I do have to think about whether I’d feel comfortable and whether I’d actually feel like I fit in. I’d especially appreciate hearing from Black students or other students from diverse backgrounds about what the atmosphere is like at either university.
I’m not really into clubbing or drinking, so I’m also unsure how much the city aspect should influence my decision. I like the idea of having the city around me, but I don’t necessarily need a huge nightlife scene.
Basically, Surrey seems like the safer choice academically/reputation-wise, while Aston seems like it could give me a better overall university experience and has a really good placement focus.
If you had the choice between the two for Electrical Engineering, which would you pick and why?
I’d really appreciate honest opinions, including the negatives. I’m much more interested in what it’s actually like being a student there, the people, diversity, placements, careers and whether you feel the university has helped you get where you want to go rather than just league table rankings.