helosc

I would be very interested in information about UCL (University College London).
Specifically about the Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE) Undergraduate Program.

Any information would be appreciated and could include:

Standard of teaching.

What do companies (future employers) think of the university (in particular PPE)?

What does the public of UK think of the university?

Has anyone studied there (specifically PPE) and what is your opinion?

Is the Bachelor degree considered good enough to go straight out and get a job?
(background - Where I live, we traditionally don't rate bachelor degrees too highly, it is more common to do a Masters (Kandidat)).

The university is offering accommodation the first year. Does anyone know if any places are better than others?

I have of course looked at all sort of rankings but would like to hear more about the university from people here on FT.

I know this is not a very travel related subject so thank you very much to those of you who can be bothered to answer.

LondonElite

I can't specifically help you, but UCL is regarded quite highly. You'll probably get better advice if you went to a forum specifically geared to university education.

Have you checked here, for example:

http://www.thecompleteuniversityguid...ables/rankings

helosc

Thank you.

Yes, I have checked that site among others.

I have posted here for two reasons:

1) I am familiar with FT and know (sort of) the people posting here. There are people here whose advise and opinion that I value greatly.
And maybe someone here has studied there or know someone who has.
And I am merely after impressions, opinions, (and experiences if possible).

I hadn't heard of the university before but people living in the UK would know about it and have a general impression.

So when you say that it is regarded quite highly, does that mean that when you hear the name you'd think 'oh, that's a very good university'?
And if you were hiring staff would you hire people from there in preference to some other universities?

I am not really used to this idea that some universities are considered so much better than others.

2) I don't need the information as such, I am merely curious.

My son has decided to start there in the autumn and I'm trying to understand the lure/ reconcile myself to his choice.
I could maybe understand his reasonings if we were talking Oxford as that's so much more generally/globally known and considered to be a good university.
(His first choice - made it to the interview but was not accepted).

We have free higher education here in Denmark (+ a monthly stipend) and I think our universities are perfectly good.
We have the combination Economics/Politics and Philosophy could be added in the 3th year when you are allowed to take subjects outside of your faculty.
In the third year, you can even study abroad with tuition paid for.

Three years studying in London will be very expensive all round compared to studying here in Denmark.

duchy

You talk about career after university - but what kind of career is your son looking at ? Does he know yet ?

Yes it's a highly regarded university -whether it would get him an edge in selection at job interviews would depend on a lot of factors -international firms might see him as having a more global attitude and more ambitious choosing to study abroad, they may also be familar with the name and reputation of a London university compared to a Danish uni (depending on where in the world and what field he is aiming at).

Yes employers definitely see some universities as better than others -and rightly so -some ARE better than others . (Not sure why what ordinary people think of UCL is relevant but for what it is worth most parents I know would consider a child had done exceptionally well to get a place there- and I do know people who turned down Oxford in favour of UCL as they preferred the ethos to the more traditionbound Oxford- which they felt was simply to elitist (it's a view many people share - and equally others violently disagree with )

My personal feeling is I'd probably have been happier had my son chosen UCL over Oxford as I don't feel Oxford's elitist image is especially relevant anymore and a more rounded and internationally focused education is offered by UCL. I wouldn't feel he was compromising anything in his future by doing so. Teaching at both is highly regarded.

Had my son announced he wanted to study PPE in Scandinavia rather than London - I'd have probably counselled against it - because my view would be an internationally known uni with the sort of excellent reputation UCL has would be more attractive to international employers in the future.

Yes London is very expensive -but to get as far as interview for Oxford he's clearly very talented and he'd probably benefit from the more international flavoured education offered.

Plenty of part-time work available in London so your son can contribute to his upkeep if you feel he should as he has chosen a more expensive option .

Swanhunter

Speaking from am employers perspective

* UCL would be considered a good university and is well regarded
* PPE isn't a hugely common degree to take - but if he wants a career in consulting or politics it would do OK
* masters degrees are less common in the UK, in part as they are not state funded.

LondonElite

If you are buying a brand (for international recognition) there are probably five or six universities that meet the requirements in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial College, St Andrews, and a few others). LBS is the top-rated European business school if MBA is relevant. Beyond that, you really need to know the person, career interests, etc, before making a specific school recommendation.

stut

One little quirk worth bringing up (as you've been looking at Oxford) is that Oxbridge graduates automatically are awarded a Master rank on application, 6 years after matriculation. This is often referred to as MA(Oxon) or MA(Cantab). This is not a masters' degree.

UCL is an excellent university. As an employer, I'd consider it 'premier league' for many subjects. However, as Swanhunter notes, it's worth considering what the target career is after studying PPE. The only people I know who have studied this have ended up in political (behind the scenes) careers, and this seems like a common path to take.

MSPeconomist

What are his alternatives? Economics (not specifically PPE) is excellent at the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus (which tends to be more specialized in certain fields of economics such as labor and econometrics) but virtually unknown on an international level at other universities in Denmark.

UCL will have a very International faculty, including some/many for whom English is not the first language.

Please don't expect the kid to work part time in London during the academic year. His/her focus should be on schoolwork, university activities, and interacting with the other smart interesting fellow students at UCL.

London_traveller

PPE tends to be the choice for people who want to go into politics, either ending up as an MP or politics in the wider sense, e.g. public affairs. Personally, I'd say it's a slightly odd choice if that's not what he's after. It's not my business but, if economics was his primary motivator then I'd say focus on an economics degree. Regardless, UCL is a top-tier institution.

Most people in the UK don't bother with Masters degrees. The vast majority who end up in professional fields of whatever sort will have studied to Bachelors-level, but not beyond. Masters degrees are not expected in normal fields of work, and as someone who's recruited at many levels over the years, I'd place more value on a decent Bachelor's degree plus decent work experience, over a Masters and less work experience.

LondonElite

PPE is also a very common Rhodes Scholar type of programme, so lots of non-Brits there. A sort of generalists, generalist degree.

helosc

Thank you very much to all of you for the very informative replies - it's very good of you all to take the time to enlighted me.


No, I don't think he has decided on an exact career path yet.
He would have chosen this education because he finds it interesting.
What I do know is that he would have thought very carefully about it - we have always let him decide these things himself.
Glad to hear that you and people you know find UCL to be a highly regarded university
And yes I am aware that UCL would be more known internationally than a Danish university, I just didn't know to which extent.
Very interesting to hear your opinion on Oxford versus UCL, I will tell my son - he was very disappointed not to be accepted.


Thank you for answering from an employer's perspective - very reassuring to hear that the university is well regarded.


And the names you mention are all universities I am aware off - not so UCL hence my questions.
Judging from my son's comments about CBS (Copenhagen Business School) he would not be hugely interested in attending LBS.


Thank you for confirming that UCL is considered a good university from an employers view point.
My son's main interest is Politics and he just may pursue a political career but I also think that he wants the Economics part in order to have more career choices than just in politics.
For example in consulting as another poster mentioned.


He would have looked very carefully at the alternatives before applying, I'm sure.
Copenhagen University has a Cand.Polit. (Economics/Political Science) degree which I think would suit him perfectly but....


He is very interested in politics and has been for years.
He is a member of several European/EU youth organizations and travels around Europe a lot attending conferences, seminars etc.
So the Politics in PPE is not an odd choice for him. I was more surprised about the Economics part myself - but I assume he is hedging his bets a bit there, giving himself more career choices than just political ones.

Very reassuring to hear that is it very common and perfectly acceptable to just have a Bachelor degree.
Anyway he could always choose to come home and take the Masters ( Kanidat 2 years) for free in Denmark.



Yes it is a bit of a mixed bag contentwise but it seems to be the mix he wants.
He complains that the Danish equivalent doesn't have the Philosophy part.

flatlander

UCL is very highly rated in the world, more highly than (for example) Universities of Copenhagen or Aarhus. Not that Danish universities are bad, but if going to a very highly regarded university is important, UCL is one.

PPE is the canonical degree for a career in politics or public administration (Civil Service), but it doesn't lead just to that. It is quite a general degree, and is also not the easiest thing to study so if you emerge with a good class PPE degree, it shows you're smart and can apply yourself.

University in London is clearly going to cost you, in fees and accommodation, compared to Denmark, I'm afraid. Some of the funding grants, the part that goes to the student, should still be something he can get outside the UK (it was when I was a student from DK in UK, anyway).

Student accommodation provided by UCL is reasonable, reports my partner who studied there. Good quality accommodation in London is very expensive, so it may well be worth staying in reasonable university accommodation (unless you are really quite well off).

UCL is right in the centre of London so it's very convenient for any service, amenity or entertainment you might want.

konagirl2

It may not be very relevant to the OP, given her son's comments towards his options in Denmark, but I thought I would mention it.

There is also the ERASMUS+ programme which will aid up to 12 months study in a host institution in an alternative country, usually paying tuition fees and some stipend. This can be at Bachelor's level or above (and the ERASMUS+ programme also offers assistance to people outside of study).

So he could potentially save one year of fees by studying for 2 years at UCL and then another at an institute somewhere else entirely.

paul00

I recently graduated from UCL. I studied at UCL during the 1st, 2nd and 4th years of my programme and studied in Paris during my 3rd year as an Erasmus exchange student. I don't think that you can't save one year of fees as a UCL undergraduate student by going on a 1 year Erasmus exchange as UCL generally requires that year to be in addition to the standard programme at UCL. Having said that, I spent much less money during my year in Paris than any year in London. Erasmus students received a monthly stipend of EUR 375 (Western Europe), EUR 315 (Eastern Europe and Turkey) or EUR 275 (Bulgaria and Romania). Tuition fees and the cost of student accommodation (which was subsidised by the French government) + transport in Paris were much lower compared to UCL. However, I’ve just checked the UCL Study Abroad website (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/studyabroad/options/erasmus-info) and it appears that the monthly stipend has now been reduced to EUR 250. I’m not sure if PPE students at UCL have the opportunity to spend a year abroad as an Erasmus exchange student (it doesn't appear in the list of eligible programmes on the UCL Study Abroad website - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/studyabroad/eligibility - but maybe you should check with the UCL Study Abroad team).

If you’re thinking about saving money, but at the same time want to have some international exposure, perhaps you could also look into doing the reverse (enrolling in the University of Copenhagen/another Danish university and spending 1 year at UCL/another UK university as an Erasmus exchange student). You would, however, need to do some research on what Erasmus exchange partnership agreements exist between UK and Danish universities in the area of politics/philosophy/economics.

The PPE BSc is a new programme at UCL (the first intake was in Sep 2015) so unfortunately I don’t know anyone on this programme. However, when I was at UCL, my friends studying philosophy, economics and political science were generally satisfied with the teaching. LSE also offers a PPE BSc programme (but, unlike the 3 year UCL course, the LSE course is 4 years).

Student accommodation is guaranteed for all first year undergraduate students at UCL whose home address is outside London (expect to pay around GBP200-250 per week for student accommodation). You can of course make your own alternative accommodation arrangements. If you choose to apply for UCL student accommodation, avoid Ifor Evans/Max Rayne (far from the Bloomsbury main campus, the building is in an awful condition (hot water/internet outages not uncommon) and the food is terrible). The other catered hall, Ramsay, is much better (though more expensive). John Dodgson and Astor were recently renovated. The intercollegiate halls in the Bloomsbury/Russell Square area are fantastic.

UCL is generally viewed positively by employers and postgraduate admissions tutors in the UK. However, outside the UK, of the London universities, I think LSE is better known amongst employers than UCL. When I mention that I studied at UCL to a person overseas, sometimes the response I get is ‘UCLA, yes - University of California, Los Angeles!’

My friends who studied PPE at Oxford have subsequently entered consulting, banking and teaching (I know a few them have political ambitions in the future!)

helosc

Thank you again to you all for the further very useful comments.

Yes, you can still bring the monthly grant that you would have received had you studied in Denmark - luckily.
I am now convinced by everyone's comments that UCL is a well-known and respected school. It has been very helpful to hear opinions from everyone here.
Glad to hear that your partner found the accommodation reasonable - I am very relieved that the school offers any kind of accommodation for the first year.



Yes, I am well aware of ERASMUS+.
Funnily enough, I only thought of it in connection with doing two years in Denmark and then going abroad the third year.
But of course it should be possible to do even if you are abroad already (if your university allows it - see next post) - I'll certainly check out the possibilities



Ah, someone who studied there.......
Thank you very much for all the information.
Even if ERASMUS has to be in addition to the three years, it could still be a very good idea - I'll let my son know.
Yes, I did try to convince my son that doing two years in Denmark and then going to UK for the third year would be a brilliant idea (you can even go abroad again for some of your Masters Degree) but to no avail.
And thank you so very much for the specific information about the accommodation, that is most helpful.
We have looked at the list of accommodations and distances but of course had no idea of quality (except that better quality = probably more expensive).
He doesn't have to live in luxury but a certain standard would be nice.
He is leaning towards selfcatering as be doesn't trust the food served to be to his liking.
Yes when my son mentioned UCL for the first time, my first thought was 'why the .... are you going to the US? (too far away for my liking).