Loughborough University..

[PapaHett]

Alrite Guys,

I'm thinking about applying to LB to do Automotive Engineering next year, I'm an undergrad and gonna do the BEng course.

Has anyone ever been/heard reports about it?

What's the general consensus.

I'm gonna try and head over, over the next few weeks to Check it out.

[GekkoRules]

Might want to spell it correctly.

Its a big Sports University and prides itself on this. If you are into sports its a great place.

[Sf_Manta]

Good university, two of my cousions went there and helped with the Formula Student Team (one's now working at Ford in Germany on aerodynamics)

Would suggest Hertfordshire University though, bit bias since i'm in my final year but worth looking at too mind.

[PapaHett]

GekkoRules said:

Might want to spell it correctly.

Its a big Sports University and prides itself on this. If you are into sports its a great place.

Ha, I can never get it right.

I'm not though.. Lol They seem to have excellent Engineering facilities, 4 Internal Combustion testing rooms, a wind tunnel etc.

[navier_stokes]

Yup, Loughborough is a (surprisingly to most) good University. Olympic standard athletes in all fields and just as good facilities.

Well known for their engineering too - many go to a well known aircraft engineering company a few miles North

I would recommend doing Mech Eng rather than Auto, it will give you more options late on, especially as the auto industry is down the pan at the moment. You can always specialise later if you want to. I believe the first 2 years will be the same in both courses anyway.

[williamp]

Loughborough Uni is one of the best in the UK for engineering, Sport and sports engineering. It was also awarded the Sunday times Uni of the yeat last year. The engineering department has, amongst other things an early Eurofighter in its entrance.

There is also a lot of sports training facilities- the England cricket team practice there, and when injured they recover there. They also develop innovative fabrics for the sports industry... Oh, and they have facilities good enough for indoor javelin. Amazing place...

The town is geared around the Unuversity, so there's lots to do as a student. And if you ever bother to venture beyond it, Leicester and Nottingham are an easy train ride away

Plus Donington, Mallory, Silverstone and Rockingham are a drive away.

If you can, I think you should!

[RizzoTheRat]

I did Aero engineering at Loughborough, same department as the Auto engineering though I am talking over 10 years ago. Ford had just started sponsoring a prof there so together with the aero side's Rolls Royce connections they had a bit of money in the department. First year Aero and Auto were identical, and in the second year we still had a fair few subjects together.

The uni's expanded a lot since I was there though, and the tottie quotient has shot up as it's now not so heavily biased to engineering and sports. If you're a keen sports player don't expect to get in the main teams unless you're county level or above. The year I started ('93) the freshers rugby team beat the England Colts, and the athletics events were interesting as half the old boys team were also on the olympics squad.

[Don1]

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

[PapaHett]

Don1 said:

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

What'd they say?

Surely if the grades are BBC, can they really turn you away? I've got CCD currently (Im resitting exams), 3 marks off a C in Physics, 9 marks off a B in maths and ICT. So I'm not that far off?

[navier_stokes]

PapaHett said:

Don1 said:

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

What'd they say?

Surely if the grades are BBC, can they really turn you away? I've got CCD currently (Im resitting exams), 3 marks off a C in Physics, 9 marks off a B in maths and ICT. So I'm not that far off?

I'd make sure you get the grades they ask for...

[beejay]

I did Automotive there and graduated a couple of years ago. I'd recommend it, as mentioned its one of the best for engineering. First year is your basic mechanical engineering with an automotive slant - none of the modules were shared with mechanical engineering, although you do share the first 2 years with the aeronautical lot

Great facilities, good industry ties, The Ford training college is next door for example. I ended up at Ford for a while and we had some PHD types doing projects for us. In fact most of the guys I ended up working with went to Loughborough My only critcism was a lack of "hands on" stuff but that seems to be the case with all mech eng type degrees these days.

You get to spend a week at MIRA doing some testing, there were a few trips out to Donny and the like too.

If you're a car tinkering type theres a car club with (small) garage facilities and Ring trips etc.

Oh and its the Eurofighter prototype in the main display area There was a Escort Cosworth too but that disappeared in my final year.

Supposedly the largest student union in the country as well!

Be prepared for everyone to assume you're doing a sports related degree when you tell them you go there!

Any more questions give me a shout

[PapaHett]

navier_stokes said:

PapaHett said:

Don1 said:

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

What'd they say?

Surely if the grades are BBC, can they really turn you away? I've got CCD currently (Im resitting exams), 3 marks off a C in Physics, 9 marks off a B in maths and ICT. So I'm not that far off?

I'd make sure you get the grades they ask for...

That's a given. But I wouldn't wanna be in a position where they don't even make me an offer?

[navier_stokes]

PapaHett said:

navier_stokes said:

PapaHett said:

Don1 said:

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

What'd they say?

Surely if the grades are BBC, can they really turn you away? I've got CCD currently (Im resitting exams), 3 marks off a C in Physics, 9 marks off a B in maths and ICT. So I'm not that far off?

I'd make sure you get the grades they ask for...

That's a given. But I wouldn't wanna be in a position where they don't even make me an offer?

That's what you're second choices are for

You may get an offer with those grades but it'll be conditional on you getting their stated grades.

[okgo]

Got mates there, I went up there, facilities are great, the place is dull though, and I found the bars on site crap aswell, but then I am used to bigger towns.

Met one of his mates who does motorsport up there, very highly regarded

[Don1]

PapaHett said:

Don1 said:

I was laughed at (via UCAS) when trying to go there (with some impressive skill sets).

I ended up at Uni of Herts, and they really worked out well for me.

What'd they say?

Surely if the grades are BBC, can they really turn you away? I've got CCD currently (Im resitting exams), 3 marks off a C in Physics, 9 marks off a B in maths and ICT. So I'm not that far off?

Didn't even get an interview or an offer. I was straight B's (in 1994), and also some serious sporting achievements (England trials etc).

Ho hum - it worked out well for me in the end!

[mcdjl]

Last year mech eng was oversubscribed and they were in danger of having to many students this year...I don't know if aero/auto were in the same position.
While the Uni is most widely known for the sports side of stuff it is just as good at engineering- officially its still Loughborough Univeristy of Technology after all
Others have pretty much summed up everything there is about the courses- I did mech so can't provide too many pointers on the aero/auto.
As for the Cosworth I believe that it was a prototype and wasn't allowed to be driven. I think it may have been taken away to be killed for tax reasons

ETA: I don't know if its the biggest students union but its the biggest (only?) SU to be entirely owned/run by the students rather than the uni. The Formula student affair is well supported across all engineering departments but theres also a couple of car orientated motor based union clubs- theres even a karting team.

Edited by mcdjl on Wednesday 4th November 20:21

[chunkymonkey71]

Sf_Manta said:

Good university, two of my cousions went there and helped with the Formula Student Team (one's now working at Ford in Germany on aerodynamics)

Would suggest Hertfordshire University though, bit bias since i'm in my final year but worth looking at too mind.

+1 for hertfordshire.

[RizzoTheRat]

beejay said:

Oh and its the Eurofighter prototype in the main display area There was a Escort Cosworth too but that disappeared in my final year.

Is Jim McGuirk still head of department? When they were starting the whole Ford connection he went on a visit to one of thier sites, saw an escort Cosworth there, commented that he quite liked the look of them, so they lent him one for a month. Nice.

Dunno if iut's still the same one but it was an EAP (experimental Aircraft Programme) they had while I was there. Main difference from later Eurofighter prototypes is the tail looks suspiciously like a Tornado's...ooo that'll be 'cos the French pulled out of the programme after agreeing to build the tail section so they used whatever they had available

[isrplc]

I can only confirm what has been said in this thread so far. Two absolute top students that I know went there because of the Engineering dept (sports scholars with almost full marks in maths, sciences, very social people etc). One for Aero masters and one for automotive masters. I believe the aero included placement, which led to a job once he finished. Automotive guy has got a job with F1 team.

Work hard as possible during your present studies to give your best possible chance of getting in.

Good luck.

[beejay]

RizzoTheRat said:

beejay said:

Oh and its the Eurofighter prototype in the main display area There was a Escort Cosworth too but that disappeared in my final year.

Is Jim McGuirk still head of department? When they were starting the whole Ford connection he went on a visit to one of thier sites, saw an escort Cosworth there, commented that he quite liked the look of them, so they lent him one for a month. Nice.

Dunno if iut's still the same one but it was an EAP (experimental Aircraft Programme) they had while I was there. Main difference from later Eurofighter prototypes is the tail looks suspiciously like a Tornado's...ooo that'll be 'cos the French pulled out of the programme after agreeing to build the tail section so they used whatever they had available

Jim was there but don't remember him being head of dept. The story we were always told about the Cossie was that the university paid a nominal sum for it (varying from £1 to £10 depending on who was telling the story) on the condition it was to be a static display only, so it didn't have an ECU.

One of our lecturers was an ex industry chap having worked for Aston, Lotus and IIRC Alvis, saw him on the TV last year on a BBC documentary about Delorean as he was part of the team at Lotus working on it. His were some of the best lectures

It is still the EAP there, to be honest it'd be interesting to see it be replaced by something as it always looked like the building was built around it