An extremely depressing University situated in the East End of London (Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London in general)

Member Name: shuttlex

Product:	Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London in general
Date:	20/08/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to enter

Disadvantages: Unlikely to get a job after graduating, depressing University

This is a University I attended once upon a time. This was not my first choice; it wasn't at all on my list of Universities I wanted to enter. However, due to circumstances and not achieving certain grades I reluctantly entered this University.

QMUL is part of the University of London however it doesn't quite hold the same reputation as Universities such as Imperial or UCL. Anyone with the words "Imperial College" printed on their CV can be sure to find a 30K salary job upon graduating, however this is not the case with QMUL. One can be thankful to be earning minimum wage after graduating from this University.

Based in the east end of London, the nearest tube stations are Stephany Green and Mile End. For anyone commuting from other parts of London it can take a while to reach. After exiting the tube station one should allow another 15 minutes walking across campus and arriving at one's lecture hall.

QMUL prides itself for diversity and multi-culturalism. On the surface this may appear so, not only English and Europeans, but also Chinese, Korean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi and all sorts of other backgrounds. However in reality QMUL is rather segregated. Walk into the Union canteen or bar and one will see large groups of either ethnic minorities of the same race or large groups of white people but rarely mixed groups of people. Also study groups in my course seemed segregated in the same way. On the other hand universities such as Imperial and UCL seem have much better diversity and less segregation. Also it seemed to me that at QMUL besides students from Hong Kong, there weren't many international students from abroad just lots of people from ethnic backgrounds.

One major fault with the University is the Location. The east end of London is an extremely depressing, a run down place with not much to do or see. On the other hand Imperial, UCL, King's are all located in bustling hotspots and easy to access.

For anyone who may have attended public school, they may feel out of place at Queen Mary since the vast majority have been to state run schools. However, this can also vary depending on the department.

Overall I regret having attending this University. While the standard required to enter QMUL is not too high, students can enter with grade C's and D's, the degree itself is comparable to any other top University within London. However, most employers will not recognize this. On the other hand attending Imperial and achieving a 3rd will even guarantee a job.

Summary: Prefer UCL, King's & Imperial