My overall experience was really good and I have learnt a lot of new things in a new country. I would say this was once in a life-time opportunity for me. Just the accomplishment of able to complete a master's degree from such a reputed university (ranked 6th in the world) is a dream for me while also gaining lot of research skills and experience.
Course Curriculum :
Course syllabus was update-to-date and this course was extremely research-intensive. Therefore, I would say I was provided with research exposure and experience. To saty updated with other domains in science, we had weekly lectures conducted on every Wednesday (not graded), but gave me overall knowledge and understanding of other fields like X-ray crystallography, microbial resistance research, usage of robotics in surgery, and so on.
Exams :
My IELTS score: overall 7.5, minimum required was 7 . They required a first class Bachelors degree and I secured a 9.189 CGPA.. I had to submit SOP, 2 LORs and CV SOP should include your honest interest in the domain and course; why you are interested to study this course abroad and how would this course help you to achieve your life goals; how can you contribute for university community and how will you face diversity people while studying abroad; you can also include why you are interested to study in this specific university while there are thousands of other good reputed universities across the globe. LOR should explain about your academic knowledge, contributing to academic community, engaging in other extracurricular activities and why having you in their university will be a great addition CV should list your academic qualifications, work experience (if any), engaging in extra curricular activities, internships, workshops, conferences, etc I had interviews for other universities but for Imperial College London I didn’t have any. One thing I wish to tell is that align your answers regarding your internships and other academic achievements with your SOP, LOR and CV. Research well about the course and try to find some interesting news about the department. Engage with interviewers and try to have a two-way conversation rather than just a normal interview. Try to brush up your basic technical knowledge.
Placement :
Many students choose to move on to PhD or working as research assistants. This course is ideal for students who want to take a doctoral degree in any field. Most of the students are now working or pursuing PhD.
Fees :
Since I chose to take a research course, tuition fee was quite high. It includes the usage of some high-technology systems in the lab and other advanced equipment. Total tuition fee was around £37,000 for the batch 2022-23.
Scholarship :
I didn’t receive any scholarship
Faculty :
Ratio is around 16 to 17. The faculty and staff are really impressive and many world-top researchers and scientists are part of Imperial College London. Therefore, I was able to meet some scientists working on cutting-edge research. There are approachable and it is possible to network with them. If they have any time slots available and match our interests, then they will be pleased to meet young minds like us. One such professor was Dr. Robert Dickinson, where I met him for one of my project discussion and it was interesting that his work was to understand pathophysiology of brain injuries such as Traumatic Brain injury. Therefore, I had a discussion with him and I could say that his lab and team was quite engaging and collaborative.
Campus Life :
There are more than 300 clubs and societies at Imperial College London, and we can join them if we are interested. However, I didn't join any beacuse of me hectic course work and research projects. There are many events conducted by Students union as well. Facilities like library, wifi are really helpful because apart from lab, most of the time I used to work at library and postgraduate work space. A change in work space is often essential for me to work productively. Therefore, I found infrastructure and facilities awesome.
Hostel :
I chose to stay in a student accommodation (privately tied-up with Imperial College London) called GradPad Woodlane studios. One of Imperial's campuses where my lab was based at was just 10 min walk away from my accommodation. Therefore, it was really comfortable for me to even work on weekends (if I really had to work, due to the nature of my experiment in research). I was staying in west London and the area was posh and good. Therefore, it is expensive (around £12000 for 1 year). I stayed in a studio room that comes with a separate room with all facilities like kitchen space, bed space, desk area and a separate washroom. However, it was safe and the facilities were good.
