Hello all,

I'm currently a Canadian chemical engineer finishing up a Masters degree at Cambridge and am interested in PhD work. I'm considering Imperial College London but am wondering how well-known is it outside the UK (I am aware that Oxbridge students talk a lot of s@%$ about Imperial but I want a more international opinion). Is it seen as a "step down" from Oxbridge? Should I stick to Oxbridge instead if I intend to return to North America? If it helps, I intent on working in industrial R&D and not academia.

Thing is that Cambridge is my first choice but due to some potentially "bad blood" between myself and my Department, the only realistic way of returning to Cambridge is through another Department (e.g. Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, etc.). Therefore I'm trying to see other options beyond Cambridge.

Thanks for the input!

Imperial is a top university. Personally, overall ranking and reputation of the university is secondary especially at PhD level. I value the reputation of individual research groups.

Is oxford an option?

You've got it made whatever you do, so don't stress it and get looking for some PhD opportunities.

I agree about finding the right group rather than focusing on reputation alone, but I just wanted to get a feel for how the universities compare. Apparently, Oxford engineering is quite well-reputed as well but I think the real comparison comes down to Cambridge and Imperial. I've heard that Imperial is full of "Oxbridge rejects," which seems to be a rather harsh term. Is this true in the UK?

If you didn't go to Oxbridge, you're an Oxbridge reject where ever you end up, right? They say the same about my university.

I guess this is rather the talk among students and not how potential employers see it. After finishing your regular degree, the institution itself is not that important anymore. If you want to pursue a PhD in agricultural sciences, UC Davis is most likely a better choice than Harvard or Oxbridge. Every agricultural company that is employing researchers in R&D will know that universities like UC Davis, Cornell or Wageningen (Netherlands) have the higher reputation in that field. I can't come up with an example for chemical engineering, sorry ;)
If there is an opening in a well-respected group at Imperial, no future employer would think that this is a step down. They will think that they probably just had a nice position open. Your PhD work will anyway speak for itself. If you pursue a PhD at Cambridge and end up with a mediocre publication list then it will be not seen as an accomplishment just because it's Cambridge. And even if you just look at the overall reputation, Imperial College is still one of the best universities worldwide ;)

PS: Maybe check out ETH Zurich as well. They are usually always ranked in the top 10 worldwide and have a high reputation in engineering (+ really good conditions for PhD students in Switzerland)

Good luck!