Imperial college - is prior knowledge of computers essential to study Electrical Engineering?

International Students
1

Hi folks - I love Maths and Physics and am applying for engineering at Imperial college, london. Am keen to do Electrical Engineering but I’ve just looked at the course content and I have a couple of concerns:

  1. It seems there’s a lot of computer related stuff built into the Electrical Engg course, which is fine except that I haven’t studied Computer Science at high school level - will that be a significant disadvantage for me in terms of others who have a computers background?
  2. All else equal, is it easier to get into Imperial for Mechanical or for Electrical ?
    Thanks !
2

You’ll be expected to have taken Calculus BC and AP Computer Science, as well as the exams, and gotten 5’s.
Unless you’re currently enrolled in a British school and are taking A-Level maths/Further Maths, Physics, and did CS for GCSE’s (with A*)?
“Easier” doesn’t apply to Imperial Engineering.

3

Thanks for your response MYOS1634 - am actually at an IB school (almost 15% of students at Imperial come from an IB background) I The Imperial college Electrical Engineering page states eligibility requirement only as Higher Level Maths and Higher level Physics, both of which I have taken and got top grades in. No mention of needing Computer Science at GCSE level or any other level. Will i struggle with EE if I didnt have CS courses at school?

4

Ok then, if you’re at an IB school you need HL maths and physics, and no need for GCSE’s. You should probably self teach something related to CS because, even if officially it’s not “required”, most students will have some CS knowledge. However, because previous CS knowledge is often a deterrent to girls who may not have it, there’s no official requirement… but to be competitive with your classmates some basic knowledge of CS’s principles and fields will come in very handy.

5

Thanks MYOS1634, that’s really useful. If I get in, I’ll look into doing a short course or something.
Regarding something you said earlier - “Easier doesn’t apply to Engineering at Imperial”, I know both are tough to get into. But acceptance rate for Mechanical Engg is currently 29% as opposed to Electrical Engg at 73%. Is this only because less people apply for EE??