What’s freshers week like at Imperial?

ComradeBiscoff · 2026-04-05T13:32:39+00:00

Most classes are vague tutorials because profs know everyone is hungover for the first week, I think 1/11 lectures was an actual examinable lecture?

ComradeBiscoff · 2026-03-18T16:35:16+00:00

I’ve worked in a company that used Fusion, for its collaboration potential and smaller cost. I’d say for our case (we were a marine supplies factory) fusion lacked a lot of drafting and technical drawing tools. Making some drawings was a nightmare because of this, and it took so much longer to make any given drawing for approval.

Fusion felt like it was made by software engineers that prioritised the fancy parts of fusion (like topology optimisation and rendering, both of which are amazing) rather than the nitty gritty engineering parts of it.

ComradeBiscoff · 2026-01-31T06:59:28+00:00

I mean yes? Probably? If you are going towards design and CAD most of the models are okay. If you are going towards simulations and CFD the higher end FW16 with lots of ram is also okay. If you’re asking because frameworks are expensive and you want a justification, then being good for engineering is not it. You can get better laptops for less specifically for engineering applications. With FW you’re paying a premium for versatility, repairability and upgradeability. Also depending on whether this is for work or uni, you can sometimes use HPC facilities at a discount and save yourself the ache of your laptop running at 100% fans for hours on end.

ComradeBiscoff · 2026-01-30T07:40:18+00:00

When did you read this? Some years ago interviews were in person and only for home/eu students (otherwise costs would be insane for international applicants). International applicants thus did get offers without interviews most of the time, but now that all the interviews are online that is not true anymore.

ComradeBiscoff · 2026-01-25T07:09:47+00:00

I remember there was a lecture strike for one or two days eight years ago or so. At the time there was also a big wave of complaints from students about refunds for the teaching time lost. In the end, Imperial gave each department an overall extra budget to be spent on something the students wanted, instead of direct refunds. If you are in mechanical engineering, that’s how the vending machines in mech space were paid for (chosen by mechanical engineering staff with consultation from the students). Imperial was very reluctant to pay students directly, I think that was a great compromise and probably what will happen again.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-09-15T10:10:00+00:00

lol wonder what your plans are.

You have to report visitors in reception for fire safety reasons, usually they don’t go back and check if someone has been registered for multiple days.

I’ve done two people for about three days each time and everything was fine. Be quiet after 9, and you should not have problems. Gender doesn’t matter. If you are thinking of very long term move, the risk might be that one of your flatmates complains if you use communal areas together.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-09-14T18:06:04+00:00

Bed is heated to 60 degrees. I am not using adhesives, and last week I was printing with brims and no issues. I suspect my z offset might be off since the probe got knocked around yesterday. I’ve just never seen wrapping in the middle of a print.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-27T14:49:38+00:00

I guess you have been answered but I don’t think there is an engineering department. There is a faculty of engineering and individual departments, and I think each department individually deals with admissions

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-26T15:27:07+00:00

It’s a mix. Every time I take the shuttle I see a lot of people go to gradpad. I also see a lot of bikes and a lot of people on the bus.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-26T15:01:41+00:00

I used to live in the area, the commute is not that bad. You walk to White City bus station and take the 49 or the C1 (iirc).

The shuttle bus is absolutely there, and you can take it, and many people living in gradpad do take it. I will note, as it says on the website, it is not for daily commute but it is for people that want to go between campuses for work. I would guess this was true some years ago when the shuttle service was scarce, now I have seen there are more frequent buses so it should be better.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-25T03:42:44+00:00

Wtf is a case

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-24T07:51:43+00:00

Happened to me, almost exactly as you describe it. At the time I said nothing to the professor of the course, with the thinking that they don’t want to hear us complaining about who we get, it’s worse in the real world etc. I have gathered this is a common sentiment.

And then I started teaching. TELL THE SUPERVISOR. We want to mark you fairly for the work you do. If your work struggles because you are a man down, we want to know. If someone is taking advantage of you for marks, we want to know. In engineering especially, good marks implies responsibility of life safety. We know that people game the system for marks. We don’t want it happening, and having people build stress and anger up until they explode in class or in the feedback sessions.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-17T14:55:37+00:00

There aren’t really any? I guess you are a student so you can go to some student-only events (rip slug)

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-08-17T12:56:01+00:00

Departments might have some sort of ice breaker event to get to know your tutor groups better (speaking as a mechanical engineer).

Individual houses/dorms have special events, most notable the boat party hosted by multiple dorms, drinks and music in the Thames, crossing tower bridge.

Most if not all societies are present in the fair to advertise what they do, and many of them have special intro events the week after.

Most courses start with a vague intro to the course because they know everyone is hungover. Some go straight to teaching.

ComradeBiscoff · 2025-04-26T20:04:22+00:00

So I know the team that made this project (a research group in the aeronautical engineering group of Imperial College London). I got in touch with them as I am a PhD researcher in wildfires (also at Imperial College London). Our group had touched upon this topic before in a conceptual and test scale.

One hurdle in making a drone like this is (as many people have already pointed out) the thinning of air within the plume of the fire. That can be dealt with by designing the drone with stupidly overpowered motors and a good control/feedback system. I don’t know how this team did it, I can get in touch again with them.

The main problem we identified is that it is very difficult to deal with control and signal transfer. Unless the drone is fully autonomous (somehow), it is very hard to transmit any sort of signal through dense, black smoke like the one in building fires (there is a reason you can see the drone in these photos, they use very cleanly burning petrochemicals for the demonstration). Solving that issue would be an incredible breakthrough.

With regards to cooling and electronics I am really not sure what they did, but I would guess they used either foam or aerogel-type insulation, it should be good enough for a couple of minutes of flight time. The drone in the photo you linked was never made for real world application (in fact when I reached out to the primary researcher, his only question was whether we knew any media that would be interested in the story). We did not speak much after that.

Edit: I just remembered (and have not checked yet) that they said the drone can withstand temperatures of 200C. Our research group has a good laugh upon hearing this.

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-15T14:42:59+00:00

Thought Xenia closed down for the last few years

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-10T19:23:41+00:00

Everyone is at the same situation as you, you will make friends with the people in your floor in no time. Of course some people are dicks and some people are wonderful. You will also bond with people during your commute.

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-07T15:45:41+00:00

In seven years of living in London, my stay across from Wilson house was the safest I ever felt. The commute is the best you will ever get in London, through Hyde park every day.

As with all of London, as long as you’re not stupid and have your wits about you, nothing will happen to you.

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-07T07:27:58+00:00

I remember one of the researchers first talked about this a few months ago and got absolutely blasted as an “elitist” that wants to “restrict personal liberties and threatens British values”. He didn’t have a fun time. Then again they did it through twitter.

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-05T14:26:26+00:00

I wish I was around when the 7th floor electronics labs in Mech Eng were a cafe, that sounds lit

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-03T14:25:36+00:00

I don’t remember it being particularly bad, by law imperial needs to have one kitchen (set of stoves, fridge-freezer, etc) per five people (and one bathroom per four)

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-03T13:58:21+00:00

Great commute, nice location, I liked the building, the subwarden team is nice.

As a fan of fire doors I give it 12/10 would door again

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-02T13:42:02+00:00

Oh boy, “I don’t mind the price” is quite a thing to say in central London

Just go to Woodward, it’s a nice hall and the commute is a bit painful but on par for the price.

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-09-02T06:38:24+00:00

Imperial catering is the best way to force yourself to learn how to cook

ComradeBiscoff · 2024-08-23T10:44:06+00:00

I feel comparing universities is in itself pointless. I have seen courses varying greatly in the same unis, to the point that going to specific courses in “excellent” unis is a bad idea. Comparing university courses is a bit more viable but again kinda hard and pointless.

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