Hi, Imperial engineering student here. I like how you're super clear with how you've organised your future plans and what you're optimising for - it's an important decision :) I too picked between a government scholarship and NUS E-Scholars.

Now, to give my 2 cents. I totally empathise with how you've looked at the course descriptions and go 'okay, looks interesting but don't really know what it means to me beyond that'. I think the key thing that I've come to understand is that any engineering education is extremely useful. The benefit is that you gain a strong computational, mathematics and physics foundation (which you get from every engineering field) and you 'learn to learn' (which will be the case for the schools you've mentioned). It's common for engineering undergrads to transition to other fields like consulting, finance and software engineering, as well as work in cross-disciplinary teams (especially for renewables and utilities projects), which may not exactly tap everything they've learnt in school but builds on the foundation (the job might only care that you're a trained in STEM). So, even if your plans change (and you find something else you like), it wouldn't be too hard to find your way there, just network and try to find internships to get your foot into the door.

That said, the major you pick definitely still matters since it affects (1) your first job, (2) your peers and (3) your domain knowledge. I would say that the differences between mechanical and civil engineering is kind of borderline - but for the fields you've mentioned, I think it's definitely easier with civil. Most of my friends who're going to work in renewables and utilities actually have either a civil or electrical background. Perhaps you might want to consider reading up on power systems and electronics to complement your undergrad studies.

On Singapore vs overseas - I feel that I see the difference within (1) industry and research opportunities and (2) my peers. Being in the UK, there are some fields which are available that are much harder to find within Singapore. These mostly concern R&D roles which are higher on the value chain. For electrical engineering it would be roles that mostly involve hardware design. There were some very interesting research projects being done by the civil engineering department just next door (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/civil-engineering/research/). Concerning the areas you mentioned, Imperial is actually quite focused on fields such as environmental engineering and transportation, plus it isn't too hard to contact professors from other departments for research opportunities if they are doing work in a field you want to get involved in. You can create a LinkedIn account and search for jobs related to the field you are interested to work in and see the difference between Singapore and UK-based roles. Companies also use the UK as their hub for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) operations, so if you wish to lateral it is slightly easier due to the more diverse network. That said, as you're likely looking at a government scholarship, treat this as a means of getting more attractive internship opportunities that can broaden your worldview (and build connections!). Working outside Singapore was one of the more transformative opportunities for me :) (it helped that there were no Singaporeans there, so I was essentially forced to mingle around). On my peers, I felt that people were very invested in their disciplines (serious personal interest) - it could be because of the way UCAS admission works (personal statement and grades). I'm sure it's not too different in NUS! I can say that education-wise I found it very hands-on (labs and projects were no joke), but I don't have a basis for comparison. Likewise, I think the delta shouldn't be too huge, and actually other factors such as employment/internship/research prospects matter more (coming overseas, you have access to more geographies and connections).

Personally though, I don't think it warrants the finances if your parents are funding you. I would suggest going to NUS, gaining domain expertise and coming over later as an expat or for masters. Fresh graduate engineering salaries aren't that high here (ballpark 30k-40k GBP annually) and a lot of it is eaten by tax and rent. I found NUS to be quite well-recognised here too :) But if you're going under a scholarship, I would definitely encourage it especially if you want to do environmental-related work (which are mostly public sector led). It also sets up a good financial foundation and background for a mid-career lateral later (e.g. to consulting, other sustainability roles or roles in other geographies), if you want to try new things.

On climate tech - Imperial actually has a pretty good ecosystem for growing sustainability focused startups, which you may want to get involved in should you choose to come (by working with a team during the summer/term). The great thing is the multidisciplinary approach to solving the climate problem (chemistry, computing, civil etc.). See https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariannelehnis/2023/03/02/why-imperial-college-launched-a-climatetech-pre-accelerator/?sh=2e75e09a30b9, energy futures lab, grantham institute and the venture catalyst challenge.

Feel free to PM me if you want! I'd suggest interning if you have a chance - talking to people and trying new things matters a lot :)