Jump to content
Snow?
Local
Radar
Cold?
IGNORED

Msc Applied Meteorology Reading


Recommended Posts

Posted
  • Location: Dublin
  • Location: Dublin

Hi All,

I am looking into doing this course in October.

Just trying to see does anybody on here have any experience of the course and its credentials.

Is it a quality course which will pretty much secure employment(80%) in the area of study?

Has anybody studied in Reading or this particular MSc before?

Many Thanks in Advance,

Matthew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

I'm currently studying in Reading but I'm doing the MMet course (it's a masters course but at the undergrad level). The Reading Met department is world renowned and has some exceptionally clever people in the field. I can't say I've been impressed with the way us undergrads have been treated the past 2 years but for postgrads I've heard nothing but praise for it.

I love the university itself though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Dublin
  • Location: Dublin

Thanks for the info Nick.

Do you stay in Halls? What is the accommodation like?

My main concern about the Applied Met course is that is that prospective employers may perceive it as a slightly light touch Meteorology course as it doesn't appear to have a huge mathematical dimension to it.

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

Thanks for the info Nick.

Do you stay in Halls? What is the accommodation like?

My main concern about the Applied Met course is that is that prospective employers may perceive it as a slightly light touch Meteorology course as it doesn't appear to have a huge mathematical dimension to it.

Cheers

I stayed in halls first year, in Dunsden Crescent. En-suite and fully catered but it wasn't cheap. The newer halls are all en-suite and self-catered but again, fairly expensive. But I think it's worth the extra cost because the older ones (Sibly - which is being knocked down - and Wessex) are dumps. Second year I moved into a house. Here is the accommodation page:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/life/life-accommodation.aspx

And I can't really comment on the content of the MSc, but the BSc/MMet course are very Maths heavy. The Maths ruined my mark completely this year :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Rugby, Warks
  • Weather Preferences: Dangerous
  • Location: Rugby, Warks

And I can't really comment on the content of the MSc, but the BSc/MMet course are very Maths heavy. The Maths ruined my mark completely this year Posted Image

That's got me worried. Access Maths is no where near as intensive as A-level (let alone the further maths you did !). I think the first year is going to be a bit of a battle for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Crewe, Cheshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, storms and other extremes
  • Location: Crewe, Cheshire

I'd love to do the course having completed my undergraduate degree this year. However, I didn't do maths at A level so it's doubtful I'd even get on the course. Plus I only got an 'A' in GCSE maths.....that was 8 years ago; I didn't find maths my best subject TBH.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

That's got me worried. Access Maths is no where near as intensive as A-level (let alone the further maths you did !). I think the first year is going to be a bit of a battle for me.

First year maths isn't too bad. Although as you mentioned, I did further maths and a lot of what we did in that came up. The 2nd year maths is horrendous, especially PDEs (I got 26% in it...). But the maths involved in the Meteorology modules isn't too bad at all, it rarely goes beyond relatively simple differentiation/integration and a bit of fiddly algebra. It's the knowing what parts to manipulate to get what equation you need which is the tricky bit.

Hope you enjoy university life anyway and I shall see you around when I'm back from the states!

Edited by Nick L
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Barnet, North London
  • Location: Barnet, North London

I'd love to do the course having completed my undergraduate degree this year. However, I didn't do maths at A level so it's doubtful I'd even get on the course. Plus I only got an 'A' in GCSE maths.....that was 8 years ago; I didn't find maths my best subject TBH.

Same here. I enquired into the MSc course at Reading, as they do take on students from other disciplines but without A Level maths/physics they said they wouldn't consider me. Asked if I could do the preparatory self teaching package but they seemed to say that option is rarely given out and that I should go and complete A-Level maths then come back and apply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Rugby, Warks
  • Weather Preferences: Dangerous
  • Location: Rugby, Warks

First year maths isn't too bad. Although as you mentioned, I did further maths and a lot of what we did in that came up. The 2nd year maths is horrendous, especially PDEs (I got 26% in it...). But the maths involved in the Meteorology modules isn't too bad at all, it rarely goes beyond relatively simple differentiation/integration and a bit of fiddly algebra. It's the knowing what parts to manipulate to get what equation you need which is the tricky bit.

Hope you enjoy university life anyway and I shall see you around when I'm back from the states!

Ah, I see. That's ok then. I'll worry about the 2nd year when it comes around. I don't even know what PDEs are lol. I think i'll be ok on the differentiation/integration, may need to brush up on my algebra a bit.

Thanks. Looking forward to it now. Got my results today and I have met my offer. I have emailed the admissions team. Just waiting for them to make my offer unconditional. Have a great time. It'll be amazing. Get on the storms (and snow) !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

Ah, I see. That's ok then. I'll worry about the 2nd year when it comes around. I don't even know what PDEs are lol. I think i'll be ok on the differentiation/integration, may need to brush up on my algebra a bit.

Thanks. Looking forward to it now. Got my results today and I have met my offer. I have emailed the admissions team. Just waiting for them to make my offer unconditional. Have a great time. It'll be amazing. Get on the storms (and snow) !

Partial differential equations...there's also ordinary differential equations (ODEs) but they're far nicer.

Congrats! And thanks. Enjoy first year while it lasts, all you need to do is pass (40%) so the pressure is relatively low :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: The Deben Valley, Suffolk
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, Thunderstorms, very cold (inc. anticyclonic) weather
  • Location: The Deben Valley, Suffolk

I went to Reading, although I studied Quantity Suveying and that is what I do for work now.

Reading is an awesome Uni....if you like you green open space (like me, as I'm a bit of a country bumpkin), then Reading is the place....the grounds are huge...and you can fish in Whiteknights lake!

I stayed in Student Village, which I believe has changed names now...but it was self catered (I think it is wise to go self catered rather than catered halls....nobody will cook for you when you move into your own house the following year!)

As for Reading itself and the nightlife....the Union is still the best of any Uni I've been to, and i've visited a few. Some big name DJs (alot of Radio 1 DJs), some decent comedy nights, and every Union night is a great night out (and cheap!).

Reading itself has The Oracle which is great for shopping. The only thing I hated was that all of the bars in Reading you had to queue or pay to get in....round my way you only pay to go in clubs!

I actually went to the open day to look specifically at the Meteorology course....but the prospect of a very healthy wage as a quantity surveyor swayed me away from it!

Edited by suffolkboy_
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

Yeah I love Reading itself and the university.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Bexley (home), C London (work)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms
  • Location: Bexley (home), C London (work)

I went to Reading, although I studied Quantity Suveying and that is what I do for work now.

Reading is an awesome Uni....if you like you green open space (like me, as I'm a bit of a country bumpkin), then Reading is the place....the grounds are huge...and you can fish in Whiteknights lake!

I stayed in Student Village, which I believe has changed names now...but it was self catered (I think it is wise to go self catered rather than catered halls....nobody will cook for you when you move into your own house the following year!)

As for Reading itself and the nightlife....the Union is still the best of any Uni I've been to, and i've visited a few. Some big name DJs (alot of Radio 1 DJs), some decent comedy nights, and every Union night is a great night out (and cheap!).

Reading itself has The Oracle which is great for shopping. The only thing I hated was that all of the bars in Reading you had to queue or pay to get in....round my way you only pay to go in clubs!

I actually went to the open day to look specifically at the Meteorology course....but the prospect of a very healthy wage as a quantity surveyor swayed me away from it!

Pretty much my bio written there, with the main difference that I've just finished my QS degree at Greenwich instead of Reading :D

Reading did look brilliant and in some ways I do wish I'd stuck with my guns to a certain extent.

If anyone does go and do it let me know and it's another possibility I can slot into my life plans somewhere along the line :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Reading/New York/Chicago
  • Location: Reading/New York/Chicago

Yeah I love Reading itself and the university.

A bit snowless for my liking... Anyway, did any of the posters end up going to Reading Uni? Just down the road from me and just just up the road form the ECMWF of course!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Dublin
  • Location: Dublin

Just thought I'd provide an update!

I decided to do a part time MSc in Meteorology in UCD Dublin, the course is quite technical and highly regarded. I have done 75% of it with 25% to go. It is tough going but I am just clinging to a 2:1, however as I did not come from a maths or physics background, this is acceptable to me.

I did a thesis on the ECMWF monthly forecasts and their performance for Ireland.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...