UC vs. IC

A few people have asked me how Imperial College compares to University College. I'm never quite sure how to answer this, partly because I only saw UC as an undergraduate, and have only seen IC as a research postgraduate -- two different worlds in themselves, and so this is usually how I start my answer. As for the next bit, well UC is appreciably bigger than IC, which I didn't realise until I came to IC and saw how compact it is. My memory of UC was a greater diversity of nationalities present, I don't know whether that has changed. One thing I am sure I dislike about IC is it's apprent desire to move away from the University of London. Doubtless, the latter is not without it's faults, however I can't think of a realistic reason unconnected with snobbery that has induced the College's departure. I shan't go on about that, as I have the choice whether or not to have a University of London degree, and the College has left already so my opinion doesn't matter now anyway, save for the observation that UC presumably cannot leave the University as the latter would cease to exist without it's University College. Certainly there was no hint of any such move while I was there, though I daresay that could have changed. Another observation I make about UC as compared to it's smaller, now rival, College, is that it has well-formed arts subjects -- and perhaps unsurprisingly most of IC has not heard of the Slade School.

Despite this feeling towards UC -- and it's either nostalgia, or something more objective -- but the killer is that UC didn't offer me PhD, despite my asking (twice!) though IC did -- and first time too. However, on whom does that reflect better? I think the jury's still out on that one.