Imperial's Physics department in terms of student satisfaction ranks at the bottom five universities in the country from 2017 to 2022.
Imperial College's Department of Physics has consistently ranked as one of the bottom five physics departments in the country for student satisfaction, according to the National Student Survey, from 2017 to 2022. The department's poor performance is at odds with the high satisfaction rates of the rest of the college. Students have reported high workloads, tight deadlines, and overassessment, leading to stress and poor mental health. They also criticize the quality of feedback, teaching assistants, and laboratory demonstrators. The department's perceived reluctance to empathize with students and accept responsibility for its shortcomings exacerbates students' dissatisfaction.
Students have reported feeling overwhelmed by deadlines, with some assessments scheduled on the same day. Even when individual lecturers are empathetic, there is a culture of obstinacy in the wider department. Some students avoid office hours, feeling they are too far behind to catch up, or because they feel there is no point in attending. Optional events to answer student queries are attended only by those who are already up to date with their work. As a result, students have started banding together to offer each other learning support. The department has been criticised for not taking its students' mental health seriously enough, with welfare events deemed insufficient. Some students have positive experiences with personal tutors, but others find their tutors apathetic and indifferent. The Disabilities Liaison Officer has been praised for her excellent support.
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