Ground loop I had a couple of mates in the OTC doing that course who had to move onto other courses which they did very well in I might add.
Aero courses requires a level of maths understanding which is way above the other Engineering disciplines you have to know it and be able to apply it not just trot out some answers in an exam. There are more than one or 2 Aero Profs out there with hard core Maths degrees. Jim Boyle is the same in FEA Mech Eng circles.
Mech Eng when I worked as an RA had similar drop out rates but maybe not quite as high and they had similar grades for intake.
Engineering is a bit of a weird one, some people have it from birth and others can be trained in it, and others just don't get it (But can still come out with high grades). Students come along thinking they are doing a cool course and then get hit with 35 contact hours a week, 9am lectures, 2-3 lab reports every week, project work and at the end of all that formal exams.
They are put into Halls with a mish mash of other courses some of which have 10 contact hours and never a lecture before lunch. Some of the more talented students can go out on the razz every other night, be members of the OTC, rugby club and still find time for scuba diving. But alot of them can't and they also don't have the self discipline to self study. It doesn't help in Scotland there were alot of us aged 17 when we started and graduated when 21. I think the English Uni's the average age is higher both starting and finishing.
But we are talking about Courses that are in the top 10 of there type in the UK. A 2.2 at India-mikes establishment in the engineering circles in the UK would have a higher employment value than a 1st from say Paisely or Napier.
Apparently these days it is the right of everyone to have a degree if they so wish. Thank goodness though there are still some establishments who don't dumb down to the lowest common denominator and still have a reputation for producing a quality product and will boot the person out if they arn't making the grade.