Nottingham uni- but course in Derby?! Medical physiology

[aeganblue2]

Hi this course is on DD’s list of potential ones to apply to for 2022 entry. She was hoping to do medicine but for various reasons has decided to wait to try for graduate entry. She is looking at related courses and found Uni of Nottingham’s Medical Physiology and Therapeutics BSc. We only just noticed on the webpage it says this course is taught in the campus in Derby “a 45 min bus ride from university park”. Anyone’s DCs have experience of this? Is it doable or do you feel like you are completely away from it all? If it was medicine she feels it would be worth the sacrifice but possibly not for this course! Thanks everyone

@aeganblue2 be v v careful at aiming for graduate medicine - it is so competitive and much much harder to get a place. Graduate Medicine at Nottingham is taught in Derby for 2 years, as is some of the clinical stages of normal medicine. DD thinks Royal Derby is an amazing teaching hospital if that helps. There is a free bus between Notts and Derby.

Thanks mumneedswine. DD not in a position to apply to medical school this year due to illness last year which has impacted her predictions. So not much she can do other than work her socks off and if she achieves the grades next summer, take a year off and apply. But she is adamant she doesn’t want to do that hence trying to help her find a course that at least won’t close any doors

It's not ideal especially as the QMC is right next to campus so some students on other courses will be right there and other students on other courses will be getting the bus 45 minutes to Derby. On the other hand Nottingham is a good university on a beautiful campus.

If the course is in Derby couldn't she live in Derby?

Royal Derby is a shiny new-ish hospital which is much more modern than the QMC. It’s located on the ring road, on the opposite side of Derby from the road to Nottingham. She will need to get the bus from campus to Derby city centre then another bus out to the hospital. If she’s based at RDH full-time, it might be more realistic for her to live in Derby.

There's a Uni bus from QMC to Royal Derby and it's free. Takes about 45 minutes. DD used it when on a placement there. She loves RD and says it's really good for teaching.
@aeganblue2 please get DD to think hard about this plan. Getting her grades and applying next year will be so much easier than graduate medicine. She could spend the year out working in a care home or as an HCA in a hospital.

As a pp has said be careful if this as a strategy - grad med is FAR FAR FAR harder to get on than standard entry. Resitting, or working for a year (grade dependent) would be much better choices. Plus grad med means she can't get a fee loan for two years - does she have a spare £20k?

If she is insistent on going next year then she should consider courses such as Biomedicine where transfer into Med in year 2 is possible.

If she is insistent on going next year then she should consider courses such as Biomedicine where transfer into Med in year 2 is possible

Some scottish uni’s allow top science students to transfer into medicine after year 1 or 2.

May suit her better than resitting or grad entry, plus will cost less and won’t be an extra 3 years.

Getting into a Scottish Uni as an English student is almost worse than graduate medicine 😂.

There are a few Unis where you might be able to transfer after year 1, but it's only about 1% so you are more likely to do that degree for 3 years - so choose one you'd actually like to do.
Year out is the easiest and cheapest plan.

Getting into a Scottish Uni as an English student is almost worse than graduate medicine

Things have changed then! I suppose scots students are staying even more due to the no fees.

I got in through clearing 😂

@Nomoreusernames1244 quotas now. V limited RUK places. Not impossible but there are easier options.

From a practical point of view - like others have said there is a good bus link. Derby hospital has a good reputation and she will also have the befit of the Nottingham nightlife. She could choose to live in Derby though! Lots of student presence there, though not as much as in Nottingham as it had the 2 universities.

The point a PP raises about grad entry medicine fees not being covered by a loan is a very important one; it's extremely costly covering the fees so worth being aware of that.

Good luck to your DD though

This is all such useful advice everyone. Re Scottish unis do you mean medicine is so much harder to get onto in a Scottish uni? For the biomedical undergrad courses we were surprised to see Glasgow and Edinburgh although ranked so highly but with wider ranging A level acceptance grades- is that because the English students have to pay I wonder?

Just to clarify is the course at Royal Derby Hospital or Derby University. They are about 4 miles apart.
The hospital has very close links to Nottingham uni for medicine, we do a lot of teaching/ placements for med students.

Thanks- it’s U of Nottingham.

The free bus goes from the university park campus - very easy to get to Derby hospital if you live on campus. However first year halls could be at one of the other campuses (e.g. jubilee) and then that adds another bus ride/20min walk to get the free Derby bus OR pay for bus to Derby directly. Then in 2nd year onward, most student houses are ~20mins away from the main university grounds

@aeganblue2 Scottish places v limited for English students for medicine. Think other courses are ok.

@CupcakesK a lot of medics live in Dunkirk so 5 - 10 minute walk to QMC and campus. Loads of lovely cheap student accommodation in Notts.