Medicine - Newcastle or Sheffield?

[Medschoolmum]

Have name changed as our situation is quite specific, but I have already benefitted enormously from advice on these boards and am therefore hoping to get a bit more help with dd's current dilemma.

After a bit of a hiccup and a lot of stress last year, dd has had an unexpected but wonderful gap year, and is now in the happy position of holding unconditional offers for medicine at Newcastle and Sheffield. She has another unconditional offer from a third medical school and is waiting on her fourth choice, but essentially she has already ruled out the other choices so it is just between these two. It's pretty evenly balanced at the moment with pros and cons to each.

Can anyone offer any insights that might help her choose? Experiences of either medical school would be great, or just general thoughts on the things that she should factor into her decision. She is planning to attend offer holder days at both unis, so I'm hoping that this will help her to decide either way.

Thanks very much to anyone who is able to help!

Well done ! Gap years can be wonderful things.

My advice ? There not much between them ! Look at clinical placements (Newcastle ones can mean spending a year or 2 elsewhere). Ease of getting home (they sometimes just need a cuddle and a cuppa). Ways of teaching (offer holder days a good time to ask this).

BUT they'll be happy whichever one they go to.

I know medics don't get a lot of spare time, but is it worth considering hobbies at all -
Newcastle is near the coast, with surging at Tynemouth.
Sheffield is on the edge of the Peak District - if your dd is a rock climber, hill walker or mountain biker, this might be worth a thought. These are my sports, and were more accessible than when I lived in N.

I've lived in both cities as a young adult, still live close to S and visit N. Both great cities with loads going on and massively buoyed by having a couple of unis each. You can't go wrong with either from a "living" point of view, although I can't comment on the actual courses.

www.ncl.ac.uk/medicine/study/undergraduate/regional-clinical-placements/

Personally, I'd factor in distance from home. I know many people don't think it's necessary though.

DD in clinical years and they don't get a load of holiday so it's nice for her to be able to come home easily if she has an unexpected free day - last week her Monday placements were cancelled so she drove home Sunday evening and went back Tuesday morning for teaching at 2pm. It's about 1hr 15 to drive.

Congratulations. The med schools and the courses are very similar. Historically, one difference was that Sheffield did full body dissection and Newcastle prosection but I believe Sheffield has moved to prosection now. Also as @mumsneedwine said, Sheffield's placements are all commutable whilst some of Newcastle's are residential. However, lots in placement years tend to gravitate back to Newcastle for weekends and Friday night Medsoc. I would say choose the city she feels most affinity with as five years is a long time.

DD is 2nd year Newcastle. She is loving it - the teaching, the city, the coastline.

For years 3,4 and 5 they do one year in N, one commutable and one more than an hour away. So next year she’s in Cumbria, but she gets free accomm there, so will keep a room in Newcastle for the weekends.

Medics hockey is a big thing - both men and women are fielding 7 teams this year. She is also in a fun Netball league and has also enjoyed singing in the back row of the chorus in several musicals!