Ideal university for Medicine

[Kayt79]

DS is in Y12, and set on Medicine. He's been to a few open days already, but until he's done his UCAT next summer it's impossible to know where will be realistic to apply.

So, just out of interest, and putting aside entry requirements and "prestige", which would be your ideal universities for Medicine, based on the overall student experience?

That is true but the marking schemes (at least at mine, UMDS) were totally different. It wasn’t an actual percentage of questions answered correctly. More of a GPA.

I’m not actually sure it was possible to get over 60%, certainly I never met anyone who ever did. Equally nobody ever got below 48%. People got either 49% (fail, need a viva) or 52% (pass), or, if they were really clever, 55% (merit).

@Kayt79 there is always change every year but I update it annually

I’d try and see if I could gently explore the idea of reading anything other than medicine.

Other than that, he should apply to places he likes the feel of, and go to the one that offers him a place!

I've known two medics from Bristol.do something with the Navy that their parents were pleased about as it saved money in some.way. I.didnt ask more!

I did my BA at Sunderland and had a flatmate who was studying nursing there. She really enjoyed it, especially because our accommodation was just over the road from the hospital. Students also had free bus travel around the city and the scholarships offered were pretty good!

As others have said, medicine applications really aren't like most other applications - the best place is the one that will take you! But, you are also going to be in that town/region for five or six years, so living there is a big decision.

For most people, either their GCSE grades, their predicted grades or their UCAT will mean applying to some places isn't advisable. But if all that stacks up, then it's like many other applications - big city, small city, campus or not, general feel of the place, cost of living, availability of accomodation etc - as well as some medicine-specific considerations - way course is taught, patient contact, dissection or not, where placements are and what support is given, electives/intercalation.

DD is in the very fortunate position of being a virtually perfect applicant on paper (currently anxiously waiting to see if this translates into interviews/offers). She looked for places she felt comfortable/wanted to live; big universities in cities with a lot going on; good elective/travel opportunites (Newcastle has the option of doing a semester at their Malaysia campus!); placements over a fairly small area. Summer of Y12, we tried to visit places she thought she'd want to apply with the kind of UCAT score she was hoping for. We had a list of places we were going to prioritize visiting in September if the UCAT didn't go well (particularly Leicester and Birmingham, which like good GCSEs).

Good luck to him.

You’ve had great advice and definitely the best med school is the one that gives you an offer!
Definitely get your DC to think about what an ideal university means to them (not anyone else!) What my DD likes about her med school/uni could well be what others don’t like. It’s really up to the individual applicant though assess that for themselves. My DD found going to a few open days as early as possible helped her realise what was important to her. Then UCAT can put the realism into the equation!
She has only just started the course but 2 things that she thought might be important and really have been are:
-distance to home (an easy 2 hours drive/2.5 hrs on train) - she’s actually not been back home yet but we have visited and she’s coming in a few weeks, but knowing we’re not far away has been nice for her
-the non-medic society she joined has been a really nice balance to a lifestyle that is very much medic dominated. There is an excellent society at her uni that’s associated with her main hobby and she has loved it so far.

I think it would be good to look at what local hospitals would be connected to each university for placements etc. Hospitals which are "good" at their core is what is going to make him into a good doctor and instill him with the right values. The rest is just textbook.

I disagree about hospitals.

Firstly, most medical students are going to end up as GPs and not in hospital at all.

Secondly good experiences for medical students can be very different to what patient experience is. For example the 'prestige' hospital where I trained was actually a hotbed of bullying and after one rotation none of us ever wanted to go back.

Most won't be a GP at moment - lots of unemployed GPs driving Ubers or Tescos. Training places are v v limited in all areas but GP had a ridiculous amount of people not getting places this year.

I'd really not worry about hospitals, except to ask if accommodation is provided if a long way from base. Or is transport paid for. Can work out expensive otherwise. And some Unis send you away for 1-2 years eg. Exeter to Truro, Newcastle to parts of Cty Durham, Manchester to Preston.

Queens Belfast is worth a look. Cost of living is low, acceptance rate better than many and NI is not that big so placements are normally accessible.

Other than that if interested in a competitive specialism (and currently they all seem to be) it is worth looking at Intercalation policy. A good intercalation in a relevant field will add to a CV.

That said be aware of the diminishing employment opportunities post-F2. Medicine is no longer the secure profession people assume it to be.

As needsmore says, make sure they know what they are getting into. Unemployment is very real. As are 78 hour weeks and being made to move all round the country for 'training'. Or even any job as an F1.

If they are in it for the glamour or 'prestige' think again !

Sheffield is a great place to be a med student. It's a cheap place to live too.

That sounds a sensible strategy. I hope UCAT goes well and keeps her options open.

A semester in Malaysia sounds an incredible opportunity - thanks for the info!

Sheffield does sound potentially a good option to look into - thanks.

Useful thread - thanks OP

There are no such degrees - all medical degrees qualify you to work as a doctor at the end of your training. Even MB PhDs.

I'm a fourth year student at UCLan and I'm howling at your incredible insight into their admissions policy 😂😂😂

@Jumpeduppantrygirl 😊 I am yet to work out how they choose 🤪

Agree up to a point - but then there is the jobs battle which is competitive and not just the foundation jobs.

@fiftiesmum no one looks. It's not even a factor. After F2 all that matters is either the MSRA exam or your portfolio. No where does your Uni even get asked.

Intercalation? Presentations? Conferences? Publications? Some undergrad med courses do more than others.
Also there is the quartiles, centiles or position in class.
And your F1 f2 placements can help or hinder your next ranking

@fiftiesmum there is no F1/2 ranking. It's a random number.

Intercalation carries no extra points. Some specialities look at conferences etc but a lot just use the MSRA.

Which probably explains why we are spoonfeeding the most recent intakes of f1's.

However university entrance level think about the placement hospitals and the travel involved - some will provide accommodation but many will be difficult to get to with limited public transport or parking at a premium.

@fiftiesmum hope you're kinder to your F1s to their faces. That was you once.