Haha I get about 3-4 PM's a week asking me this :P
I'm a bit strapped for time so I won't post rationales but feel free to PM if you have any detailed questions
SO here goes:
BSMS: Pros
- integrated curriculum
- dissections <--STRONG PRO
- patient contact from like the 3rd day or something amazing like that <--STRONG PRO
- opportunity to intercalate
- offered me a scholarship <--STRONG PRO
- newer school/facilities
- strong focus on anatomy teaching (almost too strong according to some students.) Since my undergrad degree is in anatomy, you can see why this is a strong attractor for me. <--STRONG PRO
- small class size, strong instructor:student ratio <--STRONG PRO
- loved the campus, loved speaking to students there who were really happy to have picked BSMS. Met a few students who had picked BSMS over Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield.
- very close to downtown Brighton (literally 10 minutes away)
- lots of sun, it's a waterfront city, lots of hustle/bustle due to tourists, visitors, etc
BSMS Cons:
- I didn't particularly fall in love with the city, it's a great city but coming from Toronto, it seemed a bit too...rural
- Very expensive
- very high tuition (for internationals)
- not super prestigious (but this doesn't matter to me much now, it used to.
- not super well known (again, I couldn't care less)
- their football team sucks
Liverpool Pros:
- Loved the city, absolutely freaking loved the city
- Loved the campus
- PBL (I am 50/50 on this...the opportunity to do group work is great but I don;t like the idea of not having any structure. I will only do medicine 1 time in my life...I want to start with a strong foundation.)
- Cheaper tuition than BSMS and cheaper to live as well
- well known, established school
- opportunity to intercalate
Liverpool Cons:
- PBL (for me)
- no scholarships
- my tuition goes up by 6-9% every year. For internationals, this is a big deal
- no scholarships offered
- don't like the non-structured curriculum
- no dissection
- very weak anatomy teaching (this was confirmed by several students as I waited for my interview/along with some students on TSR)
- Larger class size than BSMS
- you're stuck in your PBL groups, so not much opportunity to meet other people in your program/work with them.
- terrible football team
Um so there you have it
My main attractors to BSMS were it's curriculum, dissection + anatomy teaching, and the scholarship offer. Both are great schools and I was honoured to have had the opportunity to interview at both. Hope this list helps you and others in your decisions.
Cheers.