Kings College London vs. Queen Mary London

When speaking to family etc. they often say Kings because it's supposedly a lot more presitigious, whereas a lot of friends say QMUL is a lot more modern...I love both to be honest but for such different reasons...I need opinions! What are the major points of comparison? What would you choose? (I'm a medicine applicant by the way)

Reply 1

Democracy

20

Original post by arnoldschnitzel

When speaking to family etc. they often say Kings because it's supposedly a lot more presitigious, whereas a lot of friends say QMUL is a lot more modern...I love both to be honest but for such different reasons...I need opinions! What are the major points of comparison? What would you choose? (I'm a medicine applicant by the way)

If we're talking about medicine, "prestige" doesn't make the blindest bit of difference.

Secondly, it's worth noting that the medical school isn't actually called QMUL, that's the parent university. They will get quite annoyed if you call them that during an interview or such like.

Thirdly, if we're just looking at the medical schools rather than the parent universities (i.e. GKT vs BL), as anyone who knows their history will confirm, the LHMC was the oldest medical school in England and Wales and St Bartholomew's is the oldest hospital in the UK. So in fact, BL pre-dates King's by quite some time.

Also, East London is vastly superior to South London. But that's just my personal opinion.

The important thing you need to bear in mind as an applicant is which one you stand a greater chance of getting into - they have different methods of picking candidates for interview. BL makes use of UCAS tariff scoring, so if that's not where your application's strengths lie, don't apply there.

Tl;dr: do your research and forget all this nonsense about prestige.

Reply 2

arnoldschnitzel

OP

1

Original post by Democracy

If we're talking about medicine, "prestige" doesn't make the blindest bit of difference.

Secondly, it's worth noting that the medical school isn't actually called QMUL, that's the parent university. They will get quite annoyed if you call them that during an interview or such like.

Thirdly, if we're just looking at the medical schools rather than the parent universities (i.e. GKT vs BL), as anyone who knows their history will confirm, the LHMC was the oldest medical school in England and Wales and St Bartholomew's is the oldest hospital in the UK. So in fact, BL pre-dates King's by quite some time.

Also, East London is vastly superior to South London. But that's just my personal opinion.

The important thing you need to bear in mind as an applicant is which one you stand a greater chance of getting into - they have different methods of picking candidates for interview. BL makes use of UCAS tariff scoring, so if that's not where your application's strengths lie, don't apply there.

Tl;dr: do your research and forget all this nonsense about prestige.

Hi,
First and foremost, thank you for your response.
I know that Barts is the medical school in affiliation with QMUL but I'm specifically talking about comparison between universities which is why I worded it using QMUL not BL, I know enough about the medical schools, I'm not an idiot and have done my research.
Of course I know that prestige means nothing with medicine but I'm curious to know how they are considered comparatively as universities as a whole!
I know about the application process and the importance of applying using your strengths - I've partly chosen Kings and Barts for that reason, I've got a Kings interview coming up and Barts haven't sent any invites out yet (fingers crossed!).
My main query isn't about the med schools, don't jump to conclusions, I would like to just know how the universities are perceived in a general sense - I would love to know about societies, student life and accommodation!

Thank you for your response though, I appreciate the time you've put into that. :smile:

Reply 3

Democracy

20

Original post by arnoldschnitzel

Hi,
First and foremost, thank you for your response.
I know that Barts is the medical school in affiliation with QMUL but I'm specifically talking about comparison between universities which is why I worded it using QMUL not BL, I know enough about the medical schools, I'm not an idiot and have done my research.

It's an baseless comparison though. As a medical student at BL, you spend very little of your time on the QMUL campus, mostly for pre-clinical anatomy afaik. You will not be a QMSU member and you won't be using the Mile End library. Your affiliation to QMUL is mostly for admin reasons, so I'm not sure why it should be a factor when considering BL life.

(No idea what things are like at GKT, but I'd imagine it's fairly similar - medical schools tend to be quite autonomous and separate to their parent universities).

Of course I know that prestige means nothing with medicine but I'm curious to know how they are considered comparatively as universities as a whole!
I know about the application process and the importance of applying using your strengths - I've partly chosen Kings and Barts for that reason, I've got a Kings interview coming up and Barts haven't sent any invites out yet (fingers crossed!).
My main query isn't about the med schools, don't jump to conclusions, I would like to just know how the universities are perceived in a general sense - I would love to know about societies, student life and accommodation!

Sorry, I didn't realise you'd already applied.

In terms of their overall reputations, both have excellent law schools and affiliated medical schools with famous teaching hospitals. QMUL is also well known for history, English and drama and I believe KCL has a particularly strong war studies department. They both also have a diverse student body and a famous alumni list as long as your arm.

Both are very well known - there are no wrong choices here. If you got offers from both, spend an afternoon walking around each campus and its locality and go with your gut. That's how I'd do it.

Reply 4

iQ Student Accommodation

Official Rep

10

Original post by arnoldschnitzel

My main query isn't about the med schools, don't jump to conclusions, I would like to just know how the universities are perceived in a general sense - I would love to know about societies, student life and accommodation!

Thank you for your response though, I appreciate the time you've put into that. :smile:

Hi Arnoldschnitzel,

We couldn't help with university differences and pros and cons, but we know all about accommodation!

London offers so many different options! You can find student halls suiting every budget and taste. Rooms vary from single en-suite bedrooms to luxurious penthouse studios and the majority of halls offer social spaces, (iQ Shoreditch has set the bar high offering 25 different ones), so students can meet and socialize.

Have you decided which areas you will be looking at? Do you have any budget in mind? These two questions will help you decide where to start your house research from!

Btw, best of luck to your King's interview! :h:

Reply 5

Okorange

17

Original post by arnoldschnitzel

When speaking to family etc. they often say Kings because it's supposedly a lot more presitigious, whereas a lot of friends say QMUL is a lot more modern...I love both to be honest but for such different reasons...I need opinions! What are the major points of comparison? What would you choose? (I'm a medicine applicant by the way)

As a medical student what matters most is the education you are going to receive, because unlike many fields, what you learn in school is relevant to what you will be doing in the future.

Very important is administration, teaching and if you are interested, research. Don't care about what the general university reputation is like. I know its hard to see the big picture now, but one day you will and you don't want to regret your medical school decision because you went for the better known uni when in fact you have to constantly pester the administration to get something done or when you have poor teaching.

Reply 6

Okorange

17

Original post by nkb01

which medical school did you have in mind when writing this? :tongue:

Hahaha, my current one :P Its not that bad but not as good as my previous one :smile:

Reply 7

arnoldschnitzel

OP

1

Original post by iQ Student Accommodation

Hi Arnoldschnitzel,

We couldn't help with university differences and pros and cons, but we know all about accommodation!

London offers so many different options! You can find student halls suiting every budget and taste. Rooms vary from single en-suite bedrooms to luxurious penthouse studios and the majority of halls offer social spaces, (iQ Shoreditch has set the bar high offering 25 different ones), so students can meet and socialize.

Have you decided which areas you will be looking at? Do you have any budget in mind? These two questions will help you decide where to start your house research from!

Btw, best of luck to your King's interview! :h:

Hello, thank you for your reply. I don't want to post too much information on a public site to someone I don't personally know but you could definitely give me some pointers!
I mean obviously I can't assume I'll get in anywhere but hypothetically if I'm lucky enough to receive an offer from either Kings or Queens, I'd be looking to have my own en suite room for the cheapest price possible! I don't want to be sharing a bathroom. I'll be staying as close to the medical school as possible (could be St. George's or Plymouth too, I've had Plymouth interview and have St. George's interview this week) so location is quite important. I'm not exactly rich, being a 17 year old, so I'll be hoping to avoid any huge fee!

Thanks again for your reply.

Reply 8

iQ Student Accommodation

Official Rep

10

Original post by arnoldschnitzel

Hello, thank you for your reply. I don't want to post too much information on a public site to someone I don't personally know but you could definitely give me some pointers!
I mean obviously I can't assume I'll get in anywhere but hypothetically if I'm lucky enough to receive an offer from either Kings or Queens, I'd be looking to have my own en suite room for the cheapest price possible! I don't want to be sharing a bathroom. I'll be staying as close to the medical school as possible (could be St. George's or Plymouth too, I've had Plymouth interview and have St. George's interview this week) so location is quite important. I'm not exactly rich, being a 17 year old, so I'll be hoping to avoid any huge fee!

Thanks again for your reply.

You are very welcome! :h:

We do understand the privacy concerns, no worries at all.

We're always happy to help but our Plymouth housing knowledge is very limited to the point of non-existent. :tongue:

King's medical school however is located in Guy's campus, next door to London Bridge station- one of London's most central locations. Unless you get a reasonably priced university room, private accommodation would be extremely expensive in this area. On the positive site London Bridge is a massive station, serving a number of different means (tube, trains and buses) so you won't have any problem to get to the campus no matter where you choose to stay.

iQ Hoxton for example, located in zone 1/2, would be 27' on the bus. (Hint: Unlike anywhere else, in London any location within an up to 30' commute is considered 'very close'. :tongue: