The Student Room Group

KCL vs Edinburgh?

I've received offers from both KCL and Edinburgh, and am stuck between the two.

I was leaning toward KCL, as I wanted to live in London, but I was looking online and saw that KCL had one of the worst student satisfaction scores - would anybody be able to explain/elaborate on maybe why that is? I also know that KCL has a lot more medic students than Edinburgh, would you consider this a positive or negative?

I would appreciate any insight about either of the two schools! Pros, cons anything would be great!
Original post by coboji
I've received offers from both KCL and Edinburgh, and am stuck between the two.

I was leaning toward KCL, as I wanted to live in London, but I was looking online and saw that KCL had one of the worst student satisfaction scores - would anybody be able to explain/elaborate on maybe why that is? I also know that KCL has a lot more medic students than Edinburgh, would you consider this a positive or negative?

I would appreciate any insight about either of the two schools! Pros, cons anything would be great!


Probably a lot of international students. KCL is an internationally renowned university.
Why would it affect you as to whether there are a lot more medicine students?
Reply 2
Original post by bigrocks
Probably a lot of international students. KCL is an internationally renowned university.
Why would it affect you as to whether there are a lot more medicine students?

This is just me making assumptions, but I thought that a larger cohort of students may mean less opportunities to meet with professors/ less personalized teaching, etc. On the other hand, it may also mean more opportunities/facilities/resources? Please correct me if I am wrong though!
Original post by coboji
This is just me making assumptions, but I thought that a larger cohort of students may mean less opportunities to meet with professors/ less personalized teaching, etc. On the other hand, it may also mean more opportunities/facilities/resources? Please correct me if I am wrong though!

good point, I don't know any of the specifics.
My friend's brother studies medicine at KCL and he only complains about the facilities of the university not being that good like the library.
Reply 4
I love Medicine at Edinburgh I think it provides such a comprehensive experience that is receptive to who you are as a person. There are many opportunities to develop your own interests from Y1 and work with many amazing clinicians and researchers. I would personally say medicine in Edinburgh makes you into a doctor quite effortlessly without you having to become a martyr you know. We all have great, interesting lives whilst pursuing our dreams. I am personally extremely glad I chose Edinburgh. Also, I know people who have gone down to KCL to do their intercalation there so that's always something you can do. The town itself is great to study in with a big central student population, lots of great places and cafes to study in and a lot of culture on your doorstep. Whatever you choose I am sure you will be very happy.
Reply 5
Also, to your size question. We started at 205 which has increased/decreased over the years due to GEM students skipping internal or receiving students from St Andrews. I like the size of our year and how we get to work with everyone over the years. From speaking to someone who studies in a bigger year of 300+, the first couple of years don't feel as personal and you don't maybe get that tighter-knit supportive community that we have in Edinburgh.
Original post by coboji
I've received offers from both KCL and Edinburgh, and am stuck between the two.

I was leaning toward KCL, as I wanted to live in London, but I was looking online and saw that KCL had one of the worst student satisfaction scores - would anybody be able to explain/elaborate on maybe why that is? I also know that KCL has a lot more medic students than Edinburgh, would you consider this a positive or negative?

I would appreciate any insight about either of the two schools! Pros, cons anything would be great!


Go for KCL every time. Beware of student ratings...often disgruntled students are the most vociferous.
Being in London is an education in its own right. And at KCL , you come out with a degree from the Univ Of London, which has a very high reputation and renown world wide.
Some employers ( in England) are very very suspicious of degrees from Scottish univs, and this can be even more of a problem in some overseas countries, if you ever work overseas. In some overseas countries , it is difficult to convince an employer that a degree from a Scottish university is a "proper" degree!
Original post by eaglestone
Go for KCL every time. Beware of student ratings...often disgruntled students are the most vociferous.
Being in London is an education in its own right. And at KCL , you come out with a degree from the Univ Of London, which has a very high reputation and renown world wide.
Some employers ( in England) are very very suspicious of degrees from Scottish univs, and this can be even more of a problem in some overseas countries, if you ever work overseas. In some overseas countries , it is difficult to convince an employer that a degree from a Scottish university is a "proper" degree!

as a Scottish person - really you're snooping that low ?

also here's a quote from the one and only "There are no "top" or "bottom" medical schools. All med schools are GMC accredited and when it comes to choosing specialties, you don't get an advantage having graduated from Oxbridge and you don't get disadvantanged if you studied at Anglia Ruskin."

clearly you don't know what you're talking about
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by eaglestone
Go for KCL every time. Beware of student ratings...often disgruntled students are the most vociferous.
Being in London is an education in its own right. And at KCL , you come out with a degree from the Univ Of London, which has a very high reputation and renown world wide.
Some employers ( in England) are very very suspicious of degrees from Scottish univs, and this can be even more of a problem in some overseas countries, if you ever work overseas. In some overseas countries , it is difficult to convince an employer that a degree from a Scottish university is a "proper" degree!

From speaking to international students, Edinburgh has a very high standing in terms of being a world-renowned centre for science and clinical research and that's why we have partnerships with universities across the world.

Why would English employers be suspicious of someone with an Edinburgh degree? Esp for medicine which doesn't score your FY1 post at all by what uni you went to.

Last I checked Edinburgh was the 5th best medical school in the UK and 19th in the world. Which is better than KCL. So make of that what you wish.
Original post by stereotypeasian
as a Scottish person - really you're snooping that low ?

also here's a quote from the one and only @ecolier "There are no "top" or "bottom" medical schools. All med schools are GMC accredited and when it comes to choosing specialties, you don't get an advantage having graduated from Oxbridge and you don't get disadvantanged if you studied at Anglia Ruskin."

clearly you don't know what you're talking about


I'm basing my comments on the experience of my older brother and quite a lot of his contemporaries who have good first degrees from Glasgow University, and have received feedback from potential employers in England and overseas questioning the "quality" of Scottish degrees compared to degrees from universities in England.
I myself am not in any way trying to denigrate Scotland, Scottish universities, or the Scottish people.
I would say that very, very few employers in England, or elsewhere in the world, both big and small companies and organisations, know very much at all about university ranking tables, or are all that much concerned about the nuances of the rankings, apart from knowing that Oxford, Cambridge, and London are all high quality universities.
Original post by eaglestone
I'm basing my comments on the experience of my older brother and quite a lot of his contemporaries who have good first degrees from Glasgow University, and have received feedback from potential employers in England and overseas questioning the "quality" of Scottish degrees compared to degrees from universities in England.
I myself am not in any way trying to denigrate Scotland, Scottish universities, or the Scottish people.
I would say that very, very few employers in England, or elsewhere in the world, both big and small companies and organisations, know very much at all about university ranking tables, or are all that much concerned about the nuances of the rankings, apart from knowing that Oxford, Cambridge, and London are all high quality universities.

I'm assuming your brother didn't do a medicine degree.....
@stereotypeasian I'm also assuming that he doesn't know that the University of Glasgow awarded the first medical degree and that Edinburgh Med School graduates founded 5/7 Ivy League medical schools, but I guess he just knows something we don't. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

A survey which is important is livability of a city and last time I checked Edinburgh was number 4 in the world (Deutsche Bank Liveability Survey). Rankings and surveys are reliable and are a valuable bit of information to help you make an informed decision. Speaking as a scottish person who knows many scottish people who have degrees from scottish universities, I have never heard of someone being told their degree was "of a questionable quality" or that even being inferred; not in the UK, not in Australia, not anywhere across the world.
(edited 3 years ago)
@coboji here are some tips on deciding between your offers

Pros and cons are often going to be fairly personal , but a couple of things to consider: university sports/societies, nightlife, distance from home/loved ones, if you know anyone there you want to be with/avoid, your offer grades , if you want to do an intercalated BSc at KCL, etc
Ultimately, it can be quite an ‘arbitrary’ decision if they have the same offer and you’d be happy at both, so if you have to flip a coin, do
:smile:
Original post by eaglestone
I'm basing my comments on the experience of my older brother and quite a lot of his contemporaries who have good first degrees from Glasgow University, and have received feedback from potential employers in England and overseas questioning the "quality" of Scottish degrees compared to degrees from universities in England.
I myself am not in any way trying to denigrate Scotland, Scottish universities, or the Scottish people.
I would say that very, very few employers in England, or elsewhere in the world, both big and small companies and organisations, know very much at all about university ranking tables, or are all that much concerned about the nuances of the rankings, apart from knowing that Oxford, Cambridge, and London are all high quality universities.


1) Edinburgh is 17th in the QS World Rankings.
2)One of the oldest Universities in English speaking world.
3) One of the most prestigious uni's in the UK. UK Rankings mean jack all - They mean nothing when Lancaster is higher up than UCL Just LOL.No one cares about Student Satisfaction. If they did, Imperial wouldn't be a target would it?
4) Edinburgh is a Semi Target uni for Investment banking(IB)]
5) Edinburgh is way more prestigious compared to KCL.

4) Scottish Uni's offer no advantage or disadvantage over English degrees. St Andrews is also a Scottish degree, rated V highly and sends off lots of talent to IB every year.
Original post by emirogram
1) Edinburgh is 17th in the QS World Rankings.
2)One of the oldest Universities in English speaking world.
3) One of the most prestigious uni's in the UK. UK Rankings mean jack all - They mean nothing when Lancaster is higher up than UCL Just LOL.No one cares about Student Satisfaction. If they did, Imperial wouldn't be a target would it?
4) Edinburgh is a Semi Target uni for Investment banking(IB)]
5) Edinburgh is way more prestigious compared to KCL.

4) Scottish Uni's offer no advantage or disadvantage over English degrees. St Andrews is also a Scottish degree, rated V highly and sends off lots of talent to IB every year.

Edinburgh is not more prestigious than KCL. If you genuinely believe that, it’s delusion. KCL has the advantage of being in London and is very well recognised internationally. Even through I love Scotland, Edinburgh is disadvantaged by being in Scotland. Scotland is not anywhere as well known for its education As England Is.
Original post by Whatisizekiah
Edinburgh is not more prestigious than KCL. If you genuinely believe that, it’s delusion. KCL has the advantage of being in London and is very well recognised internationally. Even through I love Scotland, Edinburgh is disadvantaged by being in Scotland. Scotland is not anywhere as well known for its education As England Is

So, from this the only reason KCL beats Edinburgh in terms of prestige is location. Yes, being in London does add some prestige I grant you that. Scottish institutions are some of the oldest in the world; 5/7 of Ivy Leagues were set up by Edinburgh grads. Edinburgh has a better international reputation than KCL. You really a delusional if you think otherwise. Why does Edinburgh have way more exchange programs with elite US Institutions and Ivy League colleges than most universities except Oxbridge, and most definitely KCL? Edinburgh is ranked 18th in the world QS rankings and beats kings. The QS ranking is the best indicator of academic prestige and reputation. Please speak with facts instead of forming arguments with personal bias. Have a nice day :smile:
Consider your living standard too. I live in Musselburgh & study at Edinburgh: the cost of living here is considerably lower than that of London. It's also considerably better to live here because the water doesn't taste like it's come from an old sewage barrel (sorry Londoners... my experiences with that tap water are harrowing.)

Anyway, just make sure to weigh up your living vs the education. As far as education goes I won't argue since I'm not a medical student, but I can guarantee that the nightlife in Edinburgh can't be beat (price vs. performance) and also that the opportunities for hikes, nature loving and everything in-between are infinitely better anywhere in Scotland vs. London.
Original post by emirogram
So, from this the only reason KCL beats Edinburgh in terms of prestige is location. Yes, being in London does add some prestige I grant you that. Scottish institutions are some of the oldest in the world; 5/7 of Ivy Leagues were set up by Edinburgh grads. Edinburgh has a better international reputation than KCL. You really a delusional if you think otherwise. Why does Edinburgh have way more exchange programs with elite US Institutions and Ivy League colleges than most universities except Oxbridge, and most definitely KCL? Edinburgh is ranked 18th in the world QS rankings and beats kings. The QS ranking is the best indicator of academic prestige and reputation. Please speak with facts instead of forming arguments with personal bias. Have a nice day :smile:

We can agree to disagree. Plus, the university you go to for medicine doesn’t matter when it comes to medicine so it’s not that important. But I respectfully disagree. Have a good day too!!
Reply 18
Original post by Whatisizekiah
Edinburgh is not more prestigious than KCL. If you genuinely believe that, it’s delusion. KCL has the advantage of being in London and is very well recognised internationally. Even through I love Scotland, Edinburgh is disadvantaged by being in Scotland. Scotland is not anywhere as well known for its education As England Is.
By all means Edinburgh is more prestigious than King's.
As one of the ancient unis, Edinburgh is ranked higher than KCL globally and nationally;
Edinburgh is Scotland's capital, and I don't see any downsides to it.
King's would only gain prestige just for being in London if UCL/Imperial/LSE did not exist.
Edinburgh also has the third-largest endowment in the UK (behind only Cambridge and Oxford
Period.
Original post by coboji
I've received offers from both KCL and Edinburgh, and am stuck between the two.
I was leaning toward KCL, as I wanted to live in London, but I was looking online and saw that KCL had one of the worst student satisfaction scores - would anybody be able to explain/elaborate on maybe why that is? I also know that KCL has a lot more medic students than Edinburgh, would you consider this a positive or negative?
I would appreciate any insight about either of the two schools! Pros, cons anything would be great!

Go to KCL, I’ve been to the university of Edinburgh, applied, done my interview, it is not as hard to get in as KCL and it is not super prestigious and glamorous. If you have the money, study in London, I would pick KCL over any Scottish university and I go to one! At the end of the day it’s not about the prestige but about which one you like the most, it is a long degree.

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