Having trouble picking between Birmingham, KCL and Bath for biomed.

I’ll just get straight to the point. I applied to Birmingham, KCL, Bath, Cardiff and UCL for biomed (applied medical sciences at UCL).

Cardiff is my home city and even tho I would like to be close to home, I think I need to leave to get out of my comfort zone. Also I don’t really enjoy the course structure as you have to do a general bioscience first year (i hate plant biology lol). So Cardiff is ruled out.

UCL have given me an incredibly low offer of BCC but I didn’t really enjoy the vibe of the uni when i visited. Also I think the AMS course is more suited to medicine rejects that want to do grad med than people who want to go into industry/research. I might be wrong about that tho, but I have also ruled it out.

KCL is the highest ranking for life sciences/medicine but I didn’t really enjoy London when I visited. It is expensive, the people are always in a rush so it seems miserable and it’s obviously very touristy. I didn’t exactly hate London either but I am just worried about not getting the same “student” experience you get with campus unis and finding it harder to make friends. I am also into sports and London doesn’t have the best facilities due to a lack of space. I did love Guy’s campus however and London does have loads of things to do. The course structure is also pretty good but a placement year isn’t really encouraged as much here and there is no option to do an MSci. They have offered me AAC.

Birmingham was probably my favourite city and campus. I might qualify for a sports scholarship which will lower the grade requirements to ABB. Sports facilities are good and will get a typical campus experience. The course seems good and it is based at the med school. Hopefully this will mean a mixture of lecturers from a clinical medicine background and also a research/scientific background. The accommodation is also nice and relatively cheap. A placement year is encouraged and students seem to get good support in applying and I can do an MSci. All round has a good vibe, just not as high ranking as KCL. Birmingham is also 2 hours away from home, which isnt as far as London but it’s further than Bath.

Bath is super low on rankings for some reason?? But it is one of the top unis for graduate employability along with birmingham and KCL (I think birmingham is actually higher than bath but it is a bigger uni offering more subjects). Bath has probably the best placement scheme out of everywhere and allows me to do an MSci. Although I haven’t had chance to visit yet, I feel the city might be a bit boring for me. The campus is not exactly to the standard of birmingham but I think this is a silly reason to not go to a uni. Looking at the modules it is probably my favourite course but it’s super low ranking in the biological/life sciences and medicine is putting me off a bit. Bath is more well known for things like engineering and computer science isn’t it? It’s also an expensive city to live in and the accommodation is really expensive for what it is. Bath is quite close to home, it’s a good distance to gain independence but also it’s easy to come back if need be. They also have great sports facilities and are known for being a sporty uni. They also have the highest offer of them all, AAB + B in welsh bacc. Bath is actually the only uni I haven’t heard from yet.

Sorry for the super long post. I am just looking for any advice on how to eventually choose. They all have pros and cons and I am finding it hard to narrow down my options any further.

I’ll just get straight to the point. I applied to Birmingham, KCL, Bath, Cardiff and UCL for biomed (applied medical sciences at UCL).

Cardiff is my home city and even tho I would like to be close to home, I think I need to leave to get out of my comfort zone. Also I don’t really enjoy the course structure as you have to do a general bioscience first year (i hate plant biology lol). So Cardiff is ruled out.

UCL have given me an incredibly low offer of BCC but I didn’t really enjoy the vibe of the uni when i visited. Also I think the AMS course is more suited to medicine rejects that want to do grad med than people who want to go into industry/research. I might be wrong about that tho, but I have also ruled it out.

KCL is the highest ranking for life sciences/medicine but I didn’t really enjoy London when I visited. It is expensive, the people are always in a rush so it seems miserable and it’s obviously very touristy. I didn’t exactly hate London either but I am just worried about not getting the same “student” experience you get with campus unis and finding it harder to make friends. I am also into sports and London doesn’t have the best facilities due to a lack of space. I did love Guy’s campus however and London does have loads of things to do. The course structure is also pretty good but a placement year isn’t really encouraged as much here and there is no option to do an MSci. They have offered me AAC.

Birmingham was probably my favourite city and campus. I might qualify for a sports scholarship which will lower the grade requirements to ABB. Sports facilities are good and will get a typical campus experience. The course seems good and it is based at the med school. Hopefully this will mean a mixture of lecturers from a clinical medicine background and also a research/scientific background. The accommodation is also nice and relatively cheap. A placement year is encouraged and students seem to get good support in applying and I can do an MSci. All round has a good vibe, just not as high ranking as KCL. Birmingham is also 2 hours away from home, which isnt as far as London but it’s further than Bath.

Bath is super low on rankings for some reason?? But it is one of the top unis for graduate employability along with birmingham and KCL (I think birmingham is actually higher than bath but it is a bigger uni offering more subjects). Bath has probably the best placement scheme out of everywhere and allows me to do an MSci. Although I haven’t had chance to visit yet, I feel the city might be a bit boring for me. The campus is not exactly to the standard of birmingham but I think this is a silly reason to not go to a uni. Looking at the modules it is probably my favourite course but it’s super low ranking in the biological/life sciences and medicine is putting me off a bit. Bath is more well known for things like engineering and computer science isn’t it? It’s also an expensive city to live in and the accommodation is really expensive for what it is. Bath is quite close to home, it’s a good distance to gain independence but also it’s easy to come back if need be. They also have great sports facilities and are known for being a sporty uni. They also have the highest offer of them all, AAB + B in welsh bacc. Bath is actually the only uni I haven’t heard from yet.

Sorry for the super long post. I am just looking for any advice on how to eventually choose. They all have pros and cons and I am finding it hard to narrow down my options any further.

It sounds like you like Birmingham the most, I would go with that if I were you!

Bath - you like the course - it's not boring so don't decide before you visit

I’m trying not to go into it with preconceived ideas but it’s hard haha. Did you go to bath? Also do you have any idea why it’s much lower on my specific subject league tables than the other unis? Is it just due to the fact it’s a smaller uni?

No I didn't go to Bath but some colleagues and ex-students have. I think rankings are very unreliable tbh - I think the placement scheme is one of the best.

I’ll just get straight to the point. I applied to Birmingham, KCL, Bath, Cardiff and UCL for biomed (applied medical sciences at UCL).

Cardiff is my home city and even tho I would like to be close to home, I think I need to leave to get out of my comfort zone. Also I don’t really enjoy the course structure as you have to do a general bioscience first year (i hate plant biology lol). So Cardiff is ruled out.

UCL have given me an incredibly low offer of BCC but I didn’t really enjoy the vibe of the uni when i visited. Also I think the AMS course is more suited to medicine rejects that want to do grad med than people who want to go into industry/research. I might be wrong about that tho, but I have also ruled it out.

KCL is the highest ranking for life sciences/medicine but I didn’t really enjoy London when I visited. It is expensive, the people are always in a rush so it seems miserable and it’s obviously very touristy. I didn’t exactly hate London either but I am just worried about not getting the same “student” experience you get with campus unis and finding it harder to make friends. I am also into sports and London doesn’t have the best facilities due to a lack of space. I did love Guy’s campus however and London does have loads of things to do. The course structure is also pretty good but a placement year isn’t really encouraged as much here and there is no option to do an MSci. They have offered me AAC.

Birmingham was probably my favourite city and campus. I might qualify for a sports scholarship which will lower the grade requirements to ABB. Sports facilities are good and will get a typical campus experience. The course seems good and it is based at the med school. Hopefully this will mean a mixture of lecturers from a clinical medicine background and also a research/scientific background. The accommodation is also nice and relatively cheap. A placement year is encouraged and students seem to get good support in applying and I can do an MSci. All round has a good vibe, just not as high ranking as KCL. Birmingham is also 2 hours away from home, which isnt as far as London but it’s further than Bath.

Bath is super low on rankings for some reason?? But it is one of the top unis for graduate employability along with birmingham and KCL (I think birmingham is actually higher than bath but it is a bigger uni offering more subjects). Bath has probably the best placement scheme out of everywhere and allows me to do an MSci. Although I haven’t had chance to visit yet, I feel the city might be a bit boring for me. The campus is not exactly to the standard of birmingham but I think this is a silly reason to not go to a uni. Looking at the modules it is probably my favourite course but it’s super low ranking in the biological/life sciences and medicine is putting me off a bit. Bath is more well known for things like engineering and computer science isn’t it? It’s also an expensive city to live in and the accommodation is really expensive for what it is. Bath is quite close to home, it’s a good distance to gain independence but also it’s easy to come back if need be. They also have great sports facilities and are known for being a sporty uni. They also have the highest offer of them all, AAB + B in welsh bacc. Bath is actually the only uni I haven’t heard from yet.

Sorry for the super long post. I am just looking for any advice on how to eventually choose. They all have pros and cons and I am finding it hard to narrow down my options any further.

yeah the placement scheme does seem amazing it’s one of the main reasons i applied. just a bit worried about the quality of teaching in the life science/medicine field because they aren’t really known for these types of subjects.

I’ll just get straight to the point. I applied to Birmingham, KCL, Bath, Cardiff and UCL for biomed (applied medical sciences at UCL).

Cardiff is my home city and even tho I would like to be close to home, I think I need to leave to get out of my comfort zone. Also I don’t really enjoy the course structure as you have to do a general bioscience first year (i hate plant biology lol). So Cardiff is ruled out.

UCL have given me an incredibly low offer of BCC but I didn’t really enjoy the vibe of the uni when i visited. Also I think the AMS course is more suited to medicine rejects that want to do grad med than people who want to go into industry/research. I might be wrong about that tho, but I have also ruled it out.

KCL is the highest ranking for life sciences/medicine but I didn’t really enjoy London when I visited. It is expensive, the people are always in a rush so it seems miserable and it’s obviously very touristy. I didn’t exactly hate London either but I am just worried about not getting the same “student” experience you get with campus unis and finding it harder to make friends. I am also into sports and London doesn’t have the best facilities due to a lack of space. I did love Guy’s campus however and London does have loads of things to do. The course structure is also pretty good but a placement year isn’t really encouraged as much here and there is no option to do an MSci. They have offered me AAC.

Birmingham was probably my favourite city and campus. I might qualify for a sports scholarship which will lower the grade requirements to ABB. Sports facilities are good and will get a typical campus experience. The course seems good and it is based at the med school. Hopefully this will mean a mixture of lecturers from a clinical medicine background and also a research/scientific background. The accommodation is also nice and relatively cheap. A placement year is encouraged and students seem to get good support in applying and I can do an MSci. All round has a good vibe, just not as high ranking as KCL. Birmingham is also 2 hours away from home, which isnt as far as London but it’s further than Bath.

Bath is super low on rankings for some reason?? But it is one of the top unis for graduate employability along with birmingham and KCL (I think birmingham is actually higher than bath but it is a bigger uni offering more subjects). Bath has probably the best placement scheme out of everywhere and allows me to do an MSci. Although I haven’t had chance to visit yet, I feel the city might be a bit boring for me. The campus is not exactly to the standard of birmingham but I think this is a silly reason to not go to a uni. Looking at the modules it is probably my favourite course but it’s super low ranking in the biological/life sciences and medicine is putting me off a bit. Bath is more well known for things like engineering and computer science isn’t it? It’s also an expensive city to live in and the accommodation is really expensive for what it is. Bath is quite close to home, it’s a good distance to gain independence but also it’s easy to come back if need be. They also have great sports facilities and are known for being a sporty uni. They also have the highest offer of them all, AAB + B in welsh bacc. Bath is actually the only uni I haven’t heard from yet.

Sorry for the super long post. I am just looking for any advice on how to eventually choose. They all have pros and cons and I am finding it hard to narrow down my options any further.

I’ll just get straight to the point. I applied to Birmingham, KCL, Bath, Cardiff and UCL for biomed (applied medical sciences at UCL).

Cardiff is my home city and even tho I would like to be close to home, I think I need to leave to get out of my comfort zone. Also I don’t really enjoy the course structure as you have to do a general bioscience first year (i hate plant biology lol). So Cardiff is ruled out.

UCL have given me an incredibly low offer of BCC but I didn’t really enjoy the vibe of the uni when i visited. Also I think the AMS course is more suited to medicine rejects that want to do grad med than people who want to go into industry/research. I might be wrong about that tho, but I have also ruled it out.

KCL is the highest ranking for life sciences/medicine but I didn’t really enjoy London when I visited. It is expensive, the people are always in a rush so it seems miserable and it’s obviously very touristy. I didn’t exactly hate London either but I am just worried about not getting the same “student” experience you get with campus unis and finding it harder to make friends. I am also into sports and London doesn’t have the best facilities due to a lack of space. I did love Guy’s campus however and London does have loads of things to do. The course structure is also pretty good but a placement year isn’t really encouraged as much here and there is no option to do an MSci. They have offered me AAC.

Birmingham was probably my favourite city and campus. I might qualify for a sports scholarship which will lower the grade requirements to ABB. Sports facilities are good and will get a typical campus experience. The course seems good and it is based at the med school. Hopefully this will mean a mixture of lecturers from a clinical medicine background and also a research/scientific background. The accommodation is also nice and relatively cheap. A placement year is encouraged and students seem to get good support in applying and I can do an MSci. All round has a good vibe, just not as high ranking as KCL. Birmingham is also 2 hours away from home, which isnt as far as London but it’s further than Bath.

Bath is super low on rankings for some reason?? But it is one of the top unis for graduate employability along with birmingham and KCL (I think birmingham is actually higher than bath but it is a bigger uni offering more subjects). Bath has probably the best placement scheme out of everywhere and allows me to do an MSci. Although I haven’t had chance to visit yet, I feel the city might be a bit boring for me. The campus is not exactly to the standard of birmingham but I think this is a silly reason to not go to a uni. Looking at the modules it is probably my favourite course but it’s super low ranking in the biological/life sciences and medicine is putting me off a bit. Bath is more well known for things like engineering and computer science isn’t it? It’s also an expensive city to live in and the accommodation is really expensive for what it is. Bath is quite close to home, it’s a good distance to gain independence but also it’s easy to come back if need be. They also have great sports facilities and are known for being a sporty uni. They also have the highest offer of them all, AAB + B in welsh bacc. Bath is actually the only uni I haven’t heard from yet.

Sorry for the super long post. I am just looking for any advice on how to eventually choose. They all have pros and cons and I am finding it hard to narrow down my options any further.

If you were struggling to choose between UCL and Birmingham, I would say UCL. Most students end up in careers that are not related to their degrees, so course ranking often becomes irrelevant, and having gone to a uni with such a high reputation can open doors and carry some kudos, but as you never liked UCL, I would agree that Birmingham is probably your best option……but also give Bath some due consideration as per comments from @Muttley79

Why? RG is certainly no guarantee off good teaching!

https://www.bath.ac.uk/

Named university of the year

https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-2023/biosciences/#accolades

Only you can decide this. You need to visit and decide. Do you fancy a small city as Bath is only a fraction the size of others. If you want a campus university Bath fits the bill. As far as Birmingham is concerned look into accommodation after the first year. The areas students live does not have a great reputation. Dont worry about ranking or RG as they are meaningless. Bath has really top sports facilities if that interests you.

I don't know anything about STEM as someone who does humanities, but honestly the London unis aren't as cracked up as what they seem for undergrads. For postgrad, it'd be great maybe, but I think stick with Bath or Birm. I lean more towards Bath, as it has a better reputation for STEM and the city generally is a bit nicer and safer. I have a step-brother who went to Bath for Mathematics and he loved it, my brother rejected Birmingham for Computer Science and said he was happy he didn't go there. It's your choice! But that's my input.

I know, was just looking for other people's experiences. Honestly, selly oak doesn't worry me as a place to live. It is much better than Cathays (the student area in Cardiff) so I don't mind. I am more worried about the second-year accommodation in Bath, everything seems expensive and you have to get a bus into the university. I am not particularly worried about ranking and definitely don't care if a uni is RG or not. The only thing that concerns me is that if Bath is low down on the rankings (for my subject) then it might have worse teaching quality, but I don't think this is the case. I think the low rankings are just due to it being a smaller institution and it being a relatively 'new' university. I would still like to talk to a bioscience student at Bath though to get their experience which I am sure I will have the chance to do when I visit!

Look at the links I posted - Bath is not low-rated.

I am going from this ranking: https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2022/life-sciences-medicine

I know, was just looking for other people's experiences. Honestly, selly oak doesn't worry me as a place to live. It is much better than Cathays (the student area in Cardiff) so I don't mind. I am more worried about the second-year accommodation in Bath, everything seems expensive and you have to get a bus into the university. I am not particularly worried about ranking and definitely don't care if a uni is RG or not. The only thing that concerns me is that if Bath is low down on the rankings (for my subject) then it might have worse teaching quality, but I don't think this is the case. I think the low rankings are just due to it being a smaller institution and it being a relatively 'new' university. I would still like to talk to a bioscience student at Bath though to get their experience which I am sure I will have the chance to do when I visit!

Just shows how silly rankings are doesn't it! None of them agree and they can't be replicated as their 'analysis' is dodgy.