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Workload/exams at Medical schools

I've heard that some medical schools such as Oxbridge have higher workloads than other schools.

Is there a big difference between workloads?

Which medical schools have the most exams and highest workload?

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Reply 1
I think Cambridge 2nd year has the greatest work load of any medical school in any year. It was supposed to be in the guiness book of world records.
Reply 2
yeah it rli is a nightmare - thankfully the 3rd yr is supposed to be relaxing...

DrDomDom
Terms are only 8 weeks right?

Trying to cram what other unis do in 11-13 weeks or whatever sounds pretty heavy.
Reply 3
Vazzyb
yeah it rli is a nightmare - thankfully the 3rd yr is supposed to be relaxing...


It's all relative I suppose :p:
Reply 4
I think the thing that really makes the most difference is that our terms are so much shorter than everyone elses, so effectively we have 1.5 times the workload whilst were there as were only here maybe 70-75% of the time everyone else is.
Reply 5
Vazzyb
I think Cambridge 2nd year has the greatest work load of any medical school in any year. It was supposed to be in the guiness book of world records.


Imperial 2nd year > Cambridge 2nd year until next year, when they're taking 50 lectures out.

The Guinness World Record book said so
Reply 6
extn
Imperial 2nd year > Cambridge 2nd year until next year, when they're taking 50 lectures out.

The Guinness World Record book said so


lol no one will ever convince me otherwise
Reply 7
I have to say, this year has been pretty stressful in terms of exams. Workload not so much, but exams.....FML they are everywhere. Around every corner.

Like in term time, we had exams every 6 weeks and a PBL writeup per module. So you would chill for 3 weeks, doing lectures, GP attachments, PBLs (2xper week)...then week 4 would hit and you would start revising the stuff you have already been taught in the last 3 weeks, whilst learning the stuff that your being taught + doing PBLs etc...then week 5 would come and you would have to bosh out 2000 words in a writeup whilst doing the above, then week 6 would hit and you would have an anatomy spotter and a written exam. Repeat ad nauseum for the year.

Bit stressful/silly. For example, on Friday we have an exam covering the last 4 weeks and then in a fortnights time, end of year exams.
Reply 8
Apparently the GMC inspection this semester concluded with them saying they want us to spread the work over an extra seven weeks a year as we are being flogged to death. I would have to agree with them.
Reply 9
Cheers for the rep mate :biggrin:
martin101
I think the thing that really makes the most difference is that our terms are so much shorter than everyone elses, so effectively we have 1.5 times the workload whilst were there as were only here maybe 70-75% of the time everyone else is.


A good point, though we get one term of 11 weeks, and one of 12 which works out about the same.

I'm not entirely sure what is about average.
Reply 11
digitalis
Like in term time, we had exams every 6 weeks and a PBL writeup per module. So you would chill for 3 weeks, doing lectures, GP attachments, PBLs (2xper week)...then week 4 would hit and you would start revising the stuff you have already been taught in the last 3 weeks, whilst learning the stuff that your being taught + doing PBLs etc...then week 5 would come and you would have to bosh out 2000 words in a writeup whilst doing the above, then week 6 would hit and you would have an anatomy spotter and a written exam. Repeat ad nauseum for the year.


feel for you. george's are doing the same thing. ongoing placements, lectures, CBLs and no study leave for synoptic end of year exams.. everything is looking gooood...
Reply 12
Second year is sodding miserable, I'll give you that. Certainly the time in medical school I was seconds away from just bashing my brains out on the desk in the Perrin. I don't know if making it shorter will be better or worse, given that it does go on forever but then there's also a tremendous amount to learn. I know third year is a few weeks longer still, but it didn't feel nearly as long for me because it just has a nice chilled feel to it (Or at least it did in the 1999 Curriculum).

After some blabbering then....my day-to-day workload never really kicked in till clinical school but then I did a course which went on forever. I'd have friends from other medschools in the same year who'd got their results, gone on holiday and come back before I'd even finished my last module, let alone gone into the final revision period. Which was kinda frustrating, but not the worst thing in the world exactly.
AEH

Second year is sodding miserable, I'll give you that. Certainly the time in medical school I was seconds away from just bashing my brains out on the desk in the Perrin. I don't know if making it shorter will be better or worse, given that it does go on forever but then there's also a tremendous amount to learn. I know third year is a few weeks longer still, but it didn't feel nearly as long for me because it just has a nice chilled feel to it (Or at least it did in the 1999 Curriculum).


Oh thank God, I thought I was being a bit overreactive. Yeah everyone says how nice 3rd year is, I think it's just the lack of exams tbh!
AEH
It does go on forever


How long is your second year? Mine doesn't end until the 15th of this month and it started on the 16th of September.

extn
Imperial 2nd year > Cambridge 2nd year until next year, when they're taking 50 lectures out.

The Guinness World Record book said so


What exactly about the course makes it harder. If it is the sheer volume of content; how many lectures do they actually get?

Can we get some facts and numbers to go with what people are saying,anyone?.
OP i don't think anyone here can answer that question for you, unless they have been to 2 or more medical schools in the UK and study in the same years, in which case they can compare the two with their own opinion.

But i am under the impression (please correct me if i am wrong) that PBL universities are slightly more relaxed than traditional styled universities; and really medical school is just medical school, you learn the same amount of basic information at the end of your 4/5 years.
Reply 16
ThisLittlePiggy

Can we get some facts and numbers to go with what people are saying,anyone?.


:ditto:

I thought it was Oxford classics (for most exams in shortest time period or something?) till a few years back & is now the Chinese Civil Service*.

extn

Imperial 2nd year > Cambridge 2nd year until next year, when they're taking 50 lectures out.

The Guinness World Record book said so


Do they say so online? I can't find anything relevant: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/default.htm



*

Spoiler

Reply 17
Elles
:ditto:

I thought it was Oxford classics (for most exams in shortest time period or something?) till a few years back & is now the Chinese Civil Service*.



Do they say so online? I can't find anything relevant: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/default.htm



*

Spoiler


I've never found any proof to our claim, but I just like to use it to persuade my NatSci friends that we suffer more than they do. :p: And occasionally people at other universities. :angel: But I have no idea why it would be in the Guiness World Record book anyway.
Reply 18
Elles
:ditto:

I thought it was Oxford classics (for most exams in shortest time period or something?) till a few years back & is now the Chinese Civil Service*.



Do they say so online? I can't find anything relevant: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/default.htm



*

Spoiler


I've never found any proof to our claim, but I just like to use it to persuade my NatSci friends that we suffer more than they do. :p: And occasionally people at other universities. :angel: But I have no idea why it would be in the Guiness World Record book anyway, or how they'd judge it.
I think that the 1st year of my course was pretty gruelling. All the bio-chem and all the anatomy in one single year.

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