Should I put Cambridge medicine as my firm?

That's really not at all a big deal, especially for medicine.

Pretty sure Cambridge also had pretty bad scores in the GMC Preparedness Poll last year, which is pretty disappointing since the main point of medical school is to prepare you to be a doctor.

Plus, Imperial is absolutely among the global elite as far as 'prestige' is concerned.

That said, I'd firm Cambridge in a heartbeat.

Bold is very debatable

And personally I wouldn't care what people thought if it meant choosing the university I wanted to go to. OP has good justification in his first post.

Why not wait to see what offers you get and then make a decision? The bottom line is that you are likely to finish the course thinking your medical school is the best, whichever you choose. That said, you might as well make an informed decision and go where you think you will be happiest out of those that offer you a place.

Potential Cambridge downsides are the heavy basic science focus (many of the tutors are scientists of various descriptions rather than medical doctors) and the extra year studying. However, many of the academics and consultants based in and around Addenbrooke's are very bright/interesting and so fun to be around.

I wouldn't worry too much about prestige or even connections - they can be a small factor to consider (who doesn't want to impress grandma?) but I genuinely don't think they're a major consideration in terms of how your career develops. Sometimes it's easy to score the things that actually do matter for future applications (publications, prizes, being in the top decile, etc) in a "smaller pond". They certainly aren't worth sacrificing anything else for.

One factor that I think is underrated is "where are you most likely to want to work?". Although you can apply anywhere in the country after medical school (through a process that is institution-blind), life can move on quite a long way in 5-6 years. By your final year you might have lots of friends planning to work locally, a long-term partner with their own career plans, and a supervisor looking after your career who will all be based in Cambridge/London/Cardiff. Moving away at that point might not be quite as straightforward as ticking a box on the UKFPO application form.

Congratulations, though, and it's great to be in the position of waiting to hear whether you'll be offered anything you prefer over Cambridge!

Hey! Find this thread really interesting in that I'm pretty much in the exact same position as you. I have yet to receive any other offers apart from Cambridge.

My top choice aside from Cambridge would be UCL. I think a lot of the points about going where you'd be most comfortable are important. However, I think the main factor pulling me to Cambridge would be the research focus. Yeah, you'll be a doctor either way but if you're really interested in doing a lot of research alongside clinical work it's something that Cambridge will really set you up for.

Not 100% set on a decision yet though, will be waiting for other replies

I think you make valid points. It's just up to you to weigh up the pros and cons, I guess.

I think in the clinical years, there won't be much difference in workload. However, preclinical, I do think Cambridge will have a higher workload than the other places.

Also it's worth bearing in mind that for junior doctor applications, you are scored based on how you rank within your medical school cohort. Cambridge medical students have the highest pre-entry UCAS scores, and the second highest national postgraduate exam pass rates (Oxford has better national exam pass rates), so it's likely that it's more difficult to rank highly within your cohort at Cambridge.

Found someone thinking like me aha. Which college? I didn't manage to go to the open day so my only impression is walking around on interview day. Have you seen the lecture halls and facilities? My friend's got an offer for maths there, he was telling me how it can make a huge difference where you go for that, and that it can lead to you have a much bigger salary. For medicine though there isn't such an incentive. I mean, I'm not bothered about the salary as long as it's reasonable (which it already is), but that leaves fewer things encouraging someone to go. What you said about research is definitely true, plus I think it can make it easier for you to get into a teaching position in the future.

I got into Sidney Sussex, and lol same I only got to see the college during interviews. I didn't go to an open day but I did visit clare college for an event there. Even then I didn't get to see many of the facilities or lecture halls - but I did get to wander around Cambridge and the city is definitrly quite nice.

Ive actually tried to search everywhere for where lectures for medicine happen but haven't found an answer. As far as I know, they happen outside of your college but where?

And yeah that is true. I guess most of the motivation to go there has to come from within and the passion you have to do research and study the science in more detail than anywhere else

Lectures/practicals for preclinical medicine used to take place on Downing Site and New Museums Site.

A couple of years ago, the lectures on the New Museums Site moved to the Lady Mitchell Hall on the Sidgwick Site, as the lecture theatre on the New Museums Site was being renovated.

So it'll either be Downing Site and New Museums Site, or Downing Site and Sidgwick Site.

Thank you! So have the lecture halls at New Museum Site been renovated already, or is this still going on

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Good luck with everything!

I got into Sidney Sussex, and lol same I only got to see the college during interviews. I didn't go to an open day but I did visit clare college for an event there. Even then I didn't get to see many of the facilities or lecture halls - but I did get to wander around Cambridge and the city is definitrly quite nice.

Ive actually tried to search everywhere for where lectures for medicine happen but haven't found an answer. As far as I know, they happen outside of your college but where?

And yeah that is true. I guess most of the motivation to go there has to come from within and the passion you have to do research and study the science in more detail than anywhere else

No idea, I'm afraid! Downing Site is still used in any case.

There will probably be publicly viewable timetables on the faculty of biology website. If you Google search for "MVST IA timetables". Should give you the locations etc there too.

Edit: forgot to say, lots of 2nd year lectures are at the Chemistry Lecture Theatre.

Hey guys.

So basically I managed to get an offer from Robinson College at Cambridge which I was pretty gassed with at first. But, I honestly don't know whether to choose Cambridge. I haven't got any other offers yet but if I did, I'm not sure which I'd pick. I know to some people it might sound stupid not to, but hear me out. Cambridge has its perks; the supervisions, the facilities, the wide range of 3rd year research project choices etc but quite simply it's a ton of work from what I've heard. If I was lucky enough to get an Imperial, Cardiff or Queen Mary offer, it would also be hard work but less so and it also (I think) more fun as they're in London/big city; I us think they'd be more fun. And as everyone ends up being a doctor it makes no difference to your job prospects, speciality, salary etc etc. So, work extremely hard and be a doctor or work less hard and be a doctor?

So basically, just in case I'm missing any points here, what are your thoughts? Any points I'm missing?
Sorry if I sound like nob for presenting what some of my friends think isn't a problem, I don't mean to sound ungrateful.

Cheers

. Just to confirm this, does the university you studied at ever matter?

Thanks Yeah I've heard a lot of people end up living where they studied. Just to confirm this, does the university you studied at ever matter? Like maybe post foundation years,applying to private weekend jobs etc?

It certainly doesn't matter very much, if ever. I don't think anyone at work has asked where I went to medical school (even in conversation !!) in five years since qualifying. Don't worry about the way foundation programme applications are scored either. Your decile rank only makes up a tiny proportion of the application score and they'll almost certainly have thought up some equally ridiculous (but different) way to rank you all in 5-6 years time. These are all very minor considerations.

I don't think anyone at work has asked where I went to medical school (even in conversation !!) in five years since qualifying.

Really? I get asked all the time, mostly by consultants (but in a friendly, conversation-starting way).