The Student Room Group

3 days left to decide - still haven't chosen my firm/insurance!

I made a thread a few weeks ago about choosing between King's med school and Birmingham's med school and got several helpful replies.. Unfortunately, I'm still undecided. My pros and cons list of each is several pages long and isn't really helping me get any closer to a decision.

I think my problem is that I like each of them pretty much equally - so choosing one of the two means I miss out on the other one. I've only got 3 days (!!!) left to make a decision on UCAS and I'm quite panicked now.
What would you guys recommend I do to decide between them?

Thanks!

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My choice would be Birmingham because I'd hate to continue living in London.

You'll probably make more friends there too
Original post by Lawliettt
My choice would be Birmingham because I'd hate to continue living in London.

You'll probably make more friends there too



Yeah, I 100% agree with the bit in bold - it would probably be a lot easier to make friends at Birmingham. However, everybody always says that London is the best city to be a student in... What do you think about that?
Original post by happydays101
However, everybody always says that London is the best city to be a student in... What do you think about that?


Lool

Who said that? To work in? But that wouldn't even matter in your case. Medicine graduates are basically guaranteed jobs.

But to live in? Hell no. It's just an overpriced, traffic congested mess at times. It's one of the reasons why i didn't bother putting down any London universities. I don't want to live at home and i dont want to pay ridiculous accommodation fees.

And in a lot of cases, the area around London Universities can be unappealing. Particularly Queen Marys. Kings isn't as bad. But the area still isn't as nice as many other institutions.
Useful TSR article to read : http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=16167-firm-and-insurance-choices

This weekend is the time to make your choices and get it sorted on Track. Tuesday/Wednesday the UCAS site will get very busy - do it now.
Original post by happydays101
Yeah, I 100% agree with the bit in bold - it would probably be a lot easier to make friends at Birmingham. However, everybody always says that London is the best city to be a student in... What do you think about that?


I always heard the opposite, that London's the absolute WORST city to be a student in. It's overpriced (good luck affording anywhere to live on your meagre loan), people are rude, and the city's just plain dirty. Multiculturalism's a lie as races tend to keep to themselves in their own self created ghettos. There's also no student atmosphere in London because of how spread out it is and because of a lack of student aimed events.

Go Birmingham, you'll be happier there. No one is truly happy in London
Original post by returnmigrant
Useful TSR article to read : http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=16167-firm-and-insurance-choices

This weekend is the time to make your choices and get it sorted on Track. Tuesday/Wednesday the UCAS site will get very busy - do it now.


Thanks for the article link! Gosh, really? That's stressful, so I only really have today to do it? D:
Original post by Lawliettt
Lool

Who said that? To work in? But that wouldn't even matter in your case. Medicine graduates are basically guaranteed jobs.

But to live in? Hell no. It's just an overpriced, traffic congested mess at times. It's one of the reasons why i didn't bother putting down any London universities. I don't want to live at home and i dont want to pay ridiculous accommodation fees.

And in a lot of cases, the area around London Universities can be unappealing. Particularly Queen Marys. Kings isn't as bad. But the area still isn't as nice as many other institutions.


Original post by super_kawaii
I always heard the opposite, that London's the absolute WORST city to be a student in. It's overpriced (good luck affording anywhere to live on your meagre loan), people are rude, and the city's just plain dirty. Multiculturalism's a lie as races tend to keep to themselves in their own self created ghettos. There's also no student atmosphere in London because of how spread out it is and because of a lack of student aimed events.

Go Birmingham, you'll be happier there. No one is truly happy in London




Wow, I was leaning towards King's slightly but both of your descriptions of London have put me off it! Is London really that bad? I've heard lots about it, but always assumed people were overexaggerating when they said that everybody in London was rude - but I guess not :/
No student atmosphere? What do you mean by that?
Original post by happydays101
Thanks for the article link! Gosh, really? That's stressful, so I only really have today to do it? D:


No, and that isnt what I said. Its just that leaving this sort of decision to the last minute isnt a good idea - on the last day when busy the UCAS site often goes slow or freezes. That really IS stressful.
Original post by happydays101
Wow, I was leaning towards King's slightly but both of your descriptions of London have put me off it! Is London really that bad? I've heard lots about it, but always assumed people were overexaggerating when they said that everybody in London was rude - but I guess not :/
No student atmosphere? What do you mean by that?


They're exaggerating quite a bit, although I would say the decision comes down to what you think of London; it's very very marmite. Things in London will be more expensive which is definitely something worth taking into consideration, especially cause you're gonna be there for a long old while doing medicine. And people aren't as rude as they're accused of being, but you'll find that everyone generally has something they're in the middle of doing, so they're all in their own bubble. It is very 'hustle and bustle', so to speak, and that doesn't appeal to a lot of people.

On the upside though, there is always something to do in London, especially if you're well situated. Exhibition Road is incredible. And the nightlife is really good too; there're so many different scenes that you'll definitely find something for you. And given that there're so many people - not to mention so many students - in London, you won't struggle to make friends. Also, Hyde Park is stunning.

I'd say it depends what kind of person you are tbh. Birmingham will almost certainly be a more chilled atmosphere with a lot less pressure, and the cheaper living costs shouldn't be underestimated. But if you like being busy and having stuff to do all the time, then London is absolutely awesome (as you can probably tell, I'm quite a fan of London myself).
Original post by Luke Kostanjsek
But if you like being busy and having stuff to do all the time, then London is absolutely awesome


Really though? People who attend London universities usually say this but i don't think it's true.

There's no genuine advantage. There's stuff to do in many Cities around England, not just London. And they're all for cheaper prices. Being in London over Birmingham wouldn't make you more busy. How busy you are depends on how much you like going out.

Maybe if I this was law you could say London has more prestigious law firms. But it's medicine. I don't see what benifit a medicine student could have by studying in London over another big city. It's not even like London is full of beautiful areas either. That's just my opinion though.
Original post by Lawliettt
Really though? People who attend London universities usually say this but i don't think it's true.

There's no genuine advantage. There's stuff to do in many Cities around England, not just London. And they're all for cheaper prices. Being in London over Birmingham wouldn't make you more busy. How busy you are depends on how much you like going out.

Maybe if I this was law you could say London has more prestigious law firms. But it's medicine. I don't see what benifit a medicine student could have by studying in London over another big city. It's not even like London is full of beautiful areas either. That's just my opinion though.


I agree that there will be almost no difference in terms of outcome of your degree - although in saying that, I think Kings is attached to a better teaching hospital than Birmingham is - but that isn't what I was getting at. There are more things to do in London than any other city, simply on account of it being bigger. I guess it comes down to an atmosphere thing, but I love the vibe around London. Also, I think the area around the universities - Hyde Park, Exhibition Road etc - is really pretty. Each to their own I guess :tongue:
Original post by Luke Kostanjsek
I agree that there will be almost no difference in terms of outcome of your degree - although in saying that, I think Kings is attached to a better teaching hospital than Birmingham is - but that isn't what I was getting at. There are more things to do in London than any other city, simply on account of it being bigger. I guess it comes down to an atmosphere thing, but I love the vibe around London. Also, I think the area around the universities - Hyde Park, Exhibition Road etc - is really pretty. Each to their own I guess :tongue:


Kings' teaching hospitals (Guy's and St Thomas') are supposed to be fantastic, yeah. Birmingham's teaching hospital, however, is the biggest in England (and the UK? Maybe?) in terms of number of beds XD So I don't know really, they're fairly evenly balanced on that respect XD

Yeah, I guess it's one of those things that you either love or hate - I'm definitely a city girl but I also like countrysidish areas at time. I think my biggest fear is that I'll get to London and despise it, or I'll get to Birmingham and be bored :lol: Thanks for the more positive outlook on London though, glad to hear that it's not all negative! :tongue:
:bump:
Original post by happydays101
:bump:


I'm at KCL for my postgrad and I honestly love it. I think London gets a bad rep sometimes. I hated UCL, but KCL is amazing. Also, my friends studying Medicine at other unis say that going to a London uni for Medicine gives you an edge over other unis. I'm not sure how true that is but in general I think KCL has a better reputation than Birmingham (although also a very good uni) and especially internationally too. I work near GSST and go there for work sometimes and it's a really good hospital also in a very nice location. I also think there would probably be more to do in London, it's a huge city with loads going on all the time.

Good luck, not an easy decision to make!
Original post by happydays101
I made a thread a few weeks ago about choosing between King's med school and Birmingham's med school and got several helpful replies.. Unfortunately, I'm still undecided. My pros and cons list of each is several pages long and isn't really helping me get any closer to a decision.

I think my problem is that I like each of them pretty much equally - so choosing one of the two means I miss out on the other one. I've only got 3 days (!!!) left to make a decision on UCAS and I'm quite panicked now.
What would you guys recommend I do to decide between them?

Thanks!


Although it feels like a daunting situation to be in, in the long run it won't matter too much. You will still have an amazing time whichever one you go to. You will still have a challenging, stressful time whichever one you go to. You talk about missing out, but once you're there all you'll be thinking about is how to get stuck in where you are.
I think the issue you want to really ask yourself is where do I want to live for 5 years? Can I afford London (whatever people say, finding affordable accommodation is hard and you will pay more than at Birmingham). There may be more things on your doorstep in London, but it could still be an hours tube journey. An hours train journey from Birmingham will still give you plenty of things to see and do.

But really, my point is not to stress. You can analyse x point at y university is better than at z university but its all just numbers. Both will still be medicine, both will still have great student experiences. I really don't think you'll go to one but wish you'd made a different choice. you'll just be happy to be there.
Original post by ForestCat
Although it feels like a daunting situation to be in, in the long run it won't matter too much. You will still have an amazing time whichever one you go to. You will still have a challenging, stressful time whichever one you go to. You talk about missing out, but once you're there all you'll be thinking about is how to get stuck in where you are.
I think the issue you want to really ask yourself is where do I want to live for 5 years? Can I afford London (whatever people say, finding affordable accommodation is hard and you will pay more than at Birmingham). There may be more things on your doorstep in London, but it could still be an hours tube journey. An hours train journey from Birmingham will still give you plenty of things to see and do.

But really, my point is not to stress. You can analyse x point at y university is better than at z university but its all just numbers. Both will still be medicine, both will still have great student experiences. I really don't think you'll go to one but wish you'd made a different choice. you'll just be happy to be there.


Thanks for this, I think part of the reason I've been finding it so hard to decide is because I've been putting too much pressure on this decision, as if it could make or break my future :lol:

As for where I'd want to live for the next five years - Obviously since I haven't lived in either of them, it's hard to know which of the two I'd enjoy in the long run. For a day trip, it would definitely be London but then there's the worry that I'd find it too much of a rushed, hustle and bustle environment and I'd dislike it? Plus expense, I'd have to consider getting a job if I was going to be able to afford there XD
But then I've never been to Birmingham's city centre - only been to the university campus which is a bit further out. I've heard a lot of negative things about Birmingham which concerns me, so that's holding me back slightly

Original post by infairverona
I'm at KCL for my postgrad and I honestly love it. I think London gets a bad rep sometimes. I hated UCL, but KCL is amazing. Also, my friends studying Medicine at other unis say that going to a London uni for Medicine gives you an edge over other unis. I'm not sure how true that is but in general I think KCL has a better reputation than Birmingham (although also a very good uni) and especially internationally too. I work near GSST and go there for work sometimes and it's a really good hospital also in a very nice location. I also think there would probably be more to do in London, it's a huge city with loads going on all the time.

Good luck, not an easy decision to make!


Out of curiosity, why did you hate UCL? And why do you like Kings more? XD

Thanks for this, nice to hear from people who go to Kings :h: I googled international (world) rankings and you're right, King's is quite a bit higher than Birmingham! Definitely something to consider, thanks for drawing my attention to it :biggrin:
Original post by happydays101


Out of curiosity, why did you hate UCL? And why do you like Kings more? XD

Thanks for this, nice to hear from people who go to Kings :h: I googled international (world) rankings and you're right, King's is quite a bit higher than Birmingham! Definitely something to consider, thanks for drawing my attention to it :biggrin:


Probably shallow reasons but I didn't get a good feel from UCL at all. I thought the buildings were ugly and kinda run down (for my subject anyway) and everyone was so snobby/private school. KCL is beautiful, it has more of a friendly feel to it IMO. Plus Strand is lovely and there's lots around, and Guys campus is also really really nice. It's hard to explain really I just got a good feel from KCL that I didn't from UCL.

Birmingham is a great uni too and for medicine it probably doesn't matter much where you go because you'll still end up a doctor at the end of it. I do think having KCL on your CV adds something that Birmingham doesn't though. Also I have to say the opportunities you get in London are amazing, I went to a uni in the south and it was ok for networking etc but London is just on another level. I could spend my whole week going to talks, events, networking etc if I wasn't working full time as well as studying. London has a lot of benefits and it's definitely not as bad as some people make out, I've lived in London my whole life. Some people just hate being in a big busy city and if you dislike that then yeah London isn't for you but KCL is really great.
Original post by happydays101
Wow, I was leaning towards King's slightly but both of your descriptions of London have put me off it! Is London really that bad? I've heard lots about it, but always assumed people were overexaggerating when they said that everybody in London was rude - but I guess not :/
No student atmosphere? What do you mean by that?


London has no student atmosphere because it's not a student city. Plus it's ridicoulosly expensive-if you've got any money left over from the somehow encouraged theft that is accommodation in London, you will be hard pressed to have a good time unless daddy's a top banker or Russian oligarch because everything is far too expensive for even the normal person to hope to afford. Birmingham's student population is a much higher proportion of its overall population than London, so there'll be more affordable things to do with regards to nights out, as well as more centralised Union for society activities

People over exaggerate how much stuff there is to do in London. Yeah there is stuff to do, but you'll spend all your money getting there. Other cities have just as much to do as well as just as many good restaurants. I can imagine Birmingham's food is infinitely better than that in London (I know the Chinese food in Sheffield, where I'm at uni, is the best I've had anywhere in the UK)

Birmingham also has really good links to other cities in the UK so you'll be able to visit them when you're free. Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, all much easier and cheaper from Birmingham than London.

Also, if Birmingham's hospital's the largest in the country, I assume you'll have more chance to experience a wide range of sub units of medicine, so it'll be easier for you to find your true medical calling.

I grew up just outside London and regularly went there to visit and I can honestly say people up north are so much nicer. Down South in general, people are as judgy as they come. Really vile atmosphere.
Reply 19
At OP,

to London or not to London is a long-running debate. It can be summarised by the question 'is London worth the extra expense?'. In general, you only get 1000-1500 extra student loan for living in London, whilst your accommodation cost will be, at minimum, 2000 more expensive than most students (not talking about halls, but for your other four years). London in general costs 2-3k, average 2.5k more per year than at any other university. You'll pay 150 a week, maybe a bit less if you're lucky, for accommodation, perhaps a bit more for halls. Outside of London, in halls you'll probably pay 100-150, and the rest of your time probably 80-100 in Birmingham.

The truth is that it's difficult to say whether the expense is worth it. It comes down to your personality. If you're outgoing, love trying new things all the time, going to new places and love the added element of prestige that often comes with activities in London, then you will love Kings. If you don't know right now, then I'll bet that you'll probably love that X factor that stuff in London has. Everyone I've known does. If you're a bit simpler and don't feel you need that extra buzz or whatever you want to call it, then maybe Birmingham would be a smarter choice. London is truly magnificent though, and there's no way anybody can doubt that really.

Birmingham is a good university with an A grade medical school, I've got quite a few friends in 4th year there and they've had a good time, there's a great vibe and a good environment. I struggle to believe that their teaching experience is better than Kings' though. I know about 30 people at GKT, from all different backgrounds, in different friends groups and societies, and they've had the time of their lives. There's a reputation in London for GKT students having more fun than UCL, Imperial or Barts, and I'd guess that. Kings has a magnificent student environment and having studied at a different med school in London, I'd back that up.

Overall, I'd say Kings shades Birmingham. The uni environment is slightly better imo and London blows Birmingham out of the water. There is extra expense involved and I would suggest that London costs 2-2.5k more than Birmingham in a given year. It's up to you whether it's worth it.

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