The Student Room Group
They both have fairly different course structures. Pick the one you feel you would enjoy more.

Edit: Obviously take into account the worth of the scholarship as well.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by carpenoctem
I've recently gotten offers to study Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial (both joint 1st choice) and now I really can't decide which one to firm.

I'm sure to most the choice would be to go to Cambridge but I also have an offer of a scholarship at Imperial if I firm them. I love both universities equally and having weighed up location, offers and teaching I can't choose between them.

Any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

N.B: I know this might sound like a really stupid dilemma to be in but I genuinely regard Imperial as highly as I do Cambridge. I am so grateful for the offers but I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice!


On what basis? What are the benefits and disadvantages of each from your perspective?

Let us know what your thoughts are and then people can correct/add/comment as needed. For example, i would hate to live in London. I'm guessing that's not a great barrier to you but we don't know if you don't say.
(edited 7 years ago)
How much is the scholarship? The scholarship seems enough to win you over if you really do regard both imperial and Cambridge in the same respect

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by carpenoctem
I've recently gotten offers to study Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial (both joint 1st choice) and now I really can't decide which one to firm.

I'm sure to most the choice would be to go to Cambridge but I also have an offer of a scholarship at Imperial if I firm them. I love both universities equally and having weighed up location, offers and teaching I can't choose between them.

Any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

N.B: I know this might sound like a really stupid dilemma to be in but I genuinely regard Imperial as highly as I do Cambridge. I am so grateful for the offers but I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice!


A medicine degree is a long time - do you want to live in London or in a smaller city?

Remember that you'll have to get around to placements in your later years (which in london may well mean taking public transport late at night/early mornings....and in cambridge is likely to mean you'll need to be able to drive and have access to a car).

Think about where you will be happier LIVING if you can't differentiate based on the courses/universities concerned.
Original post by carpenoctem
Thank you for the advice! The location is pretty much the deciding factor for me. Only problem is I don't know enough about Cambridge as a city to make a choice.

If anyone who has lived in Cambridge at some point wants to chip in to the discussion it would be much appreciated :smile:


It's worth having a look through https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=17126225#post17126225 - it's not always current but quite useful to get some honest opinions from current students :smile:
Original post by carpenoctem
The most important factor out of all of these is actually that it's in London. As a Londoner, I'd be happiest living in the city and the access to a vast range of hospitals is also something I'd look forward to when going on placements.


Important factor that would impact your life a lot.

Disadvantages of Imperial: It's such a huge group of students, I've heard from current students that it is a little disorganised but not in a way that hugely affects you. (i.e. not many disadvantages)


Cambridge isn't exactly small either :p:

As evidence lets take the National Student Survey - Cambridge is a bit higher but not much. Both are bottom half.

http://www.ouh.nhs.uk/about/trust-board/2015/september/documents/TB2015.118z-appendix-4.pdf

Benefits of Cambridge: The main benefit of Cambridge that in my mind pretty much matches all the benefits of Imperial is the teaching. The one-to-one supervisions are something that I personally will benefit so much from and I know that I can really push myself here (to reasonable limits of course). The college system is also something that I look forward to.


Both also important factors that will impact your life a lot. :p:

The college system will be very different to Imperial, where i believe medics get very segregated from non-medics very quickly. Medics there even have their own sports teams, unlike any other subject at all!

Have you visited Cambridge?

Disadvantages: Again location is the main factor here. I'm worried that I'll either feel a little bit isolated and if under pressure I may feel like I've got nowhere to sort of get away to.


Don't understand this sentence. Would you just... wander around London to 'escape' normally?

You definitely will recognise/get recognised by a lot more people just wandering around Cambridge as a student there vs London though.

Original post by carpenoctem
The scholarship is definitely something that I have to consider. £1000 for every year of undergraduate study :smile:


So less than the cost difference between living in London vs Cambridge then?

Cambridge is an expensive city, but living in university accommodation would save you >£1000 per year I'm sure. If you add any London transport costs (not going to be needed at Cambridge) and start going to London nighclubs etc then the cost difference will start to be significant. Do a little digging re: accommodation to confirm but I'm confident that even with the scholarship, Cambridge will be the cheaper option.


Main point is: I don't know if I'd prefer to live in London/Cambridge .


Seems so. It seems like you're reluctant to leave London and that that is going to be the deciding factor here, but do at least ensure you've visited and spoke to current students (ideally who came from London) before you decide.

Its a shame that Cambridge doesn't do London transfers any more - would seem the perfect middle ground!

Original post by PQ
.and in cambridge is likely to mean you'll need to be able to drive and have access to a car).


Strongly doubt it. 99% sure Cambridge would provide accommodation and refund travel for any time out of town, even GP placement.

OP can check website/contact uni to confirm.

Evidence: that's what Oxford do and what a former student once told me.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 7
Original post by carpenoctem
I've recently gotten offers to study Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial (both joint 1st choice) and now I really can't decide which one to firm.

I'm sure to most the choice would be to go to Cambridge but I also have an offer of a scholarship at Imperial if I firm them. I love both universities equally and having weighed up location, offers and teaching I can't choose between them.

Any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

N.B: I know this might sound like a really stupid dilemma to be in but I genuinely regard Imperial as highly as I do Cambridge. I am so grateful for the offers but I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice!


have u made your decision?
Reply 8
Original post by PQ
A medicine degree is a long time - do you want to live in London or in a smaller city?

Remember that you'll have to get around to placements in your later years (which in london may well mean taking public transport late at night/early mornings....and in cambridge is likely to mean you'll need to be able to drive and have access to a car).

Think about where you will be happier LIVING if you can't differentiate based on the courses/universities concerned.

A car is useful but not essential in 4th-6th year (not allowed before then) - placements can be far away BUT the university provides free accommodation at all of them, so you only need to travel there and back for weekends, and they try to pair up drivers/non-drivers so you can lift share. When I was there, we had a semi-formal setup for paying each other shares of petrol money so the drivers didn't lose out, plus you can claim travel expenses from NHS bursaries in 5th and 6th year (though whether NHS bursary will exist by the time the OP gets there is another question...) I don't know if Imperial do accommodation for placements, or help with transport - I know some London friends who had 1hr+ Tube journeys each day for placements because they couldn't stay at their hospitals. And the country bumpkin in me thinks it's good for Londoners to get out of the city and see what the rest of the country is like!

OP, if you're used to London, Cambridge is small, there's no two ways about it. However, this isn't all bad! You can get everywhere by bike, and if you want to escape people then there's lots of countryside to explore nearby. It has everything you would need from a university and city. The college system means you get much more integration with people doing other subjects, whereas at Imperial I believe the medics are quite segregated and indeed sometimes not very popular with other students.
Reply 9
Original post by carpenoctem
Thank you so much for this!

After speaking to a first year and sixth year at Cambridge, alongside current students at Imperial- drum roll please.... I've decided to firm Camb and put imperial down as my insurance. I think it's about time I got away from the city anyway and I've realised that if I do miss London, Cambridge isn't too far away! I think what swung it for me in the end was hearing about the clinical side of Imperial and how placements in the second year, though enjoyable and valuable, aren't always as fantastic as everyone makes them seem due to not knowing all the pre-clinical. After speaking to a final year camb student, I think that the academic side of things at Cambridge has won me over as I really would like to do the intense science in the first three years and be confident whilst doing the clinical course.

Fingers crossed I make the grades now and thank you all so much for your advice! :smile:


@nexttime

Good stuff! Hope you get the grades and enjoy your time there!
Original post by carpenoctem
I've recently gotten offers to study Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial (both joint 1st choice) and now I really can't decide which one to firm.

I'm sure to most the choice would be to go to Cambridge but I also have an offer of a scholarship at Imperial if I firm them. I love both universities equally and having weighed up location, offers and teaching I can't choose between them.

Any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

N.B: I know this might sound like a really stupid dilemma to be in but I genuinely regard Imperial as highly as I do Cambridge. I am so grateful for the offers but I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice!


Hey that is incredible !!! Not only do you have an offer from CAMBRIDGE but you also have one from IMPERIAL WITH SCHOLARSHIP! So delighted for you!!

Just a quick question, how long did it take for Imperial to get in touch with you after your interview?
At Cambridge, you can choose to come back to London for your clinical years. So, if you miss London too much theres that.
Original post by YounesB
At Cambridge, you can choose to come back to London for your clinical years. So, if you miss London too much theres that.


I thought that wasn't really allowed any more?
Original post by YounesB
At Cambridge, you can choose to come back to London for your clinical years. So, if you miss London too much theres that.


No you can't.
Original post by nexttime
No you can't.




Someone has already corrected me so go find something else to do with your time.
Original post by YounesB
Someone has already corrected me so go find something else to do with your time.


They changed it a few years ago - look it up!
Original post by carpenoctem
I've recently gotten offers to study Medicine at Cambridge and Imperial (both joint 1st choice) and now I really can't decide which one to firm.

I'm sure to most the choice would be to go to Cambridge but I also have an offer of a scholarship at Imperial if I firm them. I love both universities equally and having weighed up location, offers and teaching I can't choose between them.

Any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

N.B: I know this might sound like a really stupid dilemma to be in but I genuinely regard Imperial as highly as I do Cambridge. I am so grateful for the offers but I just want to make sure I'm making the right choice!


When you got your Imperial scholarship offer, did it say that it was scholarship directly on UCAS,or were you contacted individually?