UCL or Imperial Medicine?

I’m applying next year but only want to put one London university down for Medicine. I’m torn between UCL and Imperial. Imperial has an international reputation as does UCL, as ‘London’s Global University’. I just want the place that will give me the best 6 year life there but also make me a great doctor. I like UCLs campus feel, and there’s loads of societies. Apparently imperial is moving their medical school and South Kensington campus? I’m completely torn. Is one better than the other?

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Reply 1

GANFYD

Original post by km09

Reply 2

username4218074

Original post by km09

What sort of environment do you want? Imperial is much smaller and filled with like-minded STEM students whereas UCL is much more diverse.

Reply 3

km09

Original post by Levi.-

What sort of environment do you want? Imperial is much smaller and filled with like-minded STEM students whereas UCL is much more diverse.

I guess I don’t mind too much. The idea of UCL being more diverse could be appealing? I just torn tbh

Reply 4

username4218074

Original post by km09

I guess I don’t mind too much. The idea of UCL being more diverse could be appealing? I just torn tbh

Well I'm applying to both next year anyway so never really thought of choosing between them; both are BMAT schools and I'm only doing the BMAT and not the UCAT but if you do better in the UCAT it may be worth applying to king's college london or bart's instead. UCL and imperial are easily the most competitive med schools with raw applicant numbers and competitiveness - bear in mind oxbridge aspirants (like myself) will only apply to either oxford or cambridge but many of them (especially for medicine) will apply to UCL and/or imperial so its gonna be tough to secure a place; especially with the BMAT being as tough as it is. Good luck.

Reply 5

GANFYD

Original post by Levi.-

UCL and imperial are easily the most competitive med schools with raw applicant numbers and competitiveness - bear in mind oxbridge aspirants (like myself) will only apply to either oxford or cambridge but many of them (especially for medicine) will apply to UCL and/or imperial so its gonna be tough to secure a place; especially with the BMAT being as tough as it is. Good luck.

Where do you get this information from? The most competitive med school for 2019 entry in terms of applicant to places ratio was UCLan at 32. Then Bristol at 12.1, Aberdeen 11.5, BSMS 11.3, ARU 11.1 and Nottingham 11. UCL had 10 and Imperial 3 according to the figures from the medical students council (which is made up of the med schools themselves)

Reply 6

nexttime

Original post by km09

Imperial just made substantial changes to their course. Are those to your liking or not?

Why only one London uni? Why any? What has been your thought process so far?

Original post by Levi.-

I think you're gonna have a hard time arguing Imperial is "easily the most competitive med school" :tongue:

Reply 7

Laycity

Original post by Levi.-

Why are you not doing the UCAT? This will severely limit your choices and you've also recognised the BMAT is 'tough'?

Reply 8

username4218074

Original post by 75976969ujyikuy

do you just have to meet their minimum requirement?

For medicine your GCSEs will likely need to have many A*s.

Reply 9

GANFYD

Original post by Levi.-

Minimum GCSE requirements are not a realistic metric to measuring how well someone's GCSEs will need to be; an extreme minority I would imagine would have little to no A*s that actually get in.

You have a vivid imagination. But no way of knowing the accuracy of your suppositions for Imperial as they do not look at GCSE grades once minimum requirements are met, so do not hold the information. For 2015/16 and 2016/17 nearly 50% of UCL offer holders had 4 or less A* GCSEs, so depends what you mean by "extreme minority" and "little to no A*s"

Reply 10

2500_2

Original post by Levi.-

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/study/ug/courses/school-of-medicine/medicine/
also the fact that they are most competitive is based on a mix of anecdotal qualitative and quantitative data and most importantly: its just my opinion based on what I've read and been told, I haven't suggested that I am infallible.

have you read the small print?
*Numbers include students enrolled on Biomedical Science courses. Applications and admissions
data excludes Graduate Entry Medicine, Intercalated Medicine and Oxbridge Applicants.

I'm not impressed, Imperial!

Reply 11

GANFYD

Original post by Levi.-

Ah! Guy said in the 6th Form Common Room - has to be true!
If you have data, please produce it. We love evidence-based statments. Not so keen on people presenting opinions as facts

Reply 12

username4218074

2018 medicine FOI sources for imperial medicine aren't out yet and she never quoted a FOI reference to my knowledge; could I get a link to the FOI please? I don't see why you don't trust imperial's website's statistics as much though.

Reply 13

username4218074

Original post by GANFYD

Ah! Guy said in the 6th Form Common Room - has to be true!
If you have data, please produce it. We love evidence-based statments. Not so keen on people presenting opinions as facts

I never explicitly stated it as fact

Reply 14

GANFYD

Original post by Levi.-

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a100_medicine_admission_statisti_43
1316 applicants for 345 places

Have you read the small print detailed above?

Reply 15

username4218074

Original post by 2500_2

where does it say that sorry? I may have missed it but can't find it.

Reply 16

GANFYD

Original post by Levi.-

I never explicitly stated it as fact

You stated:
"UCL and imperial are easily the most competitive med schools with raw applicant numbers and competitiveness"
Not that you believe them to be, or some random person told you this and you chose to believe them. You made a statement that is presented as a fact.

Reply 17

username4218074

Well I was wrong, time to shamelessly dip boys

Reply 18

2500_2

Original post by Levi.-

where does it say that sorry? I may have missed it but can't find it.

you have to follow their links to their full all-student stats

Reply 19

username4218074

Original post by GANFYD

ok i was wrong about the other thing but I don't have to explicitly state that its my opinion on a student room chat, you'd make a good lawyer, if you could amount to much.