Picking a med school

Hey guys, I'm an NI school leaver with offers from Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh for medicine but I'm having trouble picking one! I don't think I'm going for Dundee so any info on the other two from current students (on student life, clinical experience, sense of community cause I'm from a small town obvs) would be great - thanks!! :smile:

Reply 1

Okorange

I would choose Edinburgh but i'm biased since i'm going there, awesome and beautiful city, they are updating the curriculum to spread out the workload more evenly and it has the reputation and huge amount of history associated with it. Edinburgh is more integrated curriculum while Glasgow is more PBL although i know they've reduced it in the new curriculum.

Reply 2

Chief Wiggum

I'd probably just go for Edinburgh since it seems the most prestigious and respected out of those.

Reply 3

_thequeen

Original post by Chief Wiggum

I'd probably just go for Edinburgh since it seems the most prestigious and respected out of those.

Prestige means pretty much nothing in Medicine, prehaps if you're going into postgrad, but for most people it will make no difference :-)

Reply 4

Chief Wiggum

Original post by _thequeen

Prestige means pretty much nothing in Medicine, prehaps if you're going into postgrad, but for most people it will make no difference :-)

Yeah, but speaking purely from my own point of view, I'd find it pretty impossible to try to guess which precise course structure/atmosphere would suit me better before going somewhere. I'd say, however, that it's fairly well-established that Edinburgh is more prestigious than Glasgow, so I'd go there.

Of course, it is blinded for FY1. So I guess tactically, you could be completely cynical and take the opposite approach, and look up the UCAS points entry/average SJT score/average postgraduate exam pass rate of each medical school cohort, and choose the worst one to maximise your chances of getting a good decile.

Reply 5

Okorange

One plus for Glasgow is that they are getting a brand new hospital this year, its a 900 bed Glasgow University Hospital that is almost all single rooms.

Otherwise the only other reason not to choose Edinburgh would be you like Glasgow the city better or you like PBL.

Now i know Edinburgh does prosection (imo pretty ironic for what was once the home of surgical innovation not to mention Burke and Hare), not sure if Glasgow does it or not, that could also be a reason.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 6

sassygranger

Thanks everyone, that pretty much sums up what I'm hearing from a lot of people! I've had the chance to talk to few Glasgow students who love it there and feel they're better prepared than some others to go into clinical practice; I know they've reduced their proposition of PBL quite a bit and their utilisation of a wide variety of teaching methods appeals to me. The issue with Edinburgh is that it's hard to find medical students from there to pick their brains, so I don't know as much about it!

Reply 7

Okorange

Original post by sassygranger

Have you gone on the 2015 Edinburgh medics offer holder page?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/639374966190955/

You'll be able to find people there to help you with questions hopefully. Or at least others deciding between the same choices.

There are a few Edinburgh medics on TSR who might be able to help. Asklepios is one.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

sassygranger

Trust me, I've been stalking that thing since August! :biggrin:

I'm getting in contact with some of the students atm so hopefully that will help.

Reply 9

Etomidate

You need to make the decision on where will make you happy. That includes things like:

The structure of the course: Hardcore lectures, vs early clinical contact, PBL, traditional, integrated etc
The location of the uni: Environment, housing, stuff to do, cost of living

etc etc

Picking a medschool based on their average SJT score is probably the most retarded thing I've ever heard. You're going to be there for 5 years, day in, day out. Pick somewhere that will make you happy.