Why is Anglia Ruskin Med so competitive?

Anglia Ruskin is a fairly new medical school but had a lot of application for medicine, why is it so competitive and why do so many people apply there? Is it due to the location? Or do people think that it may be easier to get in since it isn't as well established and old like other med schools? No hate btw, just a genuine question x

Anglia Ruskin is a fairly new medical school but had a lot of application for medicine, why is it so competitive and why do so many people apply there? Is it due to the location? Or do people think that it may be easier to get in since it isn't as well established and old like other med schools? No hate btw, just a genuine question x

Hi there.

Unfortunately all med schools are very competitive (new and old). ARU's selection process and weighting on different criteria, teaching style, location and other factors may appeal to people which makes them apply to there.

@KA_P may be able to share why she applied there

Best wishes.

So main reasons I applied there was due to them being innovative (which is logical with them being a new medical school) - they're cadavers and thiel-embalmed meaning they're a lot more realistic than the original formaldehyde-embalmed cadavers, so it'll be stimulating what we'll see in the real world a lot better. In terms of simulation, they have mock hospital wards and GP simulation rooms, so that's definitely what stood out to me. I also really love the environment at ARU from what I heard and felt when visiting. I heard that the pastoral support is great there as well, with them taking in feedback and actually making changes.

I think like @TriplexA all medical schools are competitive but the main reason ARU could be competitive even with it being a new medical school might be to do with WAMS (widening participation) or the way in which their selection criteria is organised with lower UCAT cutoffs expected (I wouldn't rely on this too much since this year is an example of even low UCAT cutoff unis raising their cutoffs due to the oversubscription of applicants.

I think it's also a plus with it being a smaller medical school, meaning you'll get more one-to-one in placement (that start around October of first year). Okay I think I'm waffling. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you for your explanation, I think one thing that doesn't appeal to me about Anglia Ruskin is the fact that you can't intercalate, so I feel that if for example I found during med school that I might want to go onto the academic pathway, I don't have that option to intercalate

I'm an ARU med student and I intercalated at Imperial. You most definitely can, but it is optional, and allowance is based on an academic criteria

I'm an ARU med student and I intercalated at Imperial. You most definitely can, but it is optional, and allowance is based on an academic criteria

I'm an ARU med student and I intercalated at Imperial. You most definitely can, but it is optional, and allowance is based on an academic criteria