Sheffield, Southampton or Bristol?

(Original post by Purple43Monkey)
othello03
Thank you so much for such a detailed reply! I'll definitely consider these factors, and it's so useful to hear from someone living in the area. I really appreciate it.
Logically I'm sure I'll make the most of and enjoy wherever I go, it's just so difficult to actually commit to one!

(Original post by othello03)
I mean like ecolier said there's nothing objective about this decision really. Student satisfaction scores are something to consider sure but they don't mean THAT much, other peoples experiences don't dictate what yours will be and they're so subjective (but if you are bothered. I've heard awful reviews about Southampton med from students there). I also don't think dissection is the be and end all either. Ultimately wherever you go there's usually opportunities to do more, and there are any benefits to protection too.

I'll give my personal opinion. I live in Sheffield, I go to sixth form near the hopsital/uni and many of my friends are currently at Sheffield. People that come here for uni tend to really enjoy it, I personally don't. The city is severely lacking compared to it's cited peers. It seriously doesn't hold a candle to Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester or Bristol for that matter. Hills everywhere, shocking public transport. The hospital and medical school is a 10 minute ish walk to the rest of campus, and you'll likely live in Endcliffe or ranmoor which are like 10/15 mins from the hospital/med school. The city centre is dreadful and quite run down, I avoid it wherever possible. You'll often hear "Peak District is only a stones throw away" when advertised, it is more than that. Without a car it's actually a massive hassle, most people from Sheffield seem to have only been a handful of times in their life. Nightlife is not fantastic either. That said the union is a pretty nice space, and there's plenty of societies. Again uni students always preach about how much they love it, so there must be something about the uni experience that is better than the local experience.

Southampton, ( I also have an offer, and my best friend studies biology there) great uni, less than great city. It's perfectly, like, fine. But it is devoid of soul, is the best way I can put it. It's also small, and not nearly interesting/fun/vibrant enough, to justify it's cost of living. I rejected my offer for that reason.

Bristol, absolutely incredible city. Whoever compared it to London lied to you, nothing like London at all. Better in fact. If my UCAT was good enough I would've applied in a heartbeat, seriously one of my favourite cities in the UK, and certainly the most vibrant and fun of these 3. Has significantly more going on, and a much better atmosphere. As much access to nature as the U.K, and then some more. Proximity to the south and your family ( I think). Also certainly the best uni as far as reputation goes (although as you've said not a massive factor for medicine). Howeverrrrrrr, cost of living can't be ignored. It is pricey there, mainly nights out and rent. Your food bill will be more or less the same anywhere, and I gather Bristol transport isn't too bad either.

TLDR: if you can afford it, 10000000% go Bristol, if not go Sheffield. In my personal opinion. Others might disagree, but when choosing my firm I decided that city was the most important thing. The universities themselves only vary so much, you'll get a med degree everywhere. But your lived experience of 5/6 years will differ massively from city to city.