Exeter vs UCL Medical School
Hi, I have offers from both Exeter and UCL medical schools for 2024 entry. I'm currently on a gap year so am not keen to wait another year and reapply to a different medical school, so I'm trying to choose between the two, but neither is perfect, although I suspect no medical school is!
Exeter is a lot quieter, so has the potential to be a relaxing location (especially in Truro), whereas UCL is the complete opposite - busy and vibrant. Their courses are also very different - Exeter has a greater focus on PBL and early clinical exposure, whereas UCL is more traditional, with more lectures, and clinical years 3/4/5.
I think I feel more drawn to UCL, however, my main worry are the students at UCL - I know a lot of medical students come from London, and tend to live at home. I come from just outside London, so could commute potentially, but it's not something I want to do, and would much prefer to live in London if I can afford to. I'm worried that it won't be the 'uni experience' i'm expecting if I make friends and they live at home. I also get the feeling that more people at UCL are coming with friends/friendship groups or know a few people already at UCL. This is not the case for me.
Can anyone at UCL who doesn't live in London share their experience?
Also, does the cost of living in London impact on your experience of living and studying in London at UCL?
Exeter is a lot quieter, so has the potential to be a relaxing location (especially in Truro), whereas UCL is the complete opposite - busy and vibrant. Their courses are also very different - Exeter has a greater focus on PBL and early clinical exposure, whereas UCL is more traditional, with more lectures, and clinical years 3/4/5.
I think I feel more drawn to UCL, however, my main worry are the students at UCL - I know a lot of medical students come from London, and tend to live at home. I come from just outside London, so could commute potentially, but it's not something I want to do, and would much prefer to live in London if I can afford to. I'm worried that it won't be the 'uni experience' i'm expecting if I make friends and they live at home. I also get the feeling that more people at UCL are coming with friends/friendship groups or know a few people already at UCL. This is not the case for me.
Can anyone at UCL who doesn't live in London share their experience?
Also, does the cost of living in London impact on your experience of living and studying in London at UCL?
I'm not a medical student but do go to UCL and live out of London and commute in. It pretty much sucks to commute, is very expensive (although for me as a part time student, still cheaper than living in London), and takes up a lot of time and is very draining. Whether it's feasible depends how far you are commuting -30 to 40 minutes by tube isn't uncommon o think and certainly doable. 45 mins or so by overground (e.g. Cambridge to London or similar distance) is probably just about doable but a pain.
The other thing to keep in mind with commuting is you are at the mercy or train strikes/adverse weather and cancellations etc. I would generally only suggest commuting if you have no other choice (as is my situation).
If you are eligible for the max maintenance loan living in London may be feasible. I don't live there so can't comment directly but I do think it would be tight financially - you'd most likely be living further out in latter years and commuting half an hour so by tube anyway I gather.
Incidentally I previously studied at Exeter too. I understand for the preclinical years the teaching is based at the St Lukes campus which is in Exeter but separate from the main campus. I think they tended to form their own social bubble there a bit as a result - not too sure how it was like there. On the plus side its very near a lot of (at least when I lived in Exe) more reasonably affordable student housing options for latter years. Bear in mind if you don't live in the south west Exeter is pretty far from most places so moving in/out can be a bit of a pain as a result
On the medicine side though one thing to consider is where your placements will be as you progress though the course. I think for Exeter you can have placements across Devon at least (maybe further afield in the south west) so that may be a factor.
The other thing to keep in mind with commuting is you are at the mercy or train strikes/adverse weather and cancellations etc. I would generally only suggest commuting if you have no other choice (as is my situation).
If you are eligible for the max maintenance loan living in London may be feasible. I don't live there so can't comment directly but I do think it would be tight financially - you'd most likely be living further out in latter years and commuting half an hour so by tube anyway I gather.
Incidentally I previously studied at Exeter too. I understand for the preclinical years the teaching is based at the St Lukes campus which is in Exeter but separate from the main campus. I think they tended to form their own social bubble there a bit as a result - not too sure how it was like there. On the plus side its very near a lot of (at least when I lived in Exe) more reasonably affordable student housing options for latter years. Bear in mind if you don't live in the south west Exeter is pretty far from most places so moving in/out can be a bit of a pain as a result
On the medicine side though one thing to consider is where your placements will be as you progress though the course. I think for Exeter you can have placements across Devon at least (maybe further afield in the south west) so that may be a factor.
(edited 7 months ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
I'm not a medical student but do go to UCL and live out of London and commute in. It pretty much sucks to commute, is very expensive (although for me as a part time student, still cheaper than living in London), and takes up a lot of time and is very draining. Whether it's feasible depends how far you are commuting -30 to 40 minutes by tube isn't uncommon o think and certainly doable. 45 mins or so by overground (e.g. Cambridge to London or similar distance) is probably just about doable but a pain.
The other thing to keep in mind with commuting is you are at the mercy or train strikes/adverse weather and cancellations etc. I would generally only suggest commuting if you have no other choice (as is my situation).
If you are eligible for the max maintenance loan living in London may be feasible. I don't live there so can't comment directly but I do think it would be tight financially - you'd most likely be living further out in latter years and commuting half an hour so by tube anyway I gather.
Incidentally I previously studied at Exeter too. I understand for the preclinical years the teaching is based at the St Lukes campus which is in Exeter but separate from the main campus. I think they tended to form their own social bubble there a bit as a result - not too sure how it was like there. On the plus side its very near a lot of (at least when I lived in Exe) more reasonably affordable student housing options for latter years. Bear in mind if you don't live in the south west Exeter is pretty far from most places so moving in/out can be a bit of a pain as a result
On the medicine side though one thing to consider is where your placements will be as you progress though the course. I think for Exeter you can have placements across Devon at least (maybe further afield in the south west) so that may be a factor.
The other thing to keep in mind with commuting is you are at the mercy or train strikes/adverse weather and cancellations etc. I would generally only suggest commuting if you have no other choice (as is my situation).
If you are eligible for the max maintenance loan living in London may be feasible. I don't live there so can't comment directly but I do think it would be tight financially - you'd most likely be living further out in latter years and commuting half an hour so by tube anyway I gather.
Incidentally I previously studied at Exeter too. I understand for the preclinical years the teaching is based at the St Lukes campus which is in Exeter but separate from the main campus. I think they tended to form their own social bubble there a bit as a result - not too sure how it was like there. On the plus side its very near a lot of (at least when I lived in Exe) more reasonably affordable student housing options for latter years. Bear in mind if you don't live in the south west Exeter is pretty far from most places so moving in/out can be a bit of a pain as a result
On the medicine side though one thing to consider is where your placements will be as you progress though the course. I think for Exeter you can have placements across Devon at least (maybe further afield in the south west) so that may be a factor.
Thank you for your reply! Yes commuting in to UCL from home is definitely for emergency situations only and not something I want to do.
I do like the idea of community on St Luke’s but feel that I would miss the hustle and bustle of being on the main campus and feel quite isolated, although who knows what i’d feel if I went!
My main concern about UCL is the friendship side, especially for medicine, and how easy it would be to make friends (considering many live at home, some come with friends from sixth form in London etc.)
Original post by char_ozzy
Thank you for your reply! Yes commuting in to UCL from home is definitely for emergency situations only and not something I want to do.
I do like the idea of community on St Luke’s but feel that I would miss the hustle and bustle of being on the main campus and feel quite isolated, although who knows what i’d feel if I went!
My main concern about UCL is the friendship side, especially for medicine, and how easy it would be to make friends (considering many live at home, some come with friends from sixth form in London etc.)
I do like the idea of community on St Luke’s but feel that I would miss the hustle and bustle of being on the main campus and feel quite isolated, although who knows what i’d feel if I went!
My main concern about UCL is the friendship side, especially for medicine, and how easy it would be to make friends (considering many live at home, some come with friends from sixth form in London etc.)
I mean to be fair it's not hard to get to the main campus from St Lukes, it's just a bus ride away (or a somewhat long uphill walk lol). A lot of students who study on the main campus live in the areas around St Lukes so it's pretty typical for people to head up to the campus from there. It's also very convenient to the city centre. I think St Lukes students do go up to the main campus for some activities (e.g. using the gym facilities and other such things) anyway. But you won't be there every day.
Making friends at uni is what you make of it, it'll be dependent on you and how well you put yourself out there rather than the uni. For a large course like medicine you will invariably find some people you gel with. Also even the people who live in London and commute to the uni still engage with the social scene a lot - possibly even more than others from what I've seen!
Original post by char_ozzy
Thank you for your reply! Yes commuting in to UCL from home is definitely for emergency situations only and not something I want to do.
I do like the idea of community on St Luke’s but feel that I would miss the hustle and bustle of being on the main campus and feel quite isolated, although who knows what i’d feel if I went!
My main concern about UCL is the friendship side, especially for medicine, and how easy it would be to make friends (considering many live at home, some come with friends from sixth form in London etc.)
I do like the idea of community on St Luke’s but feel that I would miss the hustle and bustle of being on the main campus and feel quite isolated, although who knows what i’d feel if I went!
My main concern about UCL is the friendship side, especially for medicine, and how easy it would be to make friends (considering many live at home, some come with friends from sixth form in London etc.)
St Luke's isn't that far from the town centre and has its own social scene. I think you'd enjoy Exeter far more and the course is more modern. You are near the beach and it's easy to get out to Dartmoor. Lots of my students have gone to Exeter and have loved it - some have stayed in that area as they loved it so much.
UCL isn't everyone's cup of tea!
Original post by Muttley79
St Luke's isn't that far from the town centre and has its own social scene. I think you'd enjoy Exeter far more and the course is more modern. You are near the beach and it's easy to get out to Dartmoor. Lots of my students have gone to Exeter and have loved it - some have stayed in that area as they loved it so much.
UCL isn't everyone's cup of tea!
UCL isn't everyone's cup of tea!
Looking at GMC speciality exam pass rates, exeter med graduates don’t seem to do very well. especially compared to ucl. Also the teaching at Exeter appears very very self directed with far fewer lectures than at other med schools eg bristol
Do you think they’re linked ?
Original post by char_ozzy
Looking at GMC speciality exam pass rates, exeter med graduates don’t seem to do very well. especially compared to ucl. Also the teaching at Exeter appears very very self directed with far fewer lectures than at other med schools eg bristol
Do you think they’re linked ?
Do you think they’re linked ?
No I don't - those tables don;t tell you anything really.
Original post by char_ozzy
Looking at GMC speciality exam pass rates, exeter med graduates don’t seem to do very well. especially compared to ucl. Also the teaching at Exeter appears very very self directed with far fewer lectures than at other med schools eg bristol
Do you think they’re linked ?
Do you think they’re linked ?
(edited 7 months ago)
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