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University of Birmingham or university of Leicester for medicine

I am torn between these two universities

Reply 1

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

The Medicine forum gets a high volume of questions being posted, and some of these are already answered by the resources and Megathreads that members of the community and volunteers have created. This is an automatic post which is designed to highlight these resources. Below is a list of threads and articles that could answer your question (you should be looking in the original post of the megathreads). If one of the below threads is a more relevant place to ask your question, please post a reply in that thread to ask your question. If your query is answered by one of the Megathreads or articles linked below, and you would like us to close this thread for you, please reply to this thread with just the words "thank you". A member of our team will then get it locked.

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The "Which Medical School Should I Apply To?" Uberthread
The Ultimate 'Am I Good Enough For Medicine?' Angst Thread
Medicine A-Level subjects queries
Work Experience and Voluntary Work

2024 Applicants :
Official Undergraduate Medicine 2024 Entry
Graduate Entry Medicine 2024 Entry
GAMSAT 2024 / 2025 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2024 Entry Discussions Megathread
Medicine 2024 entry for resit / retake / gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2024 Entry
Medicine Interview Discussion 2024 Entry
2024 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2024 Entry

2025 Applicants :
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2025 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2025 Entry
GAMSAT 2025 / 2026 entry discussions megathread
UCAT 2025 Entry Discussions Megathread
Medicine 2025 entry for resit/ retake/ gap year applicants
A100 Medicine for International Students 2025 Entry
Medicine Interview Discussion 2025 Entry
2025 entry A100/ A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer senders
Medical Schools Index 2025 Entry

Other application years:
Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2026 entry
Official Thread: Graduate Entry Medicine 2026 Entry

Useful Articles:
GCSE Requirements for Medicine
Everything you need to know about the BMAT
Work Experience as a Graduate or Mature student
Medicine Personal Statement Advice
Medicine Personal Statement Advice (Graduate Entry)
Interview Frequently Asked Questions
MMI Medicine Interview Tips
What to do after an unsuccessful first application
Funding medicine as a second degree

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Reply 2

Birmingham on top . Went to both offer holder days
Original post
by Okokok22s
I am torn between these two universities

Hello 👋,

Studying Medicine here would be a great choice as we pride ourselves on being a research led university!

Here are some facts about the Leicester Medical School:
🌟Ranked 2nd in the UK for clinical medicine 2021 Research Excellence Framework, according to analysis by Times Higher Education

🌟Leicester Medical School are in the Top 10 for Medicine in the 2025 Guardian University Guide

🌟 Ranked Top 5 in the UK for Medicine in Times Good University Guide

🌟There are outstanding facilities, including a dissecting room where you will learn anatomy through full body dissection on cadavers

For more information on the course, its structure and all of the opportunities that you will get to experience, please click here


Zara
Psychology BSc

Reply 4

Original post
by Okokok22s
I am torn between these two universities

Do a pros/cons list for both.

Reply 5

Original post
by Okokok22s
I am torn between these two universities

Hi!

I'm a 2nd Year Medical Student at Leicester and I'm really enjoying the course, although inevitably challenging!

My Personal Highlights:

🏆️ Full Body Dissection - this really allows you to get to grips with complex anatomy, and gives you a better appreciation for the human body!

🏆️Daily Group Work - it gives you a chance to break down complex content in an encouraging environment, and it is reassuring to know other people are confused as you are! Also my group are always stocked up on snacks (lucky me)!

🏆️Staff Support - the staff are truly amazing and go above and beyond to help us understand a concept, even going as far as running an Embryology Speed Dating Session!! 😂

If you have anymore questions about Medicine at Leicester, please don't hesitate to ask!

Good Luck!

Lindo
2nd Year Medical Student
we appear to have 2 official reps from Leicester but none, so far as I’m aware, from Birmingham

just concerned about balance and fairness here

also important to consider which city you would be more happy living in for the next 5-6 years

Reply 7

Entry standards achieved for Medicine are about as high at Leicester as they are at Birmingham which, considering Birmingham is a slightly older university in a larger, more well known, city, shows how well regarded Leicester is for Medicine. According to The Complete University Guide, Leicester is joint 4th with Glasgow for research quality in Medicine (89%, ahead of Oxford on 88%), behind Cambridge, Imperial, and UCL. Birmingham is on 85%. Student satisfaction for Medicine at Leicester is first in the UK, on 84%, just ahead of St Andrews on 83%. Birmingham is on 72%.
To be fair, Edurank rates Birmingham as the 9th best Medical School in the UK and Leicester the 22nd. For context, they rate St Andrews 38th.
Topuniversities.com rates Birmingham 12th best for Medicine and Leicester 25th. For context, they rate St Andrews 35th.
I studied English at Leicester - loved the campus with its architectural contrasts - great students union - and the halls of residences give a very classic collegiate kind of feel.
But you should visit each place (e.g. university in general, department, accommodation) to see where you feel most comfortable. I feel that Leicester is good for those 3 things. For city itself, Birmingham has much more of a centre.
(edited 9 months ago)
Durham has not offered any aspect of undergraduate medicine degrees for years now

Entry standards cited on websites for medicine tend to be the bare minimum
In practice, there will be significant numbers of students within the cohort of medical schools who exceed their offers
( eg., achieving 3 or 4 A*s at A level)

Reply 9

Original post
by MedMama
Durham has not offered any aspect of undergraduate medicine degrees for years now
Entry standards cited on websites for medicine tend to be the bare minimum
In practice, there will be significant numbers of students within the cohort of medical schools who exceed their offers
( eg., achieving 3 or 4 A*s at A level)

Yes, I couldn't recall Durham still offering it. I've now removed that.

Reply 10

Original post
by Picnicl
Yes, I couldn't recall Durham still offering it. I've now removed that.
that’s why I didn’t post it as a reply as,
if I make a standalone post, then you retain the option to delete ( nothing bad in your post but it was not correct, as you say, so no harm done and all best)

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