Cambridge vs Sheffield

Erudite2021

I have an offer from cambridge and Sheffield for medicine. Love both cities very nice and safe. Could commute from Sheffield making it cheaper and I’d have the support network of family. I worry cambridge might be too academic because I have not done bio alevel and that the workload might be too much. But I can’t seem to ignore it as an option. Although I haven’t firmed yet and I’m not sure if that says something. Please help.

Reply 1

Trickia

Study Forum Helper

Original post

by Erudite2021

Hi well done on securing offers for both unis!
I would recommend weighing the pros and cons for both unis and seeing what you lean more towards. Imagine if you went to Sheffield would you regret it or would you prefer to stay there? I recommend asking students from the 2 unis about their experiences to decide what you would like to choose and what you feel like suits you more. You could make one your firmed and the other your insurance. I'm not sure about the entry requirements but the aspirational one as the firmed and the safer option as the insurance is one way to approach it. Cambridge can be intensive but I think it is like any other uni - you need to find a way to deal with it but if it's too much than Sheffield way be a better choice xx

Either way, I hope you are happy at where ever you end up xx

Reply 2

study23!

Study Forum Helper

Hi I'm also a Cambridge med offer holder 👋

This is how I see it, medicine is going to be a difficult course wherever you go, so you’re going to want to choose the uni you like best.

Yes commuting would be cheaper, and cost of living is high in Cambridge, so if you prioritise a place where you won’t have to think of money as much, don’t choose Cambridge. That being said, in my PERSONAL opinion, with med we’ll be in so much debt anyway by the end of the degree that I’ve personally decided not to focus on the financial aspect as I think it won’t make that much of a difference by the end with the debt we’ll have to pay back anyway. Obviously I’d prefer if it was cheaper but that’s something I’m willing and able to sacrifice.

Support network - I think that whichever Uni you go to you will make a new support network there. Most people going to Uni are moving out to different areas away from their families and so they’ll all be in the same boat. But again, doesn’t hurt to have your current network close.

No biology - Cambridge clearly thinks you have what it takes to give you an offer without bio a level, fairly sure that’s rare every year. I take bio a level now, and I believe it’s not too hard to understand. Let’s say you chose Cambridge, you’d likely want to self teach a lot of a level bio. You won’t have to learn the plant units at all which will cut down the info. The majority of the a level is developing from GCSE in more detail. And I personally find it’s not too difficult, there’s just a lot of content to learn for exams at a level. If you dedicated even an hour or two a day over the summer to just revise bio, maybe do a couple of past papers to put it into practice, I’d say you’d have a good foundation for the degree. Plus they only specify an A* in chem, so you won’t need to be at an A* level, if you can get to an A grade level of understanding I think you’d be ok. Yes I admit it might be a difficult transition, but it would also be tricky at Sheffield (although we can expect Cambridge might be more full on at the start). So if the uni thinks you’re capable of doing it, I’m sure you are

I know there’s not much time left to put options in. It’s up to you. Cambridge will be a very unique Uni experience with lots of traditional aspects (like less clinical exposure early on, lots of essays, less teamwork in things like PBL groups, but then more one on one teaching with supervisions). Sheffield will be more chill as far as medicine can go, more modern approach with teamwork, clinical exposure, probably less intensity, but then you’ll lose the traditional aspect of Cambridge. It’s a huge achievement to get med offers anywhere, but Cambridge is extremely impressive, but if your heart is more in Sheffield I wouldn’t choose Cambridge just for the name or reputation.

I really hope this helps a bit!

Reply 3

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

Original post

by Erudite2021

Hi @Erudite2021!

Congrats on both your offers! I understand this decision can feel very overwhelming and there's a lot to consider as well; I'm a second year medic at Sheffield so hopefully I can offer some advice to help with the decision 🙂

Sheffield is a lovely and safe city, there is lots to do here in the city centre and with the many green spaces as well, especially the Peak District nearby! The course is very well structured, with the first 2 years being content-based but still with GP placement from first week, then the final 3 years are all placement-based. Intercalation is also optional here and can be undertaken at any university which offers the degree you are interested in reading. There is lots of support here, from the medical school having weekly drop in sessions with the heads of faculty and student affairs team, to the university offering study skills meetings and further support. MedSoc offers multiple sports and specialist societies to join based on your interests, whilst the Students Union has been voted the top SU in the country for multiple years showing the range of what's on offer! 🙃

Of course each university is going to vary with what the city and the course offers so I would recommend visiting both universities to see which would ultimately suit you best. Sheffield has been a lovely place to study for the last 2 years and I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions about med school or uni in general!
Ami [2nd Year Medic]