Pros and cons of your med school?

they are bad things in a 'me trying to be mature' kind of way. i wouldnt say myself and some of my friends are that naturally bright. i just worry alot about how we can pass with little effort when we're going into an important profession that requires alot more diligence. in a weird way, im hoping that it gets harder in year 2 onwards, and hoping that i have to start working a little harder

Are you a straight-from-school student or a gap/mature student? I know that I, and others I know, who took a while to get into medical school are in a bit of a rush to get through it and so we probably cram for exams a bit more than is actually necessary. I know I did it this year, I was so paranoid about having to redo the year that I pretty much over-did the amount of revision needed for the final exams by.. literally months! Looking back I wish I had taken it more easy to be honest!

Anyway don't complain! If the GMC are happy with the course then you'll come out it knowing basically enough no matter what. Maybe the Manchester course is just very streamlined, or maybe the teaching style just really really works for you! Plus you're in one of the most badass cities in the UK

im not straight from school no, started at 22 after time in an office work environment. as for revision, i personally did less than a weeks worth... thats how worryingly easy it appeared. maybe you're right and i just really get along well with the way im taught and have a little natural ability for what im taught. i hope these things.... but im willing to bet i'll be shocked soon enough with some fails when it starts to get hard!

i do think the manchester course is very streamlined and find i dont seem to be learning much irrelevant science. the main irrelevant stuff is the psychosocial crap. i really hate it

Manchester
Pros:
- the city

Cons:
- EVERYTHING else

Manchester

Just finished first year, so a shielded view of the whole thing, but can give my 1st year opinions

Pros
-Great dissection experience
-Heavily PBL based. i like this but others may hate. im 23 and personally learn well from reading from books as opposed to attending lectures (of which i have gone to less than 10 all year)
-The stuff we learn is quite clinically oriented, so i feel im learning 'proper stuff' as apposed to ridiculous science i'll never need to know
-Awesome city. cant imagine any other is as good (bar london which costs an arm and a leg)
-Good library with excellent lending facilities. I finished the whole year without havinng to buy a single text book. I was smart and got in early with the long loan books, but have had them since september and most of them (some were recalled) are sitting with me here back home. I think this is pretty awesome
-Cheap living
-Nearly forgot, the mummies and daddies scheme. socially and academically means you always have someone in the year above to ask about thing and talk about any problems. i assume many med schools have a peer mentor scheme, but i recon ours is particularly good

Cons
-Too easy. Worries me how myself and friends did very little work and passed in the 2nd quartile for the year. i expected medicine to be a challenge
-Examinations. Firstly quite easy as said above. Secondly poorly set out. Only two main exams for the year (both MCQ). Two progress tests which are a joke for a first year. And then OSCE's and an SSC project. Compared to friends at UCL and brum who have lots of exams (30+), i think this is ridiculous. Also not enough anatomy content in exams
-Portfolio. i assume many places have to do this, but its complete ********. along with the fact that its complete ********, the thing that annoyed me most was the woman who assessed it didnt even read my reflected pieces. it was clearly a box ticking job. waste
-Manchester got me excited about all the great early clinical experience.... i wasnt impressed. in total 3 GP visits and 3 hospital visits for the year all at places f'kin miles away from me. travel not compensated and expensive long journeys for an experience that wasnt all that worth it

Overall loving it, manchester and medicine. hoping i can handle 2nd year and onwards as im assuming it will get harder and worried at how easy its been so far. might be in for a shock

oh my .... bad reviews of peninsula on here .... i know its no UCL but is the community and uni life and teaching that non-existant!?!!?

UCL

A very brief one here

PROS

-superb level of teaching and organisation
-other departments in uni are equally good as you have good chances to go into other areas during and after the qualifiy

CONS

-mums and dads: I found the whole experience crippling embarrassing as a son and I am slightly dreading being a father

Why? Are the Mums and Dads of varying quality?

I bet you'll make a great Dad.

Its just random people but you are thrown together with folk in the year above on your second day and you nervous anyway.. but some are good (most) and some are bad, its just potluck as to wether you get on with them.

I will be awful but I am bringing enough cash to get my daughter, myself and everyone around me wasted enough not to care

Are you excited by the way?

Oh, do guys only have Mums and vice versa?

You sound like the ideal parent to me, i'll be looking out for you.

Yep, looking forward to it. I'll be pretty much permanently inebriated all week, you can't lose that way.

Yeah but you end up with help from dads in the form of your mother's friends or your friends dads.

I shall see you there, although we will all be lost in the crowd...

Just dont get too pissed on wednesday - meeting your tutor for the year for the first time whilst royally hungover doesnt go down well

oh my .... bad reviews of peninsula on here .... i know its no UCL but is the community and uni life and teaching that non-existant!?!!?

Manchester

Pros:

- PBL - I love it. Some others might not, but I wouldn't want to learn medicine any other way. Gets you out of the college habit of learning things by heart and makes you actually think about things. Of course, there'll be some examples of people failing to use it properly, but use it properly and things seem simple.

- The city - Great city, 'nuff said.

- Mummies and Daddies scheme - I was dubious at first, but its really a great way to meet loads of new people as your mentors ease you into uni life. Then again, maybe I'm biased because I am one this year (If you're going, keep your fingers crossed for PBL 3)

- The lack of jackasses - I'm not sure why, but I've certainly not found anywhere near as many prima donna's as I was told to expect at medical school. No-one's overly competitive to the point where they hide what they've learnt to get one up on everyone else and there's very few little twits who are only there because mummy and daddy were doctors. I like it.

Cons:

- Can't really think of many. Maybe sometimes the city means you lose the campus feel, but I can hardly include that in both pro's and con's. You can get some jerks in your PBL, but there really aren't many, and I've loved all mine to date.

The "Somewhere up North" post is Aberdeen


ANYYYYONE FROM BRISTOL :\

The Bristol medic who instantly comes to mind hasn't been online since Nov 2009 so I'm not sure you're going to get a response on that one

(and I know Somewhere up North is Aberdeen - I added them to Aberdeen last time I updated it but forgot to delete the second link to that post )