Budget time :D

[sara7000]

Hi,

I am seriously confused about whether I want togo to aberdeen or edinburgh. Its the
community that is mainly pulling me towards aberdeen.

So, I thought I would consider the costs involved at each place. Would Aberdeen be
cheaper to live than Edinburgh?

What are the terms like at Aberdeen, i.e how long (months) do you need accomodation for? Books for the course? Do you get notes, is the library varied enough, does it have certain books that are available and enough for
most of the year? Also what is the likely cost involved in books?

In general is the city cheaper than Edinburgh?

Thanks xxx

[Kensei]

The books... now that's an interesting topic Virtually EVERYONE will tell you something different here, but here's my opinion - you don't need ALL the texts they put on the 'recommended' or even 'essential' list. 1st years end up spending mahoosive ammounts of cash on the books, and in the long run they only use one or two of those books regularly.

- You'll definitely need a clinical medicine text (notice the "A" - this doesn't have to be K&C which they recommend - Davidson's is just as good, similarly priced, and some students actually prefer it). Both of these cost around £40.

- A physiology book is not strictly necessary (prof cotter does a great job in teaching the subject and her powerpoint slides are very helpful) - but it might clear up some subjects. Physiology is fundamental to everything else you'll learn in the course, so if you wanted to get better-than-average grades, I'd get one of those. The school recommends a funny new text for physiology (forgot the name, sorry) - but IMO the 'old classic' - Vander's human physiology OR even an american textbook - Costanzo's physiology (I found this to be the best of the bunch - once again, personal preference... but people on the course are surprisingly scared of american textbooks for some reason) - will both do a great job as well.

- Anatomy textbook... another controversial point. The school recommends Essential clinical anatomy (which is *cough*crapp*cough*, as many of my peers concluded) - but another, bigger text by the same author - Clinically Oriented Anatomy, is actually a decent read. Gray's anatomy for students is also pretty good. Now - don't feel obliged to buy an anatomy textbook. Many of us got through the year with pretty good grades without ever looking at an anatomy text, just attending the dissection room classes and watching the Acland's Video Atlas of Human anatomy... I understand that some people just NEED a textbook to study properly, but if you don't - you can save £30 pounds here and still pass easily.

- You'll be able to manage without the pathology book (this saves you 40 or so quid) - you can use the library copy every once in a while or simply stick to the lecture slides - these are normally very good.

- The community course book won't be necessary until the end of 1st year (you can share one copy with a few ppl anyway, it's a very short text) - another 20 quid saved here.

- Buying a genetics or biochem text is *pointless*. The basic science course is taught by Prof Cotter and Prof Long - these two will give you all you need on their lectures and in their slides. There you go, another 60 quid saved

- Macleod's clinical examination is a great book, and you'll definitely need it at some point later in the course... so unless you're very inclined to learn MORE than what they need you to know in 1st year, don't buy it just yet and just use the library copies if you're in need of some additional info on the topic. Usually, the 'clinical skills workbook' - which everyone gets when term begins - will give you the relevant info about systematic examination. Holding off with buying this one will save you £30 (only temporarily though).

- Medical dictionary... our class got one for free (hehe :P) - but I'm afraid the 2009 freshers had to get their own copies. They're not expensive though, 10 quid or so.

- You're going to need a stethoscope, too - Littmann classic SE II or Welch Allyn Professional both cost around 50 quid.

Now - this is basically what I concluded after examining the content of the course and looking at all these books individually. Some of them are worth the price, some of them aren't. I got through first year and one half of the second year (so far) only owning Costanzo physiology, Davidson's clinical medicine, the freebie dictionary we got, and occasionally using my flatmates' Macleod's clinical examination... that's it! I admit I also bought a pathology text and an anatomy atlas, but I didn't open the atlas until a day before the anatomy exams (and it wasn't that helpful anyway) - as for the path text, it helped to clear things up a bit, but I could have easily used a similar book from the library. So there you have it - you could potentially spend as little as £60 quid on books and £50 on a steth and use the library books for all those difficult questions which are driving you mad after a lecture :]

There comes a time to spend that £30 on macleods and possibly buy some more specialized medical texts in 4th year - but why worry about that now?

tbc

[Kensei]

The accommodation...

A student can spend anywhere between £200-600 when renting a room. This all depends on the type of accommodation (renting a room in a shared flat with other students, living in student halls, renting your own studio flat), the location, required standard of living, and LUCK.

If you're very lucky, you can find a £200/month room in a shared flat. Normally, though, students spend £300 upwards, and if you're looking for something cheaper, you're going to have to settle for a flat in a 'not-quite-prestigious' area or be willing to commute from remote suburbs. Rooms in flats closer to Foresterhill area (e.g. Ashgrove, Rosemount, Kittybrewster, Berryden) generally cost more than £300 per month. Shared flats are normally of decent standard, but most landlords/agencies will want you to sign a 12-month lease. There are ways around paying for the room for the whole year, though (e.g. find friends willing to sub-let during the summer).

Obviously, there are some additional charges to consider. The total for electricity, internet connection and gas is normally between £20-50 / month (depending on the usage, providers, and season of the year) - if someone is asking for more than £50 without offering something extra, they're usually trying to rip you off or they're keeping the heating on all the time :P

The more expensive accommodation option is living in the student halls. Depending on the location and type/standard of the dorm, you can pay anywhere between £350-550. Unfortunately, the £350 option will not match the standard of a £300 (shared flat) room. Halls are also located further away from the hospital than most of the flats people normally go for, so you end up either having to take long walks to/from lectures every day or buying a monthly bus pass (£40, I think). All things considered, IMO halls are a worse choice for budget-conscious medic. They cost more and give less in return - but many medics prefer them because of the convenience (finding a flat can be a real nightmare - most ppl succeed but it's just a tiring and depressing process) and for the social factor. BTW - the bills are usually included in the rent for halls.

So there you have it My view on the matter of finances (I hope someone else offers their own so that you're not left with my - I admit it, slightly biased - opinion).

As far as nights out and other forms of entertainment are concerned, you're going to have to draw your own estimate here. Everyone sees a night-out in a very individual way, and some people have an awesome time spending £10, while some need at least £60 to have any fun at all.

Sport clubs and societies are generally quite affordable (unless you're into skydiving or mountain climbing :] ) - and well worth the time, IMO.

I can't help you on the 'which is cheaper' front, though - I never lived in Edinburgh so you're going to have to wait for someone who did, or ask the people on Edinburgh forum to give you a summary similar to the one I gave here.

Finally - you inquired about the term length. We get the usual breaks in Xmas (around 3 weeks) and easter (4-5 weeks). Winter term normally begins in late September (years 1-3), and summer term always ends in early June-early July.

I'm glad you appreciated the atmosphere of our little medical campus As I said before - whichever of these two might end up being your home for the next 5 years, I'm sure you're going to have a great time studying medicine. It's all about a state of mind, after all

All the best,
Kensei

[Medicine Woman:)]

Is it a bad sign not to have heard from Aberdeen yet? Quite a few grads got offers shortly after interview.. I know it's a waiting game but I just want to know already at this stage! So if anyone from admissions is reading this...pleeeeease put me out of my misery! lol

[Kensei]

Hey Medicine Woman

I think you've got the wrong thread here - try the interviews or graduates threads

[Medicine Woman:)]

Yes I thought it would grab more attention if I planted it bang in the middle of this thread.. consider it gone

[Medicine Woman:)]

Like I said I've removed it and will post my query in the relevant thread.

[Mathieson]

Even though finance is a problem, you're best looking at What University will give you the best medical education, personally, I think that it is Aberdeen. No matter which of the Medical schools you go to, you will still be faced with an extremely high cost of living.

I haven't lived in Aberdeen of Edinburgh but to hazzard a guess I would say that Edinburgh is a more expensive place to live in. Plus finding a flat in Edinburgh might be a bit more difficult than in Aberdeen.

Congratulations on you offers from both unis