Benefits of a London med school?

[amy2705598]

Do people think there is any great benefit on studying medicine in London, as opposed to any other good uni (eg Bristol, Birmingham, etc)? Once you have qualified, does where you studied make any further impact on your future career?

I have been accepted to Birmingham GEP, and have withdrawn my applications to Liverpool and Warwick, but I'm not sure about whether or not to go for the interview (if I'm invited) at Kings College London. I really loved Birmingham when I went to see it, but I'm sure I will like Kings as well. Birmingham is closer to home for me, and will be a lot cheaper to live in than London, but I don't want to dismiss KCL because I'm sure London would be amazing to live and study in.

What do people think about the potential benefits of studying in London?

[mera]

I think the uni at experience in London is quite different to what you get in other cities. Most people really enjoy it, there is everything you could possibly want to do in London & its a great time of life to live in the capital. GKT is a good place to do Medicine and it is attached to some great hospitals.

When it comes to getting jobs I know in London a BSc is advised because some of the other London med schools (namely UCL & Imperial) have compulsary BScs. Therefore you could be at an advantage when it comes to getting jobs as you already have one. I don't think you are necessarily committed to work where you graduate, I know I'll move out of London pretty soon after I do.

I'm actually less in debt than most friends at Leeds, Newcastle etc so it isn't neccesarily more expensive if you're careful.

Birmingham is meant to be a great city to study in but I did hear from a family friend who works for one of the bodies that reviews medical schools(the names escaped me) that apparently their course has come into question recently. I think you can look at their reports on the internet. However, at the end of the day you'll come out with the same degree.

There's no harm in waiting to see if you get an interview from Kings, its not like you'll lose the Birmingham offer by waiting and it stops the possibility of you wondering 'what if?' down the line.

[sbailey]

Originally Posted by amy2705598

Do people think there is any great benefit on studying medicine in London, as opposed to any other good uni (eg Bristol, Birmingham, etc)? Once you have qualified, does where you studied make any further impact on your future career?

In theory, where you studied shouldn't have any impact on your application to foundation schools (for your first post, straight after graduation), except in an indirect way, e.g. having more extracurriculars, publications or an iBSc. All medical schools are treated equally by the application process, and indeed the London schools are not necessarily the best anyway (not that I'm knocking them).

If you want to move to London after med school, you have as good a chance applying from Birmingham as from a London school - where you qualified doesn't come into it any more (it used to before MMC). Getting a foundation post in London may make it easier to work in London later on, since you will be able to build up contacts, but it shouldn't have any impact on your career beyond that.

What do people think about the potential benefits of studying in London?

Clearly London has a lot to offer, but so does Birmingham. They're both very large cities. The question is - where would you rather be?

Birmingham is meant to be a great city to study in but I did hear from a family friend who works for one of the bodies that reviews medical schools(the names escaped me) that apparently their course has come into question recently. I think you can look at their reports on the internet. However, at the end of the day you'll come out with the same degree.

I've heard rumblings about Birmingham being disorganised, but tbh GKT sounds like it has problems of its own. I know clinical students who transferred there from elsewhere, and apparently this year GKT cancelled *all* lectures for 3rd year medical students (1st year clinical) because of budget cuts.

[S Knights]

I'd go to whichever one you think you are going to like the most... It really isn't going to make a lot of difference in the long run, thanks to MMC you'd have as much chance to get a job in London wherever you go, and if it would sway your opinion, you can intercalate a degree at both universities (and as an aside under the new MTAS application it doesn't matter whether your BSc is a compulsory one or a voluntary one, it gets you the same number of points). Further training posts are allocated on merit anyway, and it doesn't matter which country you trained in - never mind which part of the country - as long as you meet the requirements... In the last rotation I did there were doctors who trained at Newcastle, Leeds, London, Cambridge, and Glasgow... not to mention Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Germany.

If you really like Birmingham that much I'd probably go for that one.

[amy2705598]

Thanks for the advice guys. I had pretty much got my heart set on Birmingham, and have now firmly accepted their offer. It was really useful to get other people's thoughts about living in London & future career prospects.

[Lollipop lady]

Originally Posted by amy2705598

Do people think there is any great benefit on studying medicine in London, as opposed to any other good uni (eg Bristol, Birmingham, etc)? Once you have qualified, does where you studied make any further impact on your future career?

I have been accepted to Birmingham GEP, and have withdrawn my applications to Liverpool and Warwick, but I'm not sure about whether or not to go for the interview (if I'm invited) at Kings College London. I really loved Birmingham when I went to see it, but I'm sure I will like Kings as well. Birmingham is closer to home for me, and will be a lot cheaper to live in than London, but I don't want to dismiss KCL because I'm sure London would be amazing to live and study in.

What do people think about the potential benefits of studying in London?

Hi,

I had this dilemma last year, in choosing between Bham and Kings, which were my top choices. You can view some of the advice that others offered me, by searching through my history of posts. However, penultimately, the decision lays in your hands, not others. I chose Kings, even though I was unsure at the time but I have found that it is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. If you want to know more about Kings, PM me.

Take care and good luck choosing.