Help! Confused Between Kings And Barts- Which To Accept?!? Advice Pls!!! Confused

[Anitaisdabest]

HELP! CONFUSED BETWEEN KINGS AND BARTS- WHICH TO ACCEPT?!? ADVICE PLS!!! CONFUSED

Hi everyone,
I've received offers frm both Kings and Barts (finally)but I'm completely confused abt which one to accept.
I'm a forced Gap year student who lives in E. London btw.

I honestly have no idea which one.

----------------------------

1) DISTANCE: In terms of distance (live near East ham station)- Barts is just 15 min away frm my house... and v. v. easy to get to (district line goes straight there). However it takes 35 min to get to Kings . Basically its easier to go to Barts in terms of travelling. But 35 min. is not that much is it?

Can go to Barts by car. But for Kings can't go by car due to congestion charge thingy- am I just being too lazy?Should I take this factor into account- considering that I'll have to go here for 6 years???

ALSO I've heard that Kings students have to go to Lewisham University Hospital- this is like really really far away (an hour at max) (will have to use like Blackwall tunnel...opp side of river Thames)... Also how often will I have to go to Lewisham hospital ??0

2) TEACHING: In terms of teaching styles- Neither influence my decision as they both suit me. Integrated(mixture) or PBL, I don't mind either.

3) LEAGUE TABLES: However Kings is higher up the league tables compared to Barts. Kings is in the top 20 World unis. whilst Barts is in the top 100. But does this really matter. I mean, in the end all the students frm both unis. end up registering with the GMC (and obv. gaining an MBBS degree). So does this matter?

4) GAP YEAR STUDENTS: Is this something I should look at. As I'm a forced Gap yr student myself...I don't want to be behind everyone by a year. Which university has a greater percentage of gap yearers?

-------------------------
What to do? Which one. I've been to both open days, and yes I like both of the universities...plus all the med. students were friendly...

Is there anything else I should look at? Which wud u choose???


Thanks in advance.

[xXx H xXx]

well il start off by sayin u well done..u lukki cow!!!! n omdzzz i wud b in xactly the same situation az u..bein on a gap year n xactly 15minz away 4m east ham station an all...if it waznt 4 kings puttin me on waitin list!!!
since i hav thought about this alot az well herez wt im finkin:
1) 4get about time n travel journey. 35minz iznt much. u r gna haf 2 most probly travel 2 far places in the future...dya really wana stick 2 the small endz of east london??? dnt think about travellin at all wen makin ur decision..its alll about the unis in comparison.
2) r u completely sure teaching duznt make a difference. remember ur gna b spendin 6 years of ur lyf...for example my frenz at kings talk about sum peeps sleepin lectures n frenz at qm luv the hands on approach of pbl way more than any other way of teaching...seresly u need 2 research n see wich one u wud enjoy n can stik it out 4 in the next 6 years.
3) Kings iz academically better..but Barts London Hospital is LEGENDARY!!!!
4) Ok Barts EASILY has more gap year students..they give us gappers another chance on the basis were applying agen whereas Kings will comapare u 2 a-levellers directly. personally, i wudnt giv a crap about age..ul meet ppl in ur course twenty years older 4 sure.


PERSONALLY THOUGH...i wudve said Kings easily on the basis that i can say 2 ppl in the future: i hav a degree 4m kings lol ok jke..its just academically slightly superior
butttt....i luv barts n cnt wait 2 start there.

hpe that helps.

[xXx H xXx]

okkk rereading this i probably made ur decision making worse lol

[kazziemcc]

WOW!!! how lucky are u to be in this situation!!!
Im not gunna comment on the unis cuz im totally biased towards kings lol (i cant help it im totally in love with it), but they are both AMAZING unis, attached to fantastic hospitals.
But I will say with regards to the travelling issue, I live in coventry and I commuted to aston university (in Birmingham) for four years, my travel time each way was an hour, and its easier then u would think, so I wouldnt let 35 minutes bother you, after a month of it ull be certainly in the swing of things.
Good luck with your decision (im sure its gunna give you countless sleepless nights) and congratulations!!!!

[Baki]

HELP! CONFUSED BETWEEN KINGS AND BARTS- WHICH TO ACCEPT?!? ADVICE PLS!!! CONFUSED

Hi everyone,
I've received offers frm both Kings and Barts (finally)but I'm completely confused abt which one to accept.
I'm a forced Gap year student who lives in E. London btw.

I honestly have no idea which one.

----------------------------

1) DISTANCE: In terms of distance (live near East ham station)- Barts is just 15 min away frm my house... and v. v. easy to get to (district line goes straight there). However it takes 35 min to get to Kings . Basically its easier to go to Barts in terms of travelling. But 35 min. is not that much is it?

Can go to Barts by car. But for Kings can't go by car due to congestion charge thingy- am I just being too lazy?Should I take this factor into account- considering that I'll have to go here for 6 years???

ALSO I've heard that Kings students have to go to Lewisham University Hospital- this is like really really far away (an hour at max) (will have to use like Blackwall tunnel...opp side of river Thames)... Also how often will I have to go to Lewisham hospital ??0

2) TEACHING: In terms of teaching styles- Neither influence my decision as they both suit me. Integrated(mixture) or PBL, I don't mind either.

3) LEAGUE TABLES: However Kings is higher up the league tables compared to Barts. Kings is in the top 20 World unis. whilst Barts is in the top 100. But does this really matter. I mean, in the end all the students frm both unis. end up registering with the GMC (and obv. gaining an MBBS degree). So does this matter?

4) GAP YEAR STUDENTS: Is this something I should look at. As I'm a forced Gap yr student myself...I don't want to be behind everyone by a year. Which university has a greater percentage of gap yearers.

-------------------------
What to do? Which one. I've been to both open days, and yes I like both of the universities...plus all the med. students were friendly...

Is there anything else I should look at? Which wud u choose???


Thanks in advance.

Since you live in East London, it might be nice to get out of East London (atleast for uni).

Kings hospital are a bit more nicer when compared to The Royal London hospital.

Kings has a much better library, and is situated in a nice area.

Kings has a better international reputation.

BUT...

It looks like the car thing may save you moolah, so maybe going to Barts may better serve you.

I don't know.

Personally, I would go to Kings. But the whole "close to you factor" is nice. But since you're going to Uni, maybe going somewher different would be nice.

[maz13]

I think in the end its got to be down to your own personal reasons....bt since I feel there is a bit more support for Kings on this thread I will say this of Barts....the research assessment exercise that takes place every 5 years released its latest rankings in december and amongst the medical schools Barts came in 4th overall in the country, beating ALL the other London medical schools, it was only preceded by Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge ....this is according to the Times...so if you are looking at prestige and rankings chances are Barts is very much going to move up the league tables next year (as these tables take into account the RAE score of each uni)...

Hope this info is of use! Good luck with your decision!

[Med student wannabe]

I'm in the same predicament too as I've received two offers from GKT and Bart's. I know Bart's is a nice mix PBL and lectures but can anyone tell me what sort of teaching style GKT has? Is it lecture-based, integrated learning and/or systems-based? Any comments from current GKT medical students would be highly appreciated! Thanks

[georgiegirl]

HELP! CONFUSED BETWEEN KINGS AND BARTS- WHICH TO ACCEPT?!? ADVICE PLS!!! CONFUSED

Hi everyone,
I've received offers frm both Kings and Barts (finally)but I'm completely confused abt which one to accept.
I'm a forced Gap year student who lives in E. London btw.

I honestly have no idea which one.

Hi there

First of all, I want to say I'm really pleased for you. I remember you on the forum last year, this is a great result for you.

My advice, for what it's worth, please disregard it if you think it's bollocks, also if I get anything factually wrong, anyone better informed must correct me please...

Stuff the travelling. As you say, 35 minutes is not a long journey, so shouldn't be the main consideration really, you are pretty well placed for both. But try turning it around the other way: if Kings were closer, which would you choose then? Would it be an easier decision to make?

Also, I'd forget about the gap year issue too. It's really not going to make any difference. There will be plenty of gap year students on both courses, not to mention a few random oldies like me (I'm 38 and have an offer from Kings, still waiting to hear from Barts, but I also have an offer from UCL which might be my firm, I'm still deciding). I don't think your year out will make you feel at all out of place. My feeling is that, seeing you describe yourself as a 'forced gap year student', you maybe feel a bit resentful that you're not there already and as a consequence you are maybe worrying too much about the fact that you'll be there a year later than you'd planned? I don't think you should worry about this at all.

Think about the teaching styles and course structure: which do you prefer? Barts I know operate a continuous assessment kind of approach, which I'm pretty sure means exams every six weeks or so. How do you feel about this?

Do you want to do dissection? You'll get the opportunity at Kings but I don't think it's a core component of the course at Barts - I believe you can do it as an option (though I've a feeling it's popular and perhaps over-subscribed).

What does your gut say? You may feel you don't really have a preference. Toss a coin and see how you feel about the 'result'. If deep down you are erring slightly towards one or the other, this will help to show you that - you'll feel either slightly disappointed or slightly pleased depending on what comes up. Obviously I don't mean toss a coin to decide, just to help you unpack your feelings about where you really want to go.

Good luck whatever you decide.

George x

[Gizmo says -]

brats wiffout a doubt.

[tallulah]

Wow Anitaisdabest, I think we can safely say they are both world-class med schools - what a fab position to be in!

I think a big factor in your choice should be about which place feels right for you in terms of culture, atmosphere and people. You will spend 4-5 years studying there, so it's really important you feel comfortable. I don't have any offers yet but if (big if!) I do get more than one, I plan to go along to the open days for people with offers to meet the staff and other prospective students and see where I feel I'll fit in best. I think when you go along to a place, you soon know whether you will be happy there.

It all sounds a bit hippy dippy, I know. But my interviews at GKT and SGUL really brought it home to me. I always thought GKT would be my first choice because of the prestige - after all, it's the most competitive GEP course to get on to, isn't it? But when I went for interview, I felt much more comfortable at SGUL, found the atmosphere more welcoming, and the people more friendly. This view may not be entirely dispassionate tho, because I found the interview at GKT really gruelling, so maybe I'm just feeling a bit negative because of the harsh ordeal I had to undergo!

So as I said, if if if I were lucky enough to get offers from both, I'd go along to the open days, meet the staff, students and other applicants, and decide from there. I'm hoping my intuition will kick in and make it easy to decide what's best for me.

Good luck - and big congratulations!!

T x