Imperial or UCL?

[newdoc]

Being an international student and having secured offers from two excellent colleges, UCL and Imperial, I need advice from anyone regarding the advantages in choosing UCL over Imperial or viceversa, apart from the fact that international fees are lesser at UCL. From the websites of both the colleges, the curricula is similar, except for the fact that UCL has SSC which Imperial doesnt have. I am not sure about the teaching quality and hospitals. Can anyone give me some advice on this?

[Shahjahan]

Choose Imperial, you won't regret it.

[grindlo]

ive heard good and bad things about both.

ive heard that there is snobbery amongst the medics at imperial... and that there is clique-ery within ethnic groups amongst the medics at ucl.

as the learning styles goes, i dont think theres much difference between them... except theres a tinnny bit of pbl at imperial and none at all at ucl.
i was impressed by the IT facilities at imperial.... imperial is near a park whereas ucl is more citycity.

well u prolly already knew all of this stuff but i im bored so.... x

[Spencer Wells]

Originally Posted by grindlo

except theres a tinnny bit of pbl at imperial and none at all at ucl.

Not quite true. UCL use teeny bits of PBL (i.e. you'll have a 3 hour session every couple of weeks where you'll be set a problem at the beginning and have to figure it out by the end of the session).

[jdr06]

there will be pbl at all medical schools, gmc says it has to be taught. accommodation will be cheaper at ucl, as for medic snobbery and clique-ery you will probably get that where ever you go. medics at imperial definitely have a very high level of competition with the rest of the university. in terms of the course, i know that 1st and 2nd year exam questions at ucl and imperial are taken from the same question bank when it comes to multiple choice questions, so what you learn and when is quite similar i assume. the teaching hospitals at both are very good and there isnt that much to distinguish them.

id say go to imperial, but then again im biased.

[agneishd]

dunno bout UCL as much, but the unions and family system at imperial make it a friendly and supportive place to study

[Gizmo says -]

when faced wif a rock and an ard place, you need to go wif the lesser of the two evils.
ucl.

[Spencer Wells]

Originally Posted by Gizmo says -

when faced wif a rock and an ard place, you need to go wif the lesser of the two evils.
ucl.

Thanks for that Raj. A rock and a hard place, lovely.

[Gizmo says -]

everytime ucl over imperial.

although it was me who posted it.

[jaSingh]

well i actually applied to both unis this year and after having had interviews at both and having seen both, i would definitely have to say i think imperial is the better choice hands down everytime. they r both very, very reputable unis with great courses, great location in london, social scene is great at both too. What makes me say imperial is not the fact that it is one of the most presitigious for medicine, but the amazing clinical facilities. i mean its affiliated with sooo many hospitals like more than 10 major ones and then many more other ones around greater london as wel. the consultant to student ratio is the best in london, so with that teaching and those facilities u jus cant go wrong! and plus imperials such a leader in the field with the opening of the Academic Health Science Centre, the first of its kind. it really is at the forefront of medicine in the UK today.
to be honest, both medical schools are amazing so either way itl b great but in my opinion, imperial all the way! (p.s. sorry for the essay!)