Course vs Social Life...

[bump]

EDIT 1/3/08 : I've officially made the decision. I am going for the course. =D



My situation :

Manchester or Sheffield?
Manchester - better social life, wider cultural diversity, great restaurants, central location, easy transport via train to other major cities. Parties and social events OUTSIDE the UK are arranged.

Sheffield - better course - as it's not all PBL but integrated.


Similarities
During interviews - i liked both atmospheres and interviewers.
Both have good accomodation.
Both universities are close to the city centre and train station.
Distance is not a key issue.

I want a place where I will enjoy 5 years of my life. I've only been to Sheffield twice. I don't know anyone from my school there. I haven't tried the nightlife.

Is PBL in Manchester not that bad as people say? Or would you say integrated is better?

Is Sheffield's social life just as good as Manchester?

I am interested in dancing (urban) and languages - especially Asian...and I would join these societies. I inclined slightly to Manchester because of its great asian population and also there are lots of good dance studios. Or is Sheffield just as good?

They are both excellent universities, but which one has a better reputation for medicine?

Or which would you choose in my situation?


Thanks for reading and helping.

[theatrical]

How is Manchester's course not integrated?

As well as 2.5 hours of PBL a week, there's about 8 hours of lectures, lab sessions, 2 hours of dissection and IT and statistics sessions. We also get hospital and community early experience from the start.

[Zack]

Have you got an offer from Manchester? I didn't think they'd given any out yet. If so, well done!

From what I've gathered from talking to people, it's best to ignore reputation when choosing where to go - you're going to come out with the same qualification at the end of the day. It's more about where you feel you'll fit in. Once you've got all your offers, visit the places again, talk to the students, look at the course and figure out which one suits you best.

That's just my two pence anyway, I'm sure current students would know a bit more about making the choice.

All the best though!

[-Petrie-]

Sheffield has one of the best SUs in the country, they're constantly winning awards for it, so I wouldn't necessarily say that Manc's social life is any better then Sheffield's because a lot of what you'll be doing (eg. freshers week) will be organised via the SU.

And reputation doesn't really come into it, they are both very very good medical schools (which are both some of the most competitve for medicine in terms of number of applicants rejected without interview), with fantastic city teaching hospitals.

I would personally go to Sheffield because their course is A LOT less PBL-based then Manchester. It seems like you are 'chucked in at the deep end' at Manc but that's just my opinion.

Have your received offers from both? I didn't know Manc has started giving out offers! Congrats if you have tho

[-Petrie-]

And don't chose against a place just because you don't know anyone there - you'll quickly meet a lot of great people wherever you go

[Gizmo says -]

well said, Prettie, thats sound advice, macca.

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ah no- not an offer yet. and im not being big headed thinking i would get in - its just that i need to plan a holiday and plan ahead. if i go on holiday in the first half of summer hols - i have to pay £55 more (heh- yes im thrifty). if i go on holiday after my results - i'm not so sure what date i would need to come back. so ive been trying to find out dates of both manc and sheffield. sheffield's dates - i do not know. but fresher's weeks --- i don't want to miss that.

would any one know about the dates we go to the uni for both Manc and sheff?? or maybe the 2007 entries could tell me when they went to their unis?

Ah, I feel I will fit in anywhere. And I love sheffield and manchester both equally!

[NV05]

Same stuff, different places. Manchester's slightly bigger and that's the main difference. Our SU would probably get more awards if it didn't have such a big agenda on issues that don't affect students. Other than that, its pretty much the same set-up: here its 5th Ave, there its The Leadmill, here its Happy Days, there its Azlan's. You can't go wrong socially on either.

PBL CAN be a great way of learning. As theatrical points out, Manchester's highly integrated in course structure and doesn't have 'IPL' (I think its called that) which friends at Sheffield complain about no end.

[bump]

i am a lazy person at heart. i leave things last minute. i study a week (weekend) before summer exams start...... or a few days before each/any exam. in the winter term i did a solid 2 months of self-directed learning for the interviews sake. now i havent done any for a months cos i have no more interviews. also i pick up things really quickly.

i noticed that there are quite a lot of current manchester medics., and i wonder if they would think manchester (course) will suit me ?
thanks

ps.i have offfers from both sheff and manchester.

[belis]

It depends what you are expecting from the course. If you want a course that lets you get away with doing very little work for long periods and craming before exams then Manchester has a lot going for it in my opinion. In turn if you think that you would work better in a structured environment with fraquent assesments to aid your motivation then you should stay away from it.