qs for current peninsula students

[_avfc00013]

ok, this will probably get some angry replys, however my general understanding of the grading of this medical school isn't that high probably because it's quite new. i have some questions for current students at peninsula:
1) does peninsula give poor, adequate, decent, good or fantastic teaching? i.e lectures/PBL. and i know with every medical course you would be expected to do some amount of independent learning, but do you think it is particularly high at peninsula?

2) what does peninsula tend to focus a large amount upon.. anatomy? clinical things?

3) what sort of sports does peninsula provide/ is there any sports provided?

4) what is accomodation like?

5) do people tend to get their first choices of where to work when they apply to different hospitals?

[Yixian]

Lmao I was wondering how long it would take till we saw the effects of this years Times league tables on here xD

All universities, including medical schools, dance around the league tables every year based on various often trivial criteria. Both Nottingham and Peninsula are at the bottom this year, in Peninsulas case I gather due to a delay in the increase in entrance requirements.

When I applies to PMS it was the hot new medical school and near the top of the tables. In it's place today is Hull York which back then say bearer the bottom.

Conclusion? League tables are even more useless for medical schools than other degrees.

What is important to consider is the teaching styles and course structure.

Nottingham for eg is a traditional course where you do a BSc for the first 3.5 years and have relatively less clinical experence early on.

Peninsula like Hull York, Liverpool etc is PBL based with very little anatomy but early clinical exposure.

So pick 1st based on which school you're mos likely to get into according to the strengths of your CV, and 2nd on the course type.

All medical schools in the UK are GMC certified, and the clinical years are effectively the same in every single school - the f1s coming out of any medschool are effectively the same so unless yore particularly inflexible in your learning style then frankly it doesn't matter where you go.

I had no major preference where I went, but I do love bring at PMS, I like the clinical focus and the freedom it gives you in managing your time.



And you can copy paste this thread into every other forum on this site in anticipation of their nevitable trip to the bottom of the Times list over the next few years.

[_avfc00013]

Well thanks for the reply, but that wasn't actually my incentive to posting. and also any otehr students who would be ableto answer the questions which i posted rather than galavanting off onto some tangent would be much appreciated

[Dr Noodle]

No need to be rude here mate, snottiness is immature. Anyway Yixian is right, unfortunately league tables aren't a reflection of the schools performance, which tbh makes them a farcical waste of time.

To answer your questions...
1) Having never attended any other medical school, I can't compare quality of teaching. The vast majority of teaching does seem to be of a high standard. Independent learning is a major component of the PBL style course. However, obviously, we are not left completely to our own devices. Having a large amount of independent learning can be annoying at first, until you develop your skills. Eventually you will find it has done you a lot more good than 'spoon feeding' when you are kicked out into the real world.

2) Peninsula focuses on what you need to know to be a competent doctor. Therefore there is quite a bit of focus on clinical teaching right from the beginning. You are still expected to learn your anatomy, physiology- you need to know why you doing the clinical bits-we are taught this, but we do teach ourselves quite a bit too. Again this is something you get better at with practice and a lot of effort. If you want to be a successful student at PCMD you can't be a lazy student. Things will not be handed out to you on a plate. You need to be proactive in order to keep up to standard.

3) Of course, there are loads of sports. Apparently our rugby team is the second best medical school team in the country. There's also soccer, hockey, netball etc. You can also join teams at the main campuses in Plymouth and Exeter.

4) In Exeter, the accommodation at student halls is very decent. Renting accommodation after first year in houses in Exeter and Plymouth is around £75-90 a week on average.

5) Not sure about this question. I think the vast majority do get their first choices but I've heard a lot apply for jobs in the South West. Not sure what it's like to apply to other parts of the country.

When applying for med school you really need to take a look at yourself and think about what suits you- learning style, living location, etc- instead of focussing on 'what school is the best'. All med schools on UCAS abide by GMC regulations. I know when I was at your stage and heard people saying this I thought it was nonsense but it's very real. Take for example someone applying to Imperial because they have a 'good reputation' but when they get there they find that a 9-5 lecture and very science based course doesn't really suit them- they may wind up struggling and eventually dropping out when they could have thrived in a group work based more clinically oriented school. And vice versa of course.

It's what suits you that is important.

[Dr Noodle]

Forgot to mention that Peninsula's graduates have a reputation for being far more clinically competent on the wards than graduates from a lot of other medical schools.

[The Fantastic Dr. Fox]

1) The teaching is very variable as we have many different people teaching us, imo it really depends on who you get.
The course is VERY self directed compared to other schools. Some places will have lectures from 9 to 5 monday to friday. At peninsula there is only around 16 hours of contact time per week (and many of those sessions are not compulsory). You are very much responsible for your learning.

2) i would say peninsula are very big on the more 'hands on' side of medicine. Compared to other schools we have a lot of sessions on communication skills as well an early exposure to clinical practice and clinical skills. The main exam we sit also has a strong basis in clinical reasoning, as well as pure knowledge so I presume we are well prepared in that respect. People may argue that most of this comes at the expense of in-depth anatomy and physiology. We are taught it in a very clinical context, but have very few sessions on it and no direct examinations on it. Iit is very much up to the student to learn it.

3) Pass

4) I can only speak for exeter. The accommodation is more expensive than other places (~£80/week if memory serves) but the halls arent too shabby. However there has been a new building put in since I lived there. They are quite isolated from the main Exeter campus (30 minute walk) which is a factor. The other half of the year are posted in plymouth which i know nothing about

5) Pass

[Yixian]

Well thanks for the reply, but that wasn't actually my incentive to posting. and also any otehr students who would be ableto answer the questions which i posted rather than galavanting off onto some tangent would be much appreciated

I answered most of your questions, just not in bullet point form. If you require all your information provided in nice easy to read bullet points, I suggest reconsidering your career entirely.

[_avfc00013]

I answered most of your questions, just not in bullet point form. If you require all your information provided in nice easy to read bullet points, I suggest reconsidering your career entirely.

I'm sorry for saying that but the only sentence which was of any relevance to my questions was this:'Peninsula like Hull York, Liverpool etc is PBL based with very little anatomy but early clinical exposure.',and you seemed to be justifying why league tables are not a valid source for the rest.

Anyway.. cheers for the replies Dr Noodle, The Fantastic Dr. Fox and Yixian.

One further question if you don't mind - What do you think is the worst thing about Peninsula?

[Yixian]

The way in which exams are marked. Like Cardiff they take a fraction of the lowest scorers in an exam and fail them. At Peninsula that fraction is the bottom 5%, not sure what it is in Cardiff. Personally this hasn't affected me but I can imagine if I failed an exam that I would have passed in the cohort above or below me, I'd be pretty annoyed.

By the way your post in the main forum is a bit... inappropriate..

[iceman_jondoe]

I'm sorry for saying that but the only sentence which was of any relevance to my questions was this:'Peninsula like Hull York, Liverpool etc is PBL based with very little anatomy but early clinical exposure.',and you seemed to be justifying why league tables are not a valid source for the rest.

Anyway.. cheers for the replies Dr Noodle, The Fantastic Dr. Fox and Yixian.

One further question if you don't mind - What do you think is the worst thing about Peninsula?

Well..if you end up coming here it'll probably be YOU ...no seriously i would say the worst thing about PMS is the lack of support in the first year. You dont really know/figure out what you have to do and how you have to work until second year...that was the case for me anyway. And if you want to be a surgeon dont come to PMS! your more likely to be a GP when youve graduated from here!