How to choose the right medical schools for you
There are currently 43 medical schools in the UK which you can apply to, which gives you a decision to make about which 4 to choose for your UCAS application. Brunel University medical school is currently only open to international students, so if you are applying from abroad you have 44 medical schools to choose from.
If you are applying as a graduate, you may wish to consider graduate entry medicine. Otherwise, the most common route for sixth form and college leavers is to apply for a 5- or 6-year medicine programme. There are also other options available for those from widening participation backgrounds, such as foundation courses. Foundation courses help those who do not have science A-levels get into medicine, through a pre-clinical year of teaching the basics before moving onto the 5-year programme. Various medical schools offer foundation courses and they are also aimed at those students who are from a background where they might not be able to get the grades required. However, with even fewer places available, foundation medicine courses are just as competitive.
There are many factors to consider when choosing any university course, not just medicine. The first thing to consider when choosing a medical school are the entry requirements. There is no point choosing a medical school if you don't think you can meet their entry requirements because that will just waste a choice. Different medical schools will place different emphasis on various parts of the application - some base invitation to interview entirely on UCAT performance. For example, Manchester and Bristol medical schools rank all applicants according to UCAT score and interview the highest scoring candidates above a certain cut-off point. As long as you meet all the academic criteria for entry and your UCAT score is high enough, you will receive an interview. The likelihood of an interview depends on the performance of all applicants in that particular year, so the UCAT cut-off score changes every year.
Other universities may take into account other factors - for example King's College and Imperial College consider UCAT/BMAT score, personal statement, academic grades and reference when deciding who to interview. Therefore if you have a high UCAT score, you may choose to apply to universities which place more weighting on UCAT/BMAT scores. Whereas, if you have a low UCAT score you may choose to apply to universities which place less weighting on UCAT score and consider other factors too. The Medic Portal has a useful guide on how different universities use UCAT score. There are not really any medical schools which are easier to get into than others, so playing to your strengths and doing your research is important.
Once you have found medical schools that you meet the requirements for, it is worth considering other factors such as location and type of course. Being a student is going to mean having to budget and live a less expensive lifestyle, but some cities are definitely more student friendly than others. Living in London for example, means rent and the cost of living will be higher than other parts of the country. Moving further away from home is perfect for some, but others might prefer being nearby so you can come back more often. Some students also choose to live at home - this can save a lot of money on rent and other costs. It is important to consider all costs when choosing a university - travel, accommodation and other day-to-day costs. Finally, different cities provide different experiences and culture - big university cities, such as London, Manchester and Birmingham might have more to offer in terms of student life - more student population, night-life, more clubs and societies etc. Some students might prefer a smaller city or a campus based university, where everything is nearby. With so much choice, consider going on open days to as many universities as possible so you get a feel for the place before you apply. This year, virtual open days have become very popular.
There are generally two different types of medicine course:
You only really need to look at traditional courses if you're considering applying to Oxford or Cambridge. They will teach anatomy, physiology, biochemistry etc. as separate modules and you will learn each body system associated with this. You obviously don't get the clinical side until much later and the first two years are very lecture based with tutorials. Traditional courses provide a strong understanding of scientific theory behind medicine and equip students with all this knowledge before entering clinical years. Whilst this can be good if you like learning all of the science first, there is a lot of essay writing and it is not really 'hands-on' until the clinical years.
Other medical schools in the UK provide an integrated course, which separates the content into each body system - so when you learn about the cardiovascular system, you learn all the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry etc. associated with it. You can then apply this knowledge in a clinical situation because integrated courses often have a 'hands-on' approach and promote early patient contact. Integrated courses include problem-based learning, where you are given a medical case you have to problem solve in a group, with some self-directed learning. The level of PBL differs with each university and some use case-based teaching or enquiry-based teaching instead.
When choosing which medical schools to apply to, it is important to consider which style of course you will prefer, in addition to the location, the size of the university, clubs and societies, and other factors that might be important to you. It may be worth looking at university league tables for medicine, although these can often be subjective and based on factors like research instead of teaching quality. You can only apply to one of Oxford or Cambridge (unless you are applying as a graduate), so most likely most medical schools you choose will either be PBL, case-based or enquiry-based teaching, or a mixture. Attending open days (virtually for this year), talking to current students and looking on the uni website will all inform on your decision. Since you will be there for the best part of 5 years, it is important you make the right choice!
So you've got a list of medical schools you like the look of. UCAS only lets you apply to four medical schools - the fifth choice can be anything but usually applicants choose to apply for a related course, such as biomedical science or other biological science degrees. Some medical schools also offer the choice of intercalation - where you can obtain an extra degree between years 3-5, depending on the medical school. Intercalation allows you to explore an area of interest in greater depth, gaining another qualification by taking an additional year of study. This could be in the form of a Bsc, an Msc or MRes, a Master of Public Health or even an MA if you choose to study something a bit different. It is a big commitment both financially and academically, as you will have to pay any relevant tuition fees and living costs for an extra year. You also prolong the time you are at medical school, although it is only one year and intercalating can give you many more options to explore.
Not all medical schools have the option to intercalate and it is compulsory at some - so be sure to check with the medical schools you apply to. If they do offer intercalation, even if you are not considering it now then at least the option is there if you change your mind later. For more information about intercalation, Hull-York Medical School has a dedicated intercalation database for medical students.
A final option is to study medicine abroad. Studying medicine in Europe can often be a good alternative if you do not get accepted in the UK – with competition high for medical school places here, more students are considering this as an option. There are many universities in Europe which teach medicine in English – The Medic Portal has a comprehensive list and guide to studying medicine in Europe.
Graduates in the European Economic Area can apply for General Medical Council registration in without sitting the required GMC test. This makes it easier to come back to the UK to work after finishing your degree.
A further option is studying medicine in the USA – for this you will need to first complete a four-year pre-med degree in a subject – most commonly biology or chemistry. Medicine is only available as a post-graduate degree in America. In addition, you will need to sit the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), an admission test that American and Canadian medical schools use, similar to the UCAT.
It is a multiple-choice test taken on a computer which tests your knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, sociology and psychology, as well as your ability to think critically. The first three sections require prior knowledge, whilst the fourth section tests your ability to understand what you read on the day. The test itself takes 7½ hours to complete with breaks in between.
More information can be found on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website. This is also where applications have to be made, via the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).
Posted by Nathan