On the UCAS form you can list up to five choices, however only four of these can be medical courses. You should seek help and advice from your school or college as to whether to choose another type of course or leave the fifth choice as a blank. The universities do not know which other establishments you have applied to until the offers are out, although they can see if you applied to another course within that university.

There are 32 institutions that offer medical degrees in the UK. These medical schools are listed in our useful links pages here. You can see that there are 5 London medical schools all part of the University of London. Another point to be aware of is that there is a Lancaster University undergraduate medical course which is run in collaboration with the University of Liverpool (if you wish to apply there is a unique course code for the Lancaster course). The University of Liverpool will be the awarding body. Finally, note that applicants to Newcastle University can opt to study for the first two years at Durham and if you wish to do so you can indicate this in the UCAS application form. Newcastle University would be the awarding body for your degree in this case.

N.B. There is a restriction in that you can only apply for either the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge. However, for the Graduate Entry Programme courses this restriction does not apply.

All medical courses are not taught or run in exactly the same way. The teaching methods differ and generally there are three styles:

• Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
• Traditional
• integrated

Problem-based learning (PBL) involves student-centred teaching in which students learn about a subject in the context of complex, multifaceted, and realistic problems. The goals of PBL are to help the students develop flexible knowledge, effective problem solving skills, self-directed learning, effective collaboration skills and intrinsic motivation. Here medical students are sent away each week to work in a team to examine a clinical scenario. The scenario usually contains triggers and cues from which students can draw up learning objectives for private study. These are then discussed at the next meeting and each student’s findings are then presented to the group and the facilitator by the end of the week.

Pros and cons: The pros are that this method encourages self-directed learning and problem-solving, along with early clinical exposure. N.B.This early clinical exposure would take the form of being book or case-based, rather than practical exposure on the wards. Another pro of the PBL method is that as the course is not 9-5 during the pre-clinical years, there is more opportunity to pursue other interests outside of the course if you are able to manage your time effectively. The cons are that this technique is less well-established and less standardised and very much dependant on the quality of the facilitator in addition to the commitment of the student group. There may also be gaps in the scientific understanding.

Iqra Ashraf, 3^rd year student at Manchester Medical School comments*:

‘PBL method: I find this method of teaching both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. The scenarios provide an interesting stimulus for discussion and I feel that PBL helps nurture the skills required for a career as clinician from an early stage. Although PBL is the main method of learning, lectures and skills sessions are also provided to supplement learning throughout the course.’

The traditional method usually focuses on having medical school-based lectures and tutorials in pure science for the first 2-3 years of the course and you spend the rest of the course (the clinical years) being taught in clinical settings e.g. on ward rounds; GP placements etc.

Pros and cons: The pros are that there is a really strong underpinning of the scientific theories of medicine and that the clinical exposure begins when there is a good knowledge base. The cons are that before the clinical years you can be out of touch with the reality of medicine. You are taught scientific theories that are often forgotten after the exams.

Victoria Van Hamel-Parsons, 4^th year student at Oxford Medical School says*:

‘Traditional Method: Having two years of pre-clinical lectures gives a fantastic grounding in the sciences that underpin medicine: physiology, biochemistry, neuroscience, histopathology, anatomy.  Believe it or not, even years later this can stand you in good stead as a consultant grills you at the bedside - you'd be amazed at how much of clinical medicine comes back to the basic science.  However, it's not just for clinical medicine; you gain an understanding of the importance and methods of primary lab-based research which you'll have throughout your career, whatever its course.  In terms of teaching, the best part of a traditional pre-clinical course is the tutorials. 4-5 students having weekly sessions with an expert in their field is probably one of the best ways to learn; however, if you're not keen on writing essays then perhaps the traditional format isn't for you.  

You're not abandoned once you get to clinical school - you still have lectures and tutorials, but they're designed to complement what you learn on the wards, rather than provide you with the bulk of your teaching.  As at any medical school, teaching on the wards is variable, and it's up to you to grab any opportunity to learn that's available.‘

The integrated method is where lectures are integrated with clinical attachments from the start.

Pros and cons: The pros are that the scientific knowledge is delivered at the appropriate stage and that you have early clinical exposure. The cons are that you may be faced with patients before you feel you know enough. You will still be attending lectures in the last few years of the course.

Guy Rughani, 3^rd year student at Edinburgh Medical School comments*:

‘Integrated method: I enjoyed the variation offered by this method. Didactic lectures are punctuated by interactive PBL or clinical teaching, so you feel that you are getting a reasonable grasp of the science, while having the chance to apply it. The quality and usefulness of our PBL sessions was mixed, so I was glad for the fall-back of lectures’.

Summary:

There are pros and cons to each of these teaching methods and it may be a matter of personal choice which type of medical course you should go for. Examples:

• If you favour learning about lots of scientific details the traditional method might be right for you.
• If you prefer self-directed learning and team-working, and seminars over lectures then PBL may be best suited to you.
• If you can’t wait to get involved with clinical scenarios then perhaps the integrated method would be more appropriate for you.

N.B. The prospectus and the medical school website will give you further information on the curriculum. It is also always valuable to attend open days, here you can see the medical school for yourself, have an opportunity to speak to students and then make a decision about which style would suit you best.

*Please note the content and opinions expressed in all case studies are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of NHS Medical Careers.

The length of course

Medical courses vary in length but consist typically of five years of study. A few medical schools have a compulsory intercalated degree (that is an extra degree that may involve a period of research or a lecture-based course usually leading to a BSc, BMedSci or MA), so this means that an additional year will be added onto the five-year course. Some medical schools offer the extra degree as an option. You can read about intercalated degrees and listen to our podcast which talks about the considerations for completing them (or not) here.

Some courses may include a foundation year which is undertaken before the medical degree, therefore the total course will be six years in length. This is in order to widen participation for those who may not have the traditional entry requirements to enter the five year course. See our page on widening participation.

Graduate entry programme (GEP) courses are usually four years in length, due to shorter holidays and a slightly compacted curricula (see our section on GEP).

A university v a hospital-based medical school

Some medical schools, e.g. St Georges’, are based at a teaching hospital so there is less potential to meet students from other university courses. The decision here will depend on how important it is to you to have the opportunity to meet and mix with non-medics. Here again, it is important to attend an open day, as you will get a good impression of the medical school from seeing it with your own eyes.

Reputation of the medical school

These days the importance of the academic reputation of medical schools is not as significant as it used to be and some of the new medical schools enjoy a certain amount of elitism and claim that their medical courses produce doctors better equipped to deal with modern medicine. The teaching method is more important than the medical schools ranking (which is often based on research ratings rather than the teaching quality). For example, Oxford and Cambridge, traditionally the top universities in any subject in the UK, offer a different approach (the traditional teaching method), which may not suit everyone (see previous section). They are likely to work their students harder in order to maintain their high academic reputations but this does not necessarily mean they produce better doctors.

Location of the medical school

Type of university: Medical Schools may be based in a city, campus or be collegiate. Some may be town or city-based whilst others are more rural.

In a campus the students live and work in a fairly self-contained area. The pros are that there may be a greater sense of a student community and that the facilities provided on site are cheap and convenient. The cons are that you may feel you don’t get away from students and the campus can feel quite artificial.

In the city/town usually buildings are dispersed. The pros are the experience of living in real town/city with all the benefits of the local facilities. The cons are that it may be quite expensive, longer/more expensive journey to work and you may live far from other students on your course, although this might not always be true as students tend to live in the same (cheap!) areas.

Oxford, Cambridge and Durham are collegiate – this means that independent colleges are dispersed through the city. Members of different colleges are brought together in practical laboratories, lecture theatres and GP practices/hospitals. The pros are contact with non-medical students, the cons are that there may be additional regulations such as minimum attendance for evening dinner etc. There is also little interaction between colleges as there is no central Student’s Union/bar so there is not such a good sense of university spirit.

Proximity to home is also another consideration as if you wish often to return home for a weekend –distance and cost of travel may have a major impact on your decision. However if you choose a medical school very close to your home, this may stifle your ability to meet and make new friends as you may feel more pressure from family and friends at home to spend time with them. Choosing a medical school that is just a short journey away if you really do not wish to leave your parents too far behind may be the best option. Finally, you may decide to live at home for financial reasons, however you would be well-advised to consider all the options as this may impair your integration into medical school and university life.

Accommodation is another factor and the quality and level of provision can vary, although many medical schools guarantee their first years accommodation such as halls of residence. Rent can vary considerably depending on location and as medicine is usually a five-year course the cumulative cost can be significant, with London being the most expensive in terms of rent and travel. This may not be the main reason for choosing one university over another but is worth bearing in mind.

Strategic applications

Medicine is very competitive to get in to. Applying for medical schools that are not quite as competitive is not the first factor to consider, but many potential medicals students do apply strategically to less popular universities in order to increase their chances of getting in. Some may make a spread bet by choosing a mixture of the most and least competitive as well as those that are in between.  Blundell et al (see resources section below) also state that ‘It may also be worth applying to institutions that offer different minimum entry requirements or universities that do not require additional admission exams.’

Guy Rughani, 3^rd year student at the University of Edinburgh comments*:

‘Careful choosing: It seems obvious, but be really careful that you have read all of the entry requirements for each of the medical schools to which you wish to apply. I found out halfway through Lower Sixth that I was not studying the right combination of subjects for one of my choices.

As well as looking at your 6^th form subjects, some universities will only consider people with a certain number of A or A* grades at GCSE. If you’ve done well at that level, it may be worth applying to one of those universities.’

*Please note the content and opinions expressed in all case studies are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of NHS Medical Careers.

There are now some other options for those unsuccessful in getting into UK medical schools. The main advantage is that these courses often accept lower entry requirements (e.g. BBC). The medical schools are overseas and accept applications from British school leavers and the curriculum is taught in English. Examples are: Charles University in Prague, St Matthews University in the Cayman Islands and St Georges in the Caribbean. There are also some institutions in the UK e.g. School of Health and Neural Sciences, Nottingham that run medical courses using a foreign curricula (usually US).

The disadvantages of these courses are the cost and that you would be classed as an International Medical Graduate. M&D are a company that help students into non-UK courses. Advice from M&D on their website: http://www.readmedicine.co.uk/ is that: ‘Students who obtain their primary medical qualification outside the UK or EU are required to pass the PLAB examination to gain registration in the UK. Students are advised to check directly with the GMC whether their degree will make them eligible to sit the PLAB. In the past M&D students have not experienced problems gaining recognition in the UK. ‘

However we would advise researching these options carefully before applying! You would need to fully explore the implications of choosing such a route and to consider in particular the current entry requirement into the UK foundation programme. If a course outside the UK means you are fully registered with the GMC at the end of the degree, then you will be ineligible for the 2 year Foundation programme in the UK under the current rules and may face challenges accessing the current UK medical career structure.

We asked current students to write a short piece about the considerations they made when choosing their medical school.

Siobhan Graham, medical student at Brighton and Sussex Medical School writes:

‘There were a few things which influenced my decision on which medical school I wished to attend. Firstly I wanted a medical school away from home that was near to the sea as I was keen to move out of home and spread my wings. I also wanted to go to a medical school where dissection was part of the curriculum as I was keen to learn anatomy hands on. However my decision of which medical school to attend was most influenced by the visit I made to the various universities during year 12. Brighton and Sussex Medical School really stood out for me as it had everything I wanted on my wish list but also the atmosphere and vibe I got from both the campus and the student who I met confirmed to me that this was the university for me.‘

Sophie Kreppel, medical student at Peninsula Medical School writes:

‘I picked Peninsula Medical School for a variety of reasons, but the biggest factor was the open day. Unlike other medical schools’ open days, the tutors at the open day were extremely enthusiastic, constantly talking to you as if you were already a student with them, and it was this passion that finally persuaded me that Peninsula was the medical school for me. As the medical school was fairly new at this point I felt that the teachers were very excited and still saw everything as a new opportunity, and so did not treat the students as numbers.

Obviously another major influencing factor was the actual curriculum. Peninsula is very clinically based, with PBL (problem based learning) being a major part of the teaching in the first couple of years. Obviously this type of learning is not ideal for everyone, but I enjoy independent learning, and so felt that this type of teaching was well suited to me. Some do say that Peninsula students don’t get enough basic science teaching, but I do not feel this is true and Peninsula graduates seem to be more capable foundation factors as they start community placements from the very first year.

When looking into medical schools, as well as being aware of the curriculum, you should look into the location of the medical school. As Peninsula is spread over the south west peninsula it has the added benefit that you experience student life in two separate cities as well as several community placements over a vast area, and so you have the opportunity to experience healthcare in a variety of environments, which will prepare you well for later on in your career, and so appealed to me. 

When choosing a medical school I recommend investigating the curriculum, go to the open days, with set questions in mind that you want answered, and look at the GMC recommendations about the medical schools. Hopefully by doing this you will then choose the medical school which suits you.’

Prerana Huddar, medical student at the University of Edinburgh writes:

‘As an EU student, coming to Edinburgh was a huge decision. Since it was so far away, I felt that while attending an open day would be informative, it would simply be too time consuming. I didn't even know of anyone who had done medicine at Edinburgh, so all of my research had to be done online. I scoured the university's website and prospectus for any and all information that I could obtain about the course. I also went on websites such as New Media Medicine and The Student Room where both prospective applicants and current students discuss what the university and its course are like. I found this to be a very useful resource, but you do have to bear in mind that the curriculum might have changed, either in content or in delivery, since the older students were in first year, so it's always a good idea to refer to the university's official website and prospectus. As I later found out for myself, Edinburgh University have an integrated approach to teaching in the first two years. You will be attending traditional lectures that will be complemented by twice-weekly PBL sessions that further explore the concepts introduced in lectures by means of a small group of students and a facilitator. Different universities have different approaches to teaching, so you should be thinking about the ways in which you learn best. I myself prefer the integrated method, as the lectures ensure that you learn the right things, and that everyone has the same kind of knowledge base when tackling PBL cases. And if you have any problems understanding a concept, PBL sessions are a useful platform to discuss the topic with your peers when you might have been reluctant to do so otherwise. Different people get to grips with different topics more easily than others, so it encourages everyone to teach and learn from each other. 

We also had Anatomy about once a week. Edinburgh teaches anatomy through prosections (where the anatomists have laid out whatever they want you to concentrate on for that session, as opposed to a dissection-based approach, which means that you need to hack and slash to get to the bits you want). Both have their pros and cons (with prosections, you may be saving time and will be able to see things more clearly as experts will have cut the section properly, whereas with a more dissection-based approach, I guess you can really appreciate the many layers of the human body!) but the thing that I like about anatomy at Edinburgh is that the anatomists co-ordinate their teaching with the  other departments (eg, pathology, biochemistry etc) and so everything you learn throughout the course is linked, which helps you to understand the course content a whole lot better. During the first semester of first year, they teach you the basic science you need to know in order to tackle the rest of the course. It's a little haphazard (I found myself wondering if I was studying medicine or biology!) but it all falls in place towards the end of the semester, so you need to be a little patient. However the first year first semester curriculum has been revamped following feedback from students, and the current set of first years say that lecture orders flow beautifully and that there's a good amount of references to clinical medicine, so that shouldn't be an issue any more. The second semester is a lot more fun. You learn about various systems (first cardiovascular, then respiratory and then bones and joints) and have practicals thrown in.

One of the things that caught me off-guard though, is the sheer amount of psychosocial topics included in the curriculum. However through activities such as "Talking with Families" and "Health Needs of Older People" where you interview mothers with young children and elderly couples respectively, you find yourself thinking about the lecture content a lot, which shows that it is very much pertinent to the study of medicine.

Last but not least, you need to consider the city you'll be living in and how much it's going to cost you; you are going to be living there for 5 to 6 years, after all! I didn't want to move to a small town, and neither did I want to live in as huge a city as London, so Edinburgh seemed the perfect fit. The people are really friendly as well, and there's always something going on, so make sure to put down your books every once in a while and enjoy what Edinburgh has to offer. I don't regret choosing Edinburgh at all, and neither will you if you end up studying here.’

*Please note the content and opinions expressed in all case studies are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of NHS Medical Careers.

http://www.medschools.ac.uk/

Steven Sanders, David Metcalfe and Harveer Dev (2011) So you want to be a doctor? The ultimate guide to getting into medical school (Success in Medicine).

Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison and Benjamin W. Turney (2011) Becoming a Doctor, 3rd edition. Wiley-Blackwell/BMJ books