1. Social Life and Facilities
Medicine is a very demanding course and all too often as a student you find that one of the first casualties of this is your social life but you must strike a balance. This is all too often said and seldom achieved by students. Continue to pursue those things that bring you pleasure outside from work. For instance if you are a keen surfer you should consider those universities which are not so landlocked. However, if you don't have any pursuits don't worry. All universities offer a wide variety of clubs and sports teams and you should make every effort to join in. Not only will it help you to re-energise before you hit the books, it will also give you something to talk about once you get to the stages of writing your CV and applying for Jobs. They love to know how well you can cope with challenges and work in a team!
2. Home/Away and Finance
You need to consider whether or not you want to leave home. Going to university is a great opportunity for learning new things and gaining independence. Being away from the luxuries of home forces you to learn new skills and teaches you to look after yourself. But you must also recognise that being away from home often places a greater financial burden on you. However you are entitled to a student loan and may even qualify for a grant.
3. Entrance Requirements
As a student you can be tempted to choose those universities with lowest entrance requirements in order to best guarantee your place. The requirements can vary from one university to the next. Generally most universities have an entrance requirement of at least AAB at A levels. However the system is fast changing with the introduction of an A* grade helping the universities to differentiate between candidates. Therefore the best way to ensure your place in medical school is to aim for the highest grade that you can and not base your selection solely on their entrance requirements.
4. Established Courses Vs. New Courses
In recent years a number of new medical schools have popped up across the UK. When considering these schools you will often here people warn you that a new school may suffer a few teething problems due to a lack of experience; problems which you will not have to confront in the more established schools. However, the fact of the matter is that all universities have moments where things don't always go to plan. You should not allow this factor to deter you from joining a university.
5. Teaching Method
Medical schools across the UK offer students a different learning experience. This is a very important factor to consider prior to your selection and as a student you should think about which method would suit you the most.
There a three main types which are described below;
I. Traditional6. Career
A lectured based course with a strong emphasis on the basic sciences is placed on the first two years of medical education. This may even lead to a BSc (in which case the course would run for six years with three pre-clinical years). Clinical education begins in year three and continues till the end.
II. Problem Based Learning (PBL)
This is a student led approach to learning. Students are placed in groups of around eight to ten people. A clinical case is then presented to them with a set of questions and learning outcomes. The students have access to tutors but a strong emphasis is placed upon team work and adult learning. Again clinical education begins from years three onwards.
III. Integrated
This approach to teaching has been adopted by most UK medical schools. The course is lecture based with the basic sciences taught in the first two years. However, in comparison to the traditional courses, the student is exposed to clinical medicine from day one of their medical education.
A difficult point to consider at such an early stage but one worth spending a moment to consider. As a student graduating from a UK medical school you are currently guaranteed a foundation job within the deanery of your school. For example a student graduating from the University of Manchester should have a job in a hospital within the North West. However, this is not to say that you can not apply to hospital outside your deanery, but you should be aware that it may be slightly easier for you to get a job within the region of your school.
Mukhtar Ahmed, B.Sc. Hons (Manchester), M.Res.