American looking for some info on UK unis

Student Lounge International Students
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<p>Hey guys.</p>

<p>So, I was wondering a little bit about UK universities, and hoped the international students wouldn't mind me posting here. Yes, of course there's Oxbridge, but I was wondering about the others. I've heard of some, such as Imperial College London, University College London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Essex, Warwick, and the University of St. Andrews....</p>

<p>Any comments on the strength of these universities/what a Brit thinks of these unis?</p>

<p>P.S. I want to go for medical, so keep in mind the strength of the medical program.</p>

<p>P.P.S. I also realize some of these are very hard to get into, but stating that fact negatively won't do much. Imagine you're telling me about Harvard without being all "You'll never get in anyways, sorry."</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>[University</a> Subject Tables 2010 : The Complete University Guide](<a href=“http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=8727]University”>University Rankings and League Tables 2024)</p>

<p>[University</a> Subject Tables 2010 : The Complete University Guide](<a href=“http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=8727]University”>University Rankings and League Tables 2024)</p>

<p>But it’s not really accurate (and this is one of the most accurate you can get).</p>

<p>I know St Andrew’s has a great department for physicians as does Edinburgh (There is a Royal College of physicians in Edinburgh) even if St Andrew’s stinks for other things in medicine. Predictably Oxford is at the top for medicine but last year it was Cambridge but bear in mind that if the course is really specific then a uni like Aston would be better.</p>

<p>Here’s the one for Glasgow Uni last year (Strathclyde):</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=6643[/url]”>http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/single.htm?ipg=6643&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I was looking for stuff on literature and it wasn’t even a subject on this table so I picked ‘Communication and Media Studies’ and St Andrew’s came out right at the top with 100??? But I also know that Napier’s Screen Academy Scotland is right at the top but it is not included by default because it is relatively new (with links to the NFTS). That beats Oxbridge and Cambridge in that department. Edinburgh and St Andrew’s well beats Oxford when it comes to literature (I’m sure I’ll get bawled at by English people reading this).</p>

<p>Glasgow was right at the top with 100 last year for other subjects allied with medicine so that is another one worth checking out (beating oxford and cambridge) but it has gone down this year.</p>

<p>The thing is, the number always go up and down. Any one of these universities is a good bet, St Andrew’s stinks for medicine as a broad subject. I would consider Glasgow, Aston, Edinburgh as well as Oxford and Cambridge. Do some more research and you’ll find that St Andrew’s is very reputable for teaching physicians but not necessarily good in medicine as a whole (as the word ‘medicine’ covers a massive amount of subjects) if you get what I mean.</p>

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<p>Thanks, I’ll make sure to check those links out! </p>

<p>Yes, I get what you mean when you talk about medicine being so broad. The goal I have in mind is to go into oncology and preferably cancer research, so I guess I should have mentioned that, but most people probably wouldn’t know something so specific, since I could definitely not name the top schools for Oncology in the US myself.</p>

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<p>I´m really sorry to say that the Oxbridge and Medecine deadline has already passed (it was on the 15th of October), unless your applying next year then my bad. I live, study and applied to Uk universities as well so I can tell you quite a few things. Out of the those you have mentioned UCL and Imerial are best for sciences and medecine. Although St. Andrews and Warwick are more famous for their incredible business/management departments they are still or should be very good for medecine. St. Andrews admits international students quicker and easier (they admit them due to their need of funding from international students much like me and i got accepted after 1 month). If you newedmore info on UK uni´s just ask</p>

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<p>Oh yeah and metallica, this sounds a bit unbelievable but it’s true. The other reason why St Andrew’s is packed with American students is because it has the best links to Yale and Harvard etc, so if you go for an undergraduate at St Andrew’s you have a very good chance in applying to the Ivy Leagues so that is a path worth considering.</p>

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<p>Just having a quick look on wiki. With the recent statistics aside: St Andrew’s have produced a few Nobel Prize winners in medicine. And a few other Nobell prize winners in mathematics and others.</p>

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<p>I did not personally study medicine, but some points of note</p>

<p>1)You do understand that medicine is a 6 year undergraduate course in the UK, not graduate like the US? There are some 4 year accelerated courses for graduates. However, at Oxford such a course was limited to EU students only. Not sure about elsewhere.</p>

<p>2)It is EXTREMELY difficult for any overseas (that is non-UK, non-EU) student to get into any medical course anywhere in the UK due to the quota system. Enough doctors have to be recruited to fill all predicted vacancies in the UK National Health Service first. After this if there are any remaining places these are offered to overseas students. At Oxford this mean 6 or 7 overseas students per year. Similar numbers elsewhere. I’ve never met an American student studying medicine in the UK, and this is probably why. However, I am pretty sure someone on this board was accepted last year, so it’s not impossible. But the numbers are stacked against you through no fault of your own.</p>

<p>3)Qualifying as a doctor in the UK WILL NOT allow you to practice medicine in the US (but you will be fine in any EU or Commonwealth country including Canada as far as I know). This is no doubt the second reason why I’ve never met an American student studying medicine in the UK. You would have to take some tests again in the US (don’t know what they are. I just know this is a problem), which could be expensive and time comsuming.</p>

<p>4)I don’t really think anyone cares once you qualify where you studied if you study medicine. A good doctor is a good doctor. In the US no-one will have a clue of anywhere in the UK anyway.</p>

<p>5)As I understand it (from friends studying it. As noted above, I did not study medicine myself) Oxbridge and the London universities (not sure if all of them or not) operate a “traditional” medicine course wherein the first 3 years are spent studying anatomy/Biology/pathology in the lab. At the end of these three years you can graduate with an anatomy/medical science degree and leave if you want to. The next 3 years are spent doing clinical practice in hospitals with real patients. You can swap with another student at this point and switch universities. At Oxford about 50% of students went to London for their clinical years. Other universities teach non-traditional medicine courses where you are exposed to patients from the start. The teaching is ultimately the same, but it’s not separated into blocks of 3 years theory, 3 years practice. </p>

<p>6)There is generally no financial aid for internationals in the UK, and medicine is horrifically expensive.</p>

<p>I’m sorry if you think this is negative, but you need to know this stuff before you apply. You do not want to end up in 7 years time with lots of debt and then find out you cannot work in the US for example.</p>

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<p>Have to disagree with number 6 here. There are forms of relief and the medicine is not ‘horrifically expensive’. I was in the US and I paid 150 dollars for an asthma inhaler. If you are in Scotland for more than six months (that proves you are not ‘just on vacation’ then you qualify for some social services and security), if you get a prescription from the doctor, all the medicines listed on the prescription (an item) only costs around 7 pounds (an example list: 1 asthma inhaler, 2 courses of antibiotics and a skin cream on one bit of paper would be 7 pounds). Scotland has more opportunities for welfare, social security and scholorships/sliding scale tuition payments (based on your income) than in England but this is not a given LOOK INTO IT FIRST AND DO YOUR RESEARCH WITH THE UNIVERSITY AND WHO THEIR TRUSTEES, SPONSORS AND COURSE ASSESSORS ARE some are charitable others are not.</p>

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<p>Jimmy, I am not talking about purchasing medicines (which is extremely cheap in the UK compared to the US) . I am talking about £25,000+++ needed to pay the tuition fees in order to study medicine.</p>

<p>I do not understand why you need to shout and be aggressive.</p>

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<p>I wasn’t being aggressive, sorry, I was just highlighting the importance. I’m sorry if it was interpreted that way. I wasn’t shouting, just highlighting (I should have underlined it instead) and the tuition fees vary from uni to uni, check out Glasgow who’s medicine dept is one of the best. Start googling some trust funds and you’ll see a lot of assessors etc award lots of things to overseas students and there can be a sliding scale for your income based on your circumstances. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to come across as aggressive and shouty, it was not intended.</p>

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<p>To cupcake:</p>

<p>No, that wasn’t negative, merely realistic, so thank you! Here are my responses:</p>

<p>1) Yes, I did know that, which is why I’m doing research while I’m still in high school and have a couple of years until I apply to college :p</p>

<p>2) Yes, I’ve seen some of the numbers. This partially makes me want it even more, because I love a challenge, but I will also be applying to universities in the US of course. However, my confidence is in part because my credentials are fairly strong for someone in my grade. I realize I’ll have to work a lot harder, yes, especially considering I’ll need a minimum 2100 SAT to even be considered at Oxbridge, etc, but I feel as if I continue to work hard I’ll stand a fighting chance.</p>

<p>3) I don’t plan on coming back to the US. My plan is to go and stay. :] </p>

<p>Also, my great-uncle has been working on getting my family and I our Italian citizenship (I was born in Brazil, but through my father’s side he is only, I believe, second or third generation Brazilian? Now the decision depends on what the Italian consulate says). So, possibly being a citizen of an EU country might help? This is a long shot, though, so I’m not relying on it.</p>

<p>4) Yeah, I don’t plan on going back to the US, anyways :stuck_out_tongue: I want to go to the UK mainly for the more compact program and for the sake of experiencing the culture.</p>

<p>5) This was great info, thanks!</p>

<p>6) This is the scariest part. I found it astounding how cheap an Oxbridge education is for an UK resident, though. (random fact). However, my mother has been trying to reassure me that there is still a chance for a scholarship…</p>

<p>-sigh- and if all else fails, there are the (definitely not bad) American unis :]</p>

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<p>Just a word of warning, the UK seems great when you are sitting in the US. However the country is riddled with social and economic strife and you may find it quite a challenging place to live. Storybook Britain disappeared many decades ago, if it ever existed at all.</p>

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<p>Maybe im not clued up enough on Italy, but how does you family being from Brazil entitle you to Italian citizenship? Anyway it wont make any difference, you’ll still be treated as an International student and not EU. And as far as i know there are no scholorships.</p>

<p>Nauru in what way is it challenging and to what social and economic strife are you referring? Granted we’re in a recession, but so is everybody.</p>

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<p>Scottish universities are easier for Americans to get into than English ones - mainly because the Scottish High school system is a better match with the American system and the qualifications are more mutually comprehensible. If you’re applying to an English University, you really need to be doing IB.</p>

<p>However, luckily, Edinburgh university is one of the top medical universities in the world, and many of my doctor acquaintances rate it far higher than Oxbridge for medicine. St Andrews is also highly rated and has a lot of US students. Both of these cities are great places to study, too (if cold!!)</p>

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<p>HI! Saw your post & couldn’t resist. </p>

<p>For medicine? Imperial, for a London college. I think you should choose depending on what kind of environment you’re interested in. Of course you’d always have the famous Oxbridge, but choose your colleges carefully. </p>

<p>Personally, I like Durham University the most because I think it offers the entire collegiate experience. (I didn’t apply to Oxford & Cambridge, lol not good enough, but quite a few of my friends got in, for Law especially.) </p>

<p>Medicine is tedious, you have to submit the application (UCAS) before the early deadline (probably October) and then schools will shortlist candidates. Shortlisted candidates are then invited to interviews that take place in Jan/Feb in the university itself. Don’t know if it’s mentioned above, I didn’t read it :\ But anyway, good luck with medicine. It is difficult because of the quota, but people still get in!!!</p>

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<p>If applying for a Scottish education check to see if the uni offers a sliding scale system (for example if you or your parents only earn a certain amount then you only pay a certain amount) us scots have got it good at the moment though as all education up to your honours is completely free with good chance of funding for the post graduate stuff.</p>

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<p>BTW Italy is a far more expensive place to live in than Britain.</p>

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<p>Yourxlover, medicine at Durham is taught at the Queen’s Campus in Stockton-on-Tees. So you won’t actually be in Durham but 20 miles away.</p>

<p>Italy is much cheaper that Britian scottish jimmy.</p>

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<p>hmmmm, i’ve known people that have travelled from Britain to Italy and they always complain about how much more expensive it is over there. I’ve heard a few Italians say so too. But maybe that’s not including costs to rent houses and things like that but buying products and food etc is more expensive.</p>

<p>Ireland is expensive though.</p>

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<p>Social and economic strife Nauru!! Really?!! Where did you get that from? I’ve lived in the UK for 43 years and that’s not how I would describe it - well, no more than in the US, anyway.</p>

<p>What a very odd way of looking at it…</p>