Medical Universities in UK

[sarahfoo]

I was read through some of the uni prospectus and I read this in the Newcastle's. I hope that some one out there can help me to clarify on this matter.

Courses with different tuition fees 2006
At Newcastle, all eligible full-time courses from 2006 will have a tuition fee of ?3,000 per year, however, some courses have different fee levels.

Medicine and Dentistry
If you are studying on the five-year medicine or dentistry degrees, you will not have to pay tuition fees in the fifth year of the course because these will be paid by the government through the NHS bursary scheme.
And from another site


2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007

Band 1
?7,850
?8,500
?8,925

Band 2
?10,340
?11,200
?11,760

Band 2A
?12,155
?13,165
?13,825

Band 2B
?14,500
?15,225
?15,990

Band 3-UG
?19,150
?20,740
?21,780

Band 3-PG
?16,965
?18,375
?19,295

where band 2 is pre-clinical and band 3 is clinical

What does the tuition fees of ?3,000 per year means? Is it something like the extra college fees you pay in Cambridge, that is ontop of the 11,000 pounds you pay another 3,000 pounds?

Are international students also exempted for paying the fifth year fees

[sarahfoo]

How can I know where the interviews will be held? Are all the interviews in UK except Cambridge?

This is because I got a booklet from MAEBECS which gives a list of UK medical uni along with the description of the course and the venue for the interview. The booklet stated that the interview for Newcastle is in Malaysia. But after running through the Newcastle's website. it seems to suggest that the interview is only held in the UK. Can anyone clarify on this matter? Thanks for all your help!!

application for sept 2005 intake - newcastle's interview is held in m'sia. see if mabecs leaflet is the latest edition. email the university to confirm it.

not all interviews are held in UK. only unis such as - birmingham, leicester, King's College, Glasgow...
there are times where if the uni has a last minute placing for you for an interview which you were not called when they were in m'sia, they will call you to go to UK to have the interview.

[SHuLy]

oops. forgot to log in first. that was me sending the post above. *_*

[sarahfoo]

SHuLy,

How about cardiff and nottingham? Are their interview in Malaysia?

I wonder why cardiff is not in the list of universities when I clicked on the subject medicine in the UCAS course search? It was there two days ago and today it is no longer there? Why so? Is it drop off from UCAS or is the UCAS just updating the website? Can anyone clarify on this?

Cardiff interviews are held in M'sia. for the first batch, the interviewers do come over to m'sia..it's was very early in the year, so i am assuming that students from those colleges who send in their application VERY VERY early would have been shortlisted for that...but for mine, we did teleconferencing. not a disadvantage in my opinion! =D it was really nice too.

if u go to ucas insitutes search and click on cardiff, the university is offering medicine. i am not sure why is cardiff not in the list for medicine though. perhaps you would like to contact ucas.

Notts' interviews are held locally.

[SHuLy]

darn. forgot to log in again. above post from me. very very sorry!

[sarahfoo]

Thanks for your info, SHuLy.

I went through the Cardiff website. It is true that it states that it still offers medicine. Hmm... Seems like I have to contact UCAS for further clarification. Thanks for your advice though, SHuLy..

And one more thing. I could not understand the fees structure for Cardiff provided by the website. It stated that:
Arts-based courses: ?8,250
These include the following:

BScEcon courses
BSc/Diploma City and Regional Planning
LLB
All undergraduate Business courses

Science-based courses: ?10,620
These include the following:

Archaeology
Biology
Chemistry
Computing
Engineering
Music
Psychology

Could anyone explain it to me how much the pre-clinical and clinical years would cost? Thanks..

The 3000 quid tuition fee applies only to home students i.e. those from the UK. You have no idea how much hell the move to charge 3000 pounds in fees raised here...
However, you will be paying about 10000 quid for tuition for the preclinical years and about 20000 for the clinical years (rough estimates, but fairly close to the mark). You will not get an NHS bursary, as that is again for home students only (and sometimes even they have problems getting the money!).
Nottingham, Newcastle and Cardiff all hold interviews in Malaysia.
Re Cardiff - its proper name is the University of Wales college of Medicine.

[SHuLy]

hehe, i learnt something new today -- quid! hehe

um, but to be more precise, cardiff uni actually stands alone, and so does university of wales college of medicine (UWCM). but they have 'joined forces' for the medicine course in recent years. not sure about other courses though..

....just to give a clearer pic so as to not confuse UWCM and Cardiff Uni as the SAME, ONE institute. =)

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough - in fact I wasn't even close to being clear! I actually meant to say that if you searched using the alternative term UWCM you might be able to get the info you need from the UCAS site. It must be the heat...
This is because UWCM and Cardiff were virtually one and the same, at least for medicine, and have been for the last 75-odd years, it's only now that they've formally become one institution. Prior to this all the folks at the Cardiff med school got degrees from UWCM (I know a few personally). Apologies for the confusion.

[sarahfoo]

Thanks SHuLy and guest for your info.

I have skimmed through the ucas website again but there is no University of Wales college of Medicine too. However, there is the University of Wales Swansea , which I seriously doubt is another name for University of Wales college of Medicine. Anyway, I have emailed the UCAS and waiting for a reply. Thanks though :D

[sarahfoo]

I understand that all UK universities have used the problem base learning (PBL) approach as an important aspect of their teaching except for Cambridge and Oxford.

The only difference is the extent to which PBL is applied in the course. I understand that Manchester, Liverpool and Glasglow put a very high emphasis on PBL as compared to other universities. How true is this? What about other universities?

[SHuLy]

yupp..those are 3 unis that emphasize loads on PBL...i think there are other threads which have info about PBL and SBL..hehe, cuz i did post similar question when i did my applications last year.

but i reckon that it's the integrated and non-integrated system that's what makes oxbridge and other unis different. cambridge first 3 years are pre-clinical and the remainding are clinical years whereas other unis now have hospital visits thru'out your studies and not leaving it to the final few semesters.

not too sure about this, but i think that the medical unis in UK are gonna phase out SBL and move towards PBL...(GMC involved?)..hehe, it's been a long time since i read up about these stuff since i've already settled all my applications! :D

question: are all unis 'version' of PBL similar to each other, ie with a formal syllabus or method? or is it left to the university to style their own method of PBL?

sarahfoo, which college ru in?

Actually, I can tell you for a fact that even Cambridge has tried to incorporate some (very very little though) PBL into their scheme of work (more specifically in Biochemistry). As with a lot of other places which mostly use the didactic system of teaching, PBL in Cambridge isn?t very popular.
Cambridge also has a few hospital and community visits during the preclinical years, although their purpose is not to teach anything clinical but to expose students to communicating in those settings.
Whether individual universities decide to adopt the PBL method is up to them really, the GMC doesn?t state that every med school has to use PBL, although they do make certain broad recommendations. I would recommend having a read of the reports of their Education Committee, which can be found on their website (note that some are from years ago though).
Sarah - you are right re Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, they are heavily biased towards PBL. By the way just because it?s the fad doesn?t mean it will suit you, this is why uniformity of pedagogical method doesn?t exist.

[sarahfoo]

SHuLy,

I am from Sunway, currently doing A-Levels.

Well, to be frank, I don't quite favour PBL. A little PBL here and there is very good as it guides us towards the lifelong-learning pathway. But too much of it sounds too DIY. That is just my opinion though.

[sarahfoo]

Guest,

Well, I have actually done my research before hand. I found that the prospectus for most medical universities are about the same.

What intrigued me most about Southampton is that their tuition fees are relatively lower as compared to other universities like Nottingham, etc but they received 24/24 from the QAA. Can anyone enlighten me on this issue? Besides, I rarely hear any JPA scholars to Southampton.

[SHuLy]

I have friends who applied for southampton, but they weren't offered. but i am quite sure that there are JPA scholars in Southampton for medicine...
as for other fields eg engineering,accountancy,etc, there might be less as there are other more prestigious universities which easily offer them a place ...the hardship of doing medicine!

[sarahfoo]

I was checking through the MMA list but I can't seem to find Cardiff on the list. The link I used was

http://www.mma.org.my/info/colleges/uk.htm

As the list was made in the year 2002, maybe at that point of time Cardiff is not yet on the list.

So, how can I obtain a more up to date list?

[SHuLy]

oh-oo...hehe. initially i thought that University of Wales is similar to Cardiff..but apparently not because the degree of UoWales is MBBS whereas Cardiff is MBBCh..

hmm..but it should be recognised!!! i applied there and have seniors doing medicine there...dunnoler.

but sometimes..i do wonder if these websites are up to date..

Yes there are JPA scholars in Southampton.
As for the fees, I shouldn't think they are that much lower than other universities' since almost all, if not all, charge about 10K quid for preclinicals, and about 20K for clinicals. What are the exact figures of those universities you mention?

[sarahfoo]

Well, the difference in the fees is not very great, that is around a difference of ?1000 to ?4000. For the term 2005/2006, the tuition fees for the preclinical years in Southampton is ?10800 while in Nottingham is ?12160 and in Edinburgh is ?14500. For the clinical years for the term 2005/2006, the fees are ?19800 in Southampton, ?20900 in Nottingham and ?24500 in Edinburgh.

So far, among all the medical universities that I have been researching, I have found that the fees for Southampton is the cheapest, despite receiving 24/24 from the QAA. This really puzzles me. Apart from that, I hardly hear anyone applying to Southampton.

[sarahfoo]

I was trying to check out the tuition fees for the preclinical and clinical years in Cardiff but to no avail. I only manage to get this from their website but I could not understand it.

Arts-based courses: ?8,250
These include the following:

BScEcon courses
BSc/Diploma City and Regional Planning
LLB
All undergraduate Business courses

Science-based courses: ?10,620
These include the following:

Archaeology
Biology
Chemistry
Computing
Engineering
Music
Psychology

Can anyone help me on this?

Price is no measure of quality. Neither, I hasten to add, is the QAA score (some of these are 10 years old!). I did preclinicals in a terrific med school, but it didn't get 24/24 when the QAA visited. Tuition fees reflect, to some degree, the higher costs associated with a particular location, and perhaps the perception of 'prestige' attached to a particular university or medical school. (And perhaps also their financial status :) )

Preclinical medicine is usually classified as a 'science-based course', so you will most likely pay ?10620 in Cardiff.

[SHuLy]

hmm..cardiff tend to be rather slack when it comes to estimating/deciding their fees.. there is a new accommodation up for Sept 2005 intake students called talybont court which has been printed in the accommodation guide 2005, however, they still could not give the exact fees. :roll:

if you still can't find any info, call them, or email them directly to ask.-contact the international development division.

which unis are you planning to apply to sarahfoo?

[SHuLy]

hmm..cardiff tend to be rather slack when it comes to estimating/deciding their fees.. there is a new accommodation up for Sept 2005 intake students called talybont court which has been printed in the accommodation guide 2005, however, they still could not give the exact fees. :roll:

if you still can't find any info, call them, or email them directly to ask.-contact the international development division.

which unis are you planning to apply to sarahfoo?

[sarahfoo]

Currently, I am not quite sure which 4 universities I should put in my UCAS application form. I have been doing some research of my own through the universities online prospectus, and came down with these few (Cardiff, Southampton, Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester)

One thing that I do not quite like about Aberdeen is that it is very far north. Therefore, it must be very cold there especially during the winter with those strong winds. In Edinburgh, the temperature is already below 0. As Aberdeen is further north than Edinburgh, I guess the weather in Aberdeen will be much colder than that of Edinburgh. Is it true?

For Southampton, I am quite worried about the tuition fees, which is lower than most medical universities in the UK that I have researched so far. Considering its location in the South, where the standard of living is much higher than that in the North, its fees should be slightly higher or at least about the same as those in the Midlands area. Apart from that, I hardly hear any JPA scholars studying medicine in Southampton.

Basically, these are only my opinion. I would be glad if any of you could share youopinion with me.

[SHuLy]

have you gone to the thread 'selecting a university for medicine'?

My 4 uni choices were not ambitious (due to several reasons) -- they are amongst the choices you mentioned. =) basically, i played safe. too safe. wished i had more confidence in myself. i considered a LOT of things. i did my homework and i believe it was much..MUCH more than my fellow coursemates. i considered location, reputation, accommodation, internet facilities (very important for me!), entry requirements, the type of students that the uni accepts (fit the bill that they want and only then they can give u a chance.small difference, but important to me.), teaching methods, interviews, feedback from students there-both local and international alike, and sports..in no particular order! all were important to me. picky? perhaps.. i wanted perfection :wink:
as for fees...i considered moderate cost of living and accommodation. london was out. i have to rely solely on JPA's allowence..

and i concluded..there wasn't a university in UK which was ideal for me. :? kinda sad, but...oh well. :roll:

PM me if you need any particular info. hope to be of help.

[SHuLy]

JPA list of recognised universities:

http://www.interactive.jpa.gov.my/frmmainiktiraf.asp

hope this helps..applies to other fields as well.

As I've said before - there are JPA scholars in Southampton reading medicine. Email the Malaysian Society and ask if said students will consent to being contacted.

I personally know doctors who studied in Aberdeen. They got used to the cold after some time apparently! I have to say it seems a really good school with quite a lot of thought in its curriculum design. Plus, when I applied it seemed fairly easy to get in, and the interview (with the Head of the International Office, who isn't even remotely medical!) was very laid back and pleasant (needless to say I got a place, as did quite a number of my colleagues. I didn't take it up though).

By the way, you might like to know that Southampton is also quite cold:) Don't let its geographical location fool you. And again, I would counsel against taking the quantum of fees as a measure of quality. The differences are paltry (relatively anyway), and it isn't worth it going to a university which suits you less because you want to save a grand or two a year. If price were an indicator then go for Oxbridge, where they will be more than happy to relieve you of more of your dosh in the form of college fees etc. I infer from your posts that you are a JPA scholar, in which case fees should worry you even less. And please, please whatever you do don't make unfounded assumptions on the nature of a place/course/university! It's amusing to hear people with virtually no experience of life here (not singling you out, Sarah so please don't take offence) speak with such authority, but really in a lot of cases their claims are unsubstantiated.

My most important piece of advice would be to pick med school based on your learning preference - basically, what kind of course do you feel most suits you? Think very carefully - some people have gone into a certain type of course and hated it. Other factors, such as location etc. should be considered after that.

I am more than happy to answer any more queries, as usual.

[sarahfoo]

I understand that in order to get to Edinburgh from the Heathrow International Airport, we have to board a train or a bus to the Victoria Station first. Than, we can opt for a train to Edinburgh. I would like to know how long it takes to get to Edinbugh from London and how much it costs. Are there any other routes that most Malaysian medical students used to get to Edinburgh?

Fly to Manchester, then take the bus/train to Edinburgh. Much faster than starting your journey from London, as London is in the south and Manchester in the north of England.

[sarahfoo]

I understand that MAS only has flights from KL to London. They don't have flights to Manchester. Are there any other flight companies that offer flights to Manchester from KL?

[SHuLy]

I understand that MAS only has flights from KL to London. They don't have flights to Manchester. Are there any other flight companies that offer flights to Manchester from KL?

MAS has direct flights to London AND Manchester.

[yeeyen]

just a thought that passed through my mind. i understand there's the internet, rite? and there's search engines, rite? and there are airline websites, rite? and uk public transport websites, rite?

well, I certainly hope they weren't figments of my immagination, or i'd just die once i get there, cause quite a number of what i consider 'facts' would be no more than air... :?