Student reviews
What is studying medicine at University of Birmingham actually like?
The interview gets you a place; these reports are about the five or six years after that. Gathered from current student and recent graduate forums, weighted by how many independent sources agree. These are unverified community reports, not official university information.
6 reports
The course is mostly traditional lecture based with only a small amount of PBL style work (one fortnightly Professional and Academic Skills session). Student opinion on that PBL component is lukewarm, with one describing it as pretty easy and a bit useless.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
The course is mostly traditional lecture based with only a small amount of PBL style work (one fortnightly Professional and Academic Skills session). Student opinion on that PBL component is lukewarm, with one describing it as pretty easy and a bit useless.
"A low amount of the course is PBL, with Professional and Academic Skills (PAS) sessions occurring fortnightly."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)"One Birmingham medical student described the PBL component as pretty easy and a bit useless honestly (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Birmingham PBL threadBirmingham teaches anatomy through prosection, not dissection, even in the intercalated anatomy pathway. Real reported frequency is only about 3 prosection sessions a year in first and second year (two hours, small groups of 2-3), with some students saying they only entered the prosectorium once a term.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Birmingham teaches anatomy through prosection, not dissection, even in the intercalated anatomy pathway. Real reported frequency is only about 3 prosection sessions a year in first and second year (two hours, small groups of 2-3), with some students saying they only entered the prosectorium once a term.
"Birmingham gets a very bad name for its anatomy teaching... the school uses prosection rather than dissection, which provides well-prepared specimens and saves valuable study time."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)"Approximately 3 sessions of prosection per year in first and second year... students reported going into the prosectorium once a term and occasionally for exams, with no dissection at all, not even as part of an intercalated degree (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Birmingham anatomy threadGP placements start early (one day a fortnight from year 1), but Birmingham's large cohort (close to 400 a year) means clinical placements can feel crowded, with reports of around 60 third-years sharing one hospital at a time. Students furthest out (e.g. Hereford) get placement accommodation provided.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
GP placements start early (one day a fortnight from year 1), but Birmingham's large cohort (close to 400 a year) means clinical placements can feel crowded, with reports of around 60 third-years sharing one hospital at a time. Students furthest out (e.g. Hereford) get placement accommodation provided.
"One day a fortnight is spent here [GP placement]... each day really varies, which makes it great."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)"Birmingham is a large medical school with close to 400 students per year, making it less intimate, and during clinical years some placements are quite busy with 60 third-year students in one hospital (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Birmingham medicine threadsDay-to-day workload is manageable by student accounts (one described working about 2 hours on weekday evenings and going out twice a week in first semester), but final OSCE assessment is split awkwardly across two separate days (5 longer stations one day, 9 shorter stations another), and students report frustration with how consistently the marking is applied when resitting individual stations.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Day-to-day workload is manageable by student accounts (one described working about 2 hours on weekday evenings and going out twice a week in first semester), but final OSCE assessment is split awkwardly across two separate days (5 longer stations one day, 9 shorter stations another), and students report frustration with how consistently the marking is applied when resitting individual stations.
"Working on average 2 hours [on weekday evenings]... nights out about twice a week in first semester."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)"Their OSCE is set up to have 5 longer stations in one day and 9 shorter stations in another. The student shared experiences with station failures and resits, noting challenges with standardized marking even when they felt performance had improved (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Birmingham 4th year OSCE resit threadBeing one of the largest medical schools (near 400 students a year) makes the course feel less intimate than smaller schools, but students point to MedSoc and the Vale student village as the core of a strong social life in a diverse big city.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
Being one of the largest medical schools (near 400 students a year) makes the course feel less intimate than smaller schools, but students point to MedSoc and the Vale student village as the core of a strong social life in a diverse big city.
"Social life... a combination of MedSoc and the Vale village [is a major strength], alongside the city's diversity and abundant research opportunities."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)"Birmingham is a large medical school with close to 400 students per year, making it less intimate (paraphrase from search snippet)."
The Student Room, Birmingham medicine threadsIntercalation is optional and officially pitched as happening between year 2 and 3, but at least one real student's account shows it can also be taken later, between year 3 and 4, suggesting more flexibility in timing than the official framing implies.
Single report(spans several cycles)
Intercalation is optional and officially pitched as happening between year 2 and 3, but at least one real student's account shows it can also be taken later, between year 3 and 4, suggesting more flexibility in timing than the official framing implies.
"Tom, medical student intercalating between 3rd and 4th year."
Tom, Birmingham medic intercalating between 3rd and 4th year (Life of a Medic)Get into University of Birmingham
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