St. George’s, University of London

Since it began training medical students in 1733, St. George’s, University of London is the UK’s sole independent college offering study programmes in medicine, biomedical, health and social care sciences

A constituent college of the University of London, St. George’s is the UK’s sole independent medical and healthcare higher education institution offering study programmes in medicine, biomedical, health and social care sciences. It began training medical students at St. George’s Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, inaugurated way back in 1733. Since then St. George’s, University of London (SGUL), is the second institution in England to provide formal training to doctors (after Oxford University).

Affiliated with the University of London soon after its establishment in 1836, St. George’s, University of London alumni include John Hunter, known as the father of modern surgery, and Edward Jenner, who discovered the first vaccine to eradicate smallpox. The only medical school in the UK to share its campus with a hospital — the St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust — St. Geroge’s, University of London currently has 2,290 students on its muster.

“The hospital with which we share our campus is one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals, with an excellent international reputation. The facilities housed here are among the nation’s best and our research has global impact. Partnerships forged with the hospital, other NHS (National Health Service) organisations, and universities add depth and breadth to students’ learning experience. Moreover, our teaching methods are some of the most innovative in the world. No wonder St. George’s alumni have such a significant impact on local, regional, national and international medicine and healthcare delivery,” says Prof. Peter Kopelman, principal of St. George’s, University of London.

Sited on a well-equipped campus in Tooting (south-west London), St. George’s, University of London offers a range of undergraduate, post-grad and doctoral study programmes in medicine, biomedical and healthcare sciences. Moreover St. George’s has established a partnership with Kingston University under which study programmes are jointly delivered by Kingston and St. George’s, with degrees awarded by Kingston University. The jointly created Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education offers programmes such as midwifery and nursing for adults and children, and mental health nursing.

London. The political, financial and cultural capital of Britain, London attracts millions of visitors each year drawn to its wealth of galleries, theatres and museums, palaces, parks and squares, restaurants and shops, not to mention familiar landmarks such as Big Ben, Tower of London, British Library, the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Soho and Oxford Street.

For those who believe there’s more to the academic experience than study, London is another city by night. Cosmopolitan does not do justice to the number of cuisines available and the range of theatre (West End and fringe), cinemas, music, clubs, pubs, social and cultural events, lectures and discourses on offer.

St. George’s, University of London campus is sited in Tooting, which is also well supplied with fresh food markets, cheap eateries and great bargain shopping. The campus is a five-minute walk from Tooting Broadway tube station and the Northern Line takes students to London Bridge in 25 minutes.

Campus facilities. St. George’s, University of London shares its campus with the St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust, one of UK’s largest teaching hospitals. The compact campus is well-equipped with seminar rooms; clinical skills laboratories; an advanced patient simulation centre with hi-tech, computer-controlled manikins which accurately replicate a range of medical conditions, including heart failure and lung problems; and dissection facilities offering state-of-the-art cadaveric material, models, 3D reconstruction and plastinated specimens. IT support is offered by five personal computer suites housing over 250 workstations with internet access.

The college library is stocked with a healthcare and biomedical collection of over 42,000 books, ebooks and multi-media resources, subscription to more than 10,000 journals (mostly electronic), and a wide variety of medical and healthcare databases. The INTO St. George’s Centre has recently undergone a multimillion pound renovation, and offers preparatory international foundation and English language courses to foreign students.

Sports facilities include an on-site sports centre complete with gym, sports hall and squash courts — accessible by students at heavily subsidised prices. Moreover, the Students Union runs over 90 clubs, societies and community projects offering a wide range of opportunities. Almost a whole floor is devoted to the Students’ Union and boasts a spacious bar, games room, a music room, café, a dance studio and several counselling and welfare rooms.

Admission. Prospective undergraduate students must apply through the centralised Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) system. Applications should be made online at www.ucas.ac.uk. The UCAS institution code for study programmes offered by St. George’s, University of London, is SGEO S49, and the code for programmes which SGUL offers in collaboration with Kingston University, is KING K84.

The minimum eligibility requirement for admission into the undergraduate MBBS programme is completion of Plus Two (science) and English language proficiency (IELTS test scores of 7 and Pearson’s 67 are acceptable). Additionally, applicants must achieve a minimum of 500 in each section of the UKCAT (United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test). For details visit www.ukcat.ac.uk. For admission into the B.Sc programmes in biomedical science and physiotherapy, the requirements are successful completion of Plus Two and an English language proficiency test. All admission applications should include a personal statement, references and academic report cards.

The UCAS deadline for submission of applications for the MBBS programme is October 15, and January 15 for the biomedical and physiotherapy degree programmes. Applications for post-graduate admissions must be made directly to St. George’s, University of London.

For further information contact Student Recruitment, St George’s, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London SW17 0RE. Tel: +44 (0)20 8725 2333; email: enquiries@sgul. ac.uk/ [email protected]; website: www.sgul.ac.uk.

Accommodation. Housing for undergraduate students is split between the Horton Halls run by St. George’s and intercollegiate halls of residence managed by the University of London.

Less than a mile from St. George’s, Horton Halls house 486 students in self-catering single study/bedroom units with ensuite facilities. Each apartment comprises four to eight fully furnished bedrooms sharing a well-equipped kitchen and dining area. In total, nine accommodation blocks are grouped around a central courtyard. Laundry facilities and secure storage for over 200 bicycles are available on-site, with 24/7  reception/security.

Moreover, the University of London has eight intercollegiate halls of residence in the city for full-time students (www.halls.london.ac.uk) and private sector housing is also available (University of London Housing Services).

Degree programmes. St. George’s, University of London offers undergrad, postgrad and doctoral study programmes exclusively in medicine and healthcare sciences (see box).

Summiya Yasmeen