Do university league tables grade fairly?
Editor -With the recent publication of the Times Good University Guide, I read that Oxford is placed on top for medicine in the country, followed by Newcastle, Manchester, and Cambridge. The criteria examined for each medical school range from teaching quality assessment to various research qualities to give an overall point score and therefore ranking. But what do these rankings actually mean? Many teachers and doctors advocate that whichever medical school you go to you will still become a doctor at the end of your degree, and no school is notably better than another. Thus, the question is whether the rankings truly reflect how good a doctor will be at his or her job when graduating from a certain school. At first glance, it does, but surely not as many other factors play a part such as effort, intelligence, and attendance, among others. Birmingham medical school was placed 19th this year. Does this mean that I will be less skilled and knowledgeable than a graduate of a medical schoo
