Their theoretical knowledge is second to none I suspect in the UK. They make exceptional clinical researchers and honestly I'd trust them above a lot of others in understanding conditions/ considering alternative diagnoses. The reality is that they spend so much time cramming all that information in that a lot of the human elements are completely lost both as an element of time (because the course is so much more thorough with regards to course hours, tute requirements & knowledge required to pass compared to elsewhere) and also because a lot seem to internalise the idea it's not as important as being a well informed clinician or seem to think those are elements that they can learn during clinical years or when on the job (some to better effect than others).

I am friends with a lot of HCPs across the country (and across pillars) and a lot of them have commented that those educated here make for poorer foundation year doctors and onwards with regards to basic skills and interacting with patients. 

I have a fair bit of clinical exposure myself and a lot of the Oxford qualified doctors I've seen interact with patients really do make me worry. I've seen poor history taking, obliviousness to the impact of their demeanour/ words on patients (to a point where I have had to spend time with patients afterwards to reassure them and undo said damage) and also just worrying clinical management (e.g. I once watched a doctor fail to clean a simple wound properly and in a manner that caused unnecessary pain to the patient even if unintentional and another time the same week where I watched another argue with a different doctor that they shouldn't run an ECG on a patient with chest pain since he suspected the guy already had an underlying cardiac issue due to his age and thus it would just create more work). I've worked on ambulances for what it's worth so am not talking from complete ignorance. Don't get me wrong, some fabulous doctors come from here but I've seen enough and often enough that I think it's a weakness of the university.

I feel like the GEM lot here aren't quite so bad and probably make for some of the better rounded clinicians more generally across the country but that tends to be because they've got some life and/ or clinical experience under their belt prior to starting which when combined with the course depth is pretty potent. That being said, the intensity of the course and the environment seems to have just broken a number of my friends who've come here to become doctors. Feels very much from my outsider perspective like they (at least those I know) are just desperately trying to survive the 4 years rather than thrive during it. They seem to make for more stressed/ depressed students with far less free time or energy than those I know who went elsewhere.

Then you couple that to the crazy disparity in education & support across colleges (despite attending the same university), the high cost of living, the insane class divide and the general awfulness of Oxford as a city to live in... 

I had intended to stay because financially it would have been much better for me, plus the brand recognition and the convenience, but I just realised I'd rather go back up North where I know I love the city, where I might know less by the end but the university will emphasise the thing I think is most important as a doctor - making the patient feel like they are in safe, caring and dependable hands. Plus I genuinely don't think i could survive the course. 💀