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Aberdeen Medical School Applicants 2012

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Original post by Bison grass
Nope, just the degree as a whole - I didn't even say what I got for my dissertation, and that's (arguably) the most important part of doing a degree... So I'd say no - listing all your modules on UCAS isn't going to be hugely helpful for the admissions folk :wink:

If they're really interested they'll b able to read it off your transcript.


Thanks :smile:
Bump
It's getting close to application time! Are there any current med students on here who could summarise why they chose Aberdeen and it's pros and cons? :smile: Would greatly appreciate it!
Reply 23
Original post by ChangedMyMind
It's getting close to application time! Are there any current med students on here who could summarise why they chose Aberdeen and it's pros and cons? :smile: Would greatly appreciate it!


I'm not a Aberdeen med student (just an applicant), but you can find a list of pros and cons for Aberdeen (and many other med schools) here:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=812998
Original post by Ergo
I'm not a Aberdeen med student (just an applicant), but you can find a list of pros and cons for Aberdeen (and many other med schools) here:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=812998



Unfortunately, those 2 reviews are not 100% relevant any more since Abdn switched to different curriculum structure and updated the delivery methods

(One example - 1st years are not separated from more senior students any more).

Current 2nd/3rd years would be able to offer more up-to-date info.
Original post by Bison grass
Unfortunately, those 2 reviews are not 100% relevant any more since Abdn switched to different curriculum structure and updated the delivery methods

(One example - 1st years are not separated from more senior students any more).

Current 2nd/3rd years would be able to offer more up-to-date info.


If you search the thread I'm fairly sure more students than TLP and I have posted there - I recall TSFMS doing so, and he's a 2nd year.
I chose Aberdeen as it was my only offer - I applied as it gave me a good vibe at the open day (it just felt right you know?), lecture course structure with integrated clinical suited me and it was in Scotland.

Pros - Early clinical stuff - meet patients in first term, good student satisfaction, Forresterhill (where the medical school is) is also where the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is (so close to patients)

Personal Pros - Far enough from home to be independent but close enough I can hop on a train, its in Scotland (and at the moment I would like to live in Scotland when I qualify plus the fees thing), good feedback from people in other years

Some Cons
Anatomy teaching is not that well structured - you have to read a lot of stuff (with questions that have no answers in the notes) and you have to ask to get staff to go over specimens with you so you end up with massive groups around one demonstrator!
A lot of people don't enjoy the community course (public health) - though I love it!
Isolated from other courses as you are never on the main campus for class after having one day a week there for the first 6 weeks - but there is nothing stopping you from making friends through halls/clubs/societies
Hillhead is 40 to 50 minutes walk from Forresterhill - to take a bus is atleast £1.70 but I can't remember the fares
Aberdeen is quite expensive when you want to a rent a flat after halls

:smile:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 27
im not sure, i might apply here. its a good medical school, and i like the course structure.

but its so far from home (i live in london) and i dont really want to work in scotland when i qualify :frown:
Original post by laurie:)
im not sure, i might apply here. its a good medical school, and i like the course structure.

but its so far from home (i live in london) and i dont really want to work in scotland when i qualify :frown:


That doesn't matter - for me it was about not getting trapped down South like relatives/family friends who are doctors but its not that much of a problem and I don't expect it would be an issue going the opposite way [and it wasn't a major issue in my head when I was applying]

Lots of people come from abroad and a several from London so you wouldn't be the only one. I would strongly encourage coming to an open day if you can - overnight megabus for the win :tongue:
Original post by laurie:)
im not sure, i might apply here. its a good medical school, and i like the course structure.

but its so far from home (i live in london) and i dont really want to work in scotland when i qualify :frown:


It's over 400 miles from home for me, and I have no intention of working in Scotland later. I applied cos my grades really restricted my choices, and I went because it was the only place to give me an offer, but I've enjoyed the years I've spent there so far.

Edit: I didn't go to the Open Day and in fact the first time I ever set foot in Scotland was when I came up for interview.
Reply 30
Original post by TheRabbit
That doesn't matter - for me it was about not getting trapped down South like relatives/family friends who are doctors but its not that much of a problem and I don't expect it would be an issue going the opposite way [and it wasn't a major issue in my head when I was applying]

Lots of people come from abroad and a several from London so you wouldn't be the only one. I would strongly encourage coming to an open day if you can - overnight megabus for the win :tongue:


ahhh i see - its just that a doctor who had gone to a scottish medical school told me that they had to really fight to get out of scotland, and that kinda worried me :tongue:

and i'll have to get the train - coaches make me feel really sick :redface:
Reply 31
I'm thinking of applying here, but I didn't make it to the open day :s-smilie:
Does anyone know what's most important in applying to Aberdeen?
My GCSE's are good, I'll be predicted A*AA - A*A*A in Biology, Physics, Chem A levels
I havent done my UKCAT yet (does Aberdeen want a high UKCAT?) I'm really nervous :frown:
Is it mostly ps/reference?

And is it really, really cold all year? :tongue: I'm from the North West of England, I won't mind it being cold that much, just as long as there's ok heating :biggrin:
Is it definately a myth that scottish unis are scotland bias? :confused:
Original post by medicinemm
I'm thinking of applying here, but I didn't make it to the open day :s-smilie:
Does anyone know what's most important in applying to Aberdeen?
My GCSE's are good, I'll be predicted A*AA - A*A*A in Biology, Physics, Chem A levels
I havent done my UKCAT yet (does Aberdeen want a high UKCAT?) I'm really nervous :frown:
Is it mostly ps/reference?

And is it really, really cold all year? :tongue: I'm from the North West of England, I won't mind it being cold that much, just as long as there's ok heating :biggrin:
Is it definately a myth that scottish unis are scotland bias? :confused:


Unless they've changed their entry criteria, UKCAT is worth only 4% of your score, and they don't have a cut-off. The PS is worth 25%, I believe. Check the website for the most accurate data.

It's utterly freezing in winter (the worst I've seen was -20C) but it's perfectly pleasant the rest of the year (I do recall that one summer it was hotter in Aberdeen than in Ibiza), and due to being on the east coast there's very little rain.

Aberdeen showed us data last year that showed absolutely no bias towards Scottish students in admissions. Whilst there will always be more Scottish students than in an English uni, this is just because of it's location and the fact that Scots don't want to move south (mainly due to the fees) whereas English students have a much wider range of places they're willing to go to.
Original post by Becca-Sarah
Unless they've changed their entry criteria, UKCAT is worth only 4% of your score, and they don't have a cut-off. The PS is worth 25%, I believe. Check the website for the most accurate data.

It's utterly freezing in winter (the worst I've seen was -20C) but it's perfectly pleasant the rest of the year (I do recall that one summer it was hotter in Aberdeen than in Ibiza), and due to being on the east coast there's very little rain.

Aberdeen showed us data last year that showed absolutely no bias towards Scottish students in admissions. Whilst there will always be more Scottish students than in an English uni, this is just because of it's location and the fact that Scots don't want to move south (mainly due to the fees) whereas English students have a much wider range of places they're willing to go to.

think ukcat is worth 8% now unfortunately
Reply 34
Do aberdeen like lots of Extra curriculars? Or is it more about how you reflect on them?
Original post by sablarrr
Do aberdeen like lots of Extra curriculars? Or is it more about how you reflect on them?


Regardless of where you're applying, what you say is more important than what you did.
Reply 37
Hi, do you think i would have a chance at aberdeen? (international student btw!) Thanks in advance :smile:

GCSE: 1A* 7A 1C
AS: AAAB (Math, Chemistry, Biology, Economics respectively)
Predicted AAA
UKCAT: 600

also can someone suggest another university that i could consider applying for? because i am quite stuck with choices at the moment and im getting really worried :'(
Original post by franynli
Hi, do you think i would have a chance at aberdeen? (international student btw!) Thanks in advance :smile:

GCSE: 1A* 7A 1C
AS: AAAB (Math, Chemistry, Biology, Economics respectively)
Predicted AAA
UKCAT: 600

also can someone suggest another university that i could consider applying for? because i am quite stuck with choices at the moment and im getting really worried :'(


Aberdeen place a lot of emphasis on your PS and interview, both of which would need to be excellent :smile: Dundee maybe?
Original post by ChangedMyMind
It's getting close to application time! Are there any current med students on here who could summarise why they chose Aberdeen and it's pros and cons? :smile: Would greatly appreciate it!


When I applied to university I didn't really have a clear idea where I wanted to go. Having visited all the unis which offer medicine, I began to notice the difference between the larger, more 'elite' institutions (Edinburgh and Glasgow) and the smaller ones (Dundee and Aberdeen). The latter unis seemed to try a lot harder to encourage me to study there, it felt that way to me anyway :smile:

The interview experience only concreted this. At Glasgow I felt extremely intimidated by the staff and the whole environment, whereas Aberdeen were welcoming and friendly even when asking difficult questions :tongue: In the end the friendliness of the staff and the fact that Aberdeen felt more homely was the reason I turned down my Glasgow offer to study in Aberdeen.

If you look at the University of Aberdeen as a whole, it isn't as big or shiny as Edinburgh or Glasgow. The city is nowhere near as cosmopolitan. But the quality of teaching and the medical school's reputation within the profession are both excellent. I do not regret choosing Aberdeen at all and would strongly recommend it to all of you :smile: I have listed below a few observations about the course in the past year.

Pros

Students are taught in systems. We do anatomy and physiology of each system (e.g cardiovascular, respiratory)and then pathology, clinical treatment and pharmacology.

Clinical skills from the first year. Starting from the basics of history taking and examination, all the time interacting with volunteer patients and then real patients on weekly ward sessions.

Staff and students are all fantastically friendly. We are a slightly smaller medical school with (come 2011) a 160 intake each year. As such you get to know most people quite quickly and develop your own group of mates.

Though the medical school is a trek away, once you get there you have 1000+ beds directly across the road. The ARI+Royal Aberdeen Childrens'+Aberdeen Maternity hospital site at Foresterhill offer every specialty and clinical procedure under the sun.

Nearly all your tutorials involve clinicians teaching you or supervising you. This makes the whole thing more real and gives you the chance to find out directly how they use the knowledge.

The MedSoc organize great social events such as beerienteering which are always well attended and rather epic fun.

Cons

Anatomy. Prosection is fine, it's just the sessions generally which are difficult to follow. The learning outcomes could be a lot clearer.

Community course. Possibly the single largest waste of your time. Ever. Though the subject matter is interesting (as Rabbitt said) the method of assessment is such that it is pretty much impossible to fail. Not much incentive to really learn anything.

First year can seem rather disjointed at times. Course is still very new and is being tweaked every year. They add in seemingly random seminars and lectures which, though interesting, don't really flow well into the course.

The medical school is at least 30 minutes walk away from every uni or private halls in the city.
(edited 12 years ago)

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