St. Andrews Medical Applicants 2014

Surely not! The average this year was above mid 600. I was thinking 720, look at the people with interviews on the stalking page


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Yes, but those are the first interviews, and last year the average offer holder had a ukcat of 675


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675 is correct, I believe. In 2013 entry, my friends were invited to the last interview date, they had ukcat scores of 625. I believe 625 was near the cut-off last year.

So this year it should be around 650-660. This is due to the 32 increase in ukcat average. 657?? We won't know the cut-off until the end.




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Did they get an offer? If you don't mind me asking


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They sure did. Unconditionals. Both Scottish applicants


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Hey guys, I am a first year medical student at St Andrews so if you have any questions about the town or anything then feel free to pm me. All I can say about interviews is that at least 80% of the lecturers here are hilarious so relax and enjoy it - and congratulations for choosing the best medical school at a truly unique/awesome uni!


PS There really isn't a lot of posh people


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So here's the blizzard : when did you get your interview? What was your ukcat score? When did you get the offer? Would you mind sharing some of the questions you were asked at interview? Do you take part on extracurricular activities? How's the accommodation?


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Hi!
I can't remember exactly when I received an invitation for my interview but I think it was about a couple of weeks before the interview which was on the 10th of December. My UKCAT was 702.5 and I received my offer at the end of March.
I'll tell you what I was asked but it is not extremely important and I'm sure you know you will probably be asked completely different questions although I will say that the vast majority of lecturers/interviewers here will ask no trick questions and genuinely just want to find out more about you - they are extremely friendly and very funny people even if they don't seem like that in the interview
At St A you read through an experimental scenario immediately before and I was interviewed by one of the main senior lecturers who asked some basic questions on the experiment such as how it can be improved and what the independent variable was. I was more surprised when he spent a large period of time asking me about what I thought of PBL and how it can benefit your education although this is most likely due to post St A clinical placements at partner unis. I got asked why dissection, actually having the cadaver in front of you, is better than a 3D simulation. Of course I got asked why med/st A and things I learnt from work exp too
I did quite a bit of kayaking at the beginning if semester but stopped towards exams because I hadn't been working as much as I should have been I was pier jumping or going storm-swimming every week but now we only do it when we're on top of work. There's a massive emphasis on societies and clubs at St A and there is so much to choose from, you will not get bored and there will be something you will enjoy and gazillions of new things to try out. Because it is a small student town I have found that the students are so much more active/enthusiastic/adventurous, especially compared to city universities. We have the North Sea, hills, Edinburgh/D(F)undee on our doorstep if we ever want to go surfing/hiking/skiing. The course isn't over-bearing at the moment, I am absolutely loving it and I find I do have enough free time as long as you stay on top of work. There are so many sports, musical groups and interest societies to choose from, a guy in my clinical skills group is in The Other Guys!
I'm living in Andrew Melville (yes the beautiful one) and wow it's fantastic. The new chef is brilliant so the food is great, rooms are fine, heating is fine, free bars are great ;D and the students are mental and socially active - it has been the perfect student hall for me! I guess the other halls are alright I have heard no complaints, at least!

Good luck, guys! Don't try to overthink the whole admissions process just because everybody else does, it's just an interview; they are perfectly aware you are not doctors yet and when you get into med school you'll laugh about how crazy you all were



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Hi Guys, I've got an interview for jan time too and was wondering what would be the best way of getting there.
hotels/inns/places-to-stay? etc

I will be travelling from South-East England, by car and 1 day in advance.
So looking to stay somewhere the night before, and be able to get to the Uni easily and quickly on the day.

All help would be extremely appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Hi Guys, I've got an interview for jan time too and was wondering what would be the best way of getting there.
hotels/inns/places-to-stay? etc

I will be travelling from South-East England, by car and 1 day in advance.
So looking to stay somewhere the night before, and be able to get to the Uni easily and quickly on the day.

All help would be extremely appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Staying in St Andrews would obviously get you there the quickest, but from what I can tell the hotels seem overpriced and small.
For mine I stayed in Dundee (about 20 minutes away by car) in the "Apex City Quay Hotel". It was very nice and had a spa if you're into that kind of thing for relaxation
And my photography-nerd side liked the view of the river.

Other than Dundee, there aren't many places that are too close to St Andrews. Edinburgh is just over an hour away - and that depends on traffic - and although there are a few nearby towns (Cupar, Anstruther, Leuchars), you'd probably not find anything there so it's pretty much St Andrews or Dundee.

For my interview we stayed in Ogstons Hotel and on previous visits The Albany Hotel. I don't remember them
being too expensive (in Winter) and they're both in the town which is really good for a quick exploration or a nice walk on the beach before your interview which I did. Everyone has their own preferences but personally I found it worth it to stay in the town, but be aware you may meet other applicants at breakfast Although I liked that and it took my mind off it, plus you may well meet them when you get in!


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You have two realistic choices.

Heathrow-Edinburgh then train to Leuchars and bus to St Andrews or bus direct to St Andrews

Train direct from Kings Cross to Leuchars and Bus to St Andrews

I'd recommend staying overnight if you're travelling from London. Partly because it's less stressful, partly because traffic / public transport can be unpredictable.
I stayed in Dundee the night before the interview. Although I drove, there are buses between the two. If you want to stay in St Andrews and aren't driving, you can either fly to Edinburgh or get the train, but either way you'll have to get a bus into St Andrews as there is no train station (Leuchars is the closest, as mentioned above).

Just got an interview invite through! On Christmas Eve Check your emails!

Just got an interview invite through! On Christmas Eve Check your emails!