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Reply 1
Hi guys,

I have a 1st class degree in Biomedical Science and 673 average for UKCAT (sigh). Do I stand a chance?
Hi, I haven't yet sat my UKCAT and I have one final year of my degree, what kind of UKCAT score will I need?
Reply 3
Original post by heftybadger
Hi, I haven't yet sat my UKCAT and I have one final year of my degree, what kind of UKCAT score will I need?


According to Glasgow's website the lowest score they invited to interview last year was 1990 total across Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative and Abstract. With SJT not considered last year or this year!

But the cut-off score varies from year to year so it may well be higher or lower this year, depending on how the rest of this year's applicants do. In all likelihood 2100 would probably be more than good enough! Good luck.
Thanks very much! Do you happen to know any areas that Glasgow looks for in particular?
Reply 5
Original post by heftybadger
Thanks very much! Do you happen to know any areas that Glasgow looks for in particular?


On their website they don't specify any cut-offs for individual subtests, so its likely just your overall score that will be taken into consideration for interviews!
Reply 6
Hello, I will be a second year medical student at Glasgow this year, and I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by BT0311
Hi guys,

I have a 1st class degree in Biomedical Science and 673 average for UKCAT (sigh). Do I stand a chance?



Hi, I'm starting medicine next month at Glasgow. I scored 670 in the UKCAT and have just graduated with a 2.1 in Physiology. Glasgow look at your application as a whole (UKCAT, academics, personal statement and reference) before deciding who to invite for interview, so it's definitely worth you applying. Good luck with your application. It's a stressful year but getting an offer is literally the best feeling ever.
Reply 8
HI everybody

I am also thinking of applying to Glasgow and would do so as a Grad.

Sitting the UKCAT in early September and predicted a 1st.
Reply 9
Hey guys, il be applying to Glasgow as a graduate (from Glasgow) and I know there is no graduate entry but I wondered if anyone knew if there was any difference in the application process and criteria, eg well above ave UKCAT.
Thanks
Original post by alkyone
Hello, I will be a second year medical student at Glasgow this year, and I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can :smile:


Hello! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm really delighted with how in the UKCAT I did given my low expectations, but i'll just have to see how I get on compared to the rest of this year's cohort. Thinking my application will be Glasgow, Manchester, QUB ( I live in Belfast, but would really like to go away for university, and while QUB is great I hope this isn't my only offer), and possibly Birmingham/Sheffield/Dundee. What do you think of medicine as a course and what's it like to study it at Glasgow? Is it more integrated or PBL? Is it an expensive city to live in? Did you get campus/university accommodation in first year? Do you have much free time? My full stats are currently: AS Levels: AAAA (bio,chem,politics, English) Predicted A2: A*A*A (though to be honest I personally expect 1 A*) GCSE's: 9A*s, A, B UKCAT: 703.33 avg band 2 TOTAL: 2110 Work Exp: Volunteering in an A+E dept. currently, have shadowed an Upper GI Surgeon for one day, would like to get some more I would be delighted and grateful for any advice as I'm sure you're extremely busy!! Thank you so much!
Original post by dwightkurtshrute
Hello! Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I'm really delighted with how in the UKCAT I did given my low expectations, but i'll just have to see how I get on compared to the rest of this year's cohort. Thinking my application will be Glasgow, Manchester, QUB ( I live in Belfast, but would really like to go away for university, and while QUB is great I hope this isn't my only offer), and possibly Birmingham/Sheffield/Dundee. What do you think of medicine as a course and what's it like to study it at Glasgow? Is it more integrated or PBL? Is it an expensive city to live in? Did you get campus/university accommodation in first year? Do you have much free time? My full stats are currently: AS Levels: AAAA (bio,chem,politics, English) Predicted A2: A*A*A (though to be honest I personally expect 1 A*) GCSE's: 9A*s, A, B UKCAT: 703.33 avg band 2 TOTAL: 2110 Work Exp: Volunteering in an A+E dept. currently, have shadowed an Upper GI Surgeon for one day, would like to get some more I would be delighted and grateful for any advice as I'm sure you're extremely busy!! Thank you so much!


hello there! Your UKCAT is great for Glasgow, it shouldn't be a problem at all, same as your A-levels. Regarding your work experience, it is amazing you managed to get some shadowing experience, but perhaps what else you could do is some volunteering on a regular basis to show some commitment, and it would be best to be in a caring role. Apart from that, with a good personal statement you should have a very strong application that should give you a few interviews! Regarding interviews, what worked best for me is getting an interview book and practice answering the question before actually looking at model answers. Also it makes a real difference to practise out loud rather than just in your head. You would be surprised how differently you say things to the way you think it. Answering without looking at the model answers also prepares you for thinking fast for unexpected questions at the interviews. It helps if you have someone to actually ask you the questions and talk to if you can.

About medicine as a course, there is a lot to remember, although I must say it was not as bad as I expected. Me personally, I had plenty of time to myself, although I must say that I also studied biomed before this, which probably helped. I really enjoyed the first year of the course. I'd say it's more integrated, with PBL playing a big role mostly in consolidating information and going into more depth on topics taught in lectures. For me PBL worked really well, I thought it is a great way to learn and teaches you skills that you wouldn't get just from attending lectures. It also feels like there is more support available for you when you are taught in small groups, in PBLs and vocational studies especially, where you actually get to know members of the staff.*

I do not think it is an expensive city, the cost of renting is quite low compared to England, and I found that things like meat and some vegetables you can find them cheaper. Getting about is also very easy, you have frequent bus services to the new queen Elizabeth hospital, and the subway is great for getting to the city centre from the west end where the university is. I think that with a smart card it is currently 2.70 for a day ticket on the subway. In general, I think it's a great place to live in and there is something for everyone to do, being such a large city.*

I hope this answers your questions! Good luck with your application!
Original post by alkyone
hello there! Your UKCAT is great for Glasgow, it shouldn't be a problem at all, same as your A-levels. Regarding your work experience, it is amazing you managed to get some shadowing experience, but perhaps what else you could do is some volunteering on a regular basis to show some commitment, and it would be best to be in a caring role. Apart from that, with a good personal statement you should have a very strong application that should give you a few interviews! Regarding interviews, what worked best for me is getting an interview book and practice answering the question before actually looking at model answers. Also it makes a real difference to practise out loud rather than just in your head. You would be surprised how differently you say things to the way you think it. Answering without looking at the model answers also prepares you for thinking fast for unexpected questions at the interviews. It helps if you have someone to actually ask you the questions and talk to if you can.

About medicine as a course, there is a lot to remember, although I must say it was not as bad as I expected. Me personally, I had plenty of time to myself, although I must say that I also studied biomed before this, which probably helped. I really enjoyed the first year of the course. I'd say it's more integrated, with PBL playing a big role mostly in consolidating information and going into more depth on topics taught in lectures. For me PBL worked really well, I thought it is a great way to learn and teaches you skills that you wouldn't get just from attending lectures. It also feels like there is more support available for you when you are taught in small groups, in PBLs and vocational studies especially, where you actually get to know members of the staff.*

I do not think it is an expensive city, the cost of renting is quite low compared to England, and I found that things like meat and some vegetables you can find them cheaper. Getting about is also very easy, you have frequent bus services to the new queen Elizabeth hospital, and the subway is great for getting to the city centre from the west end where the university is. I think that with a smart card it is currently 2.70 for a day ticket on the subway. In general, I think it's a great place to live in and there is something for everyone to do, being such a large city.*

I hope this answers your questions! Good luck with your application!


Thank you so much for all your advice! I forgot to mention i am currently volunteering in the Emergency Department of my local hospital for 2 hours every friday and so far i have been able to chat to elderly patients and observe one minor procedure, actually really enjoying it.
Thanks also for all your info about Glasgow, am really considering it.It sounds fantastic.
Hopefully so long as i do myself justice at interview and in A2 Exams, i'll be joining you in 2017!
Could you possibly tell me some more about student accommodation at Glasgow and how much clinical placement you got in your first year?
Thanks a million for all your help!! :smile:
Original post by dwightkurtshrute
Thank you so much for all your advice! I forgot to mention i am currently volunteering in the Emergency Department of my local hospital for 2 hours every friday and so far i have been able to chat to elderly patients and observe one minor procedure, actually really enjoying it.
Thanks also for all your info about Glasgow, am really considering it.It sounds fantastic.
Hopefully so long as i do myself justice at interview and in A2 Exams, i'll be joining you in 2017!
Could you possibly tell me some more about student accommodation at Glasgow and how much clinical placement you got in your first year?
Thanks a million for all your help!! :smile:


I'm not quite sure about university student halls, I was staying in private halls. from what my course mates have been saying, most of them were in flags with at least one more medic. Some halls are very nice, some others not great quality, but the people are usually nice. Another thing about halls is that they tend to be quite far from campus so you would have to walk a bit to get to classes in the morning. The bus service that operates is almost always full so you cannot depend on that.

Clinical placements in first year:
- 1 day in A&E
- 1 day in hospital
- 1 day in a hospice
- 1 day in GP

We also had a project after Christmas where we had to do a report on a patient with chronic health issues, and that was two visits to the patient. Also we had a community diagnosis project that required us to do 2 more visits at the GP surgery of our vocational studies tutor.
Hello:smile: I'm going through my UCAS application this month and I really want to make sure that I stand a chance for an interview at the University of Glasgow.I didn't do as well as expected in my UKCAT exam and I don't have the greatest grades. I got a total of 1850/2700 which gives an average of 617 on my UKCAT and for IGCSE i have 1 A* 4 A and 3 B. I also have so far a Greek A level grade A and an AS maths A*. My predictions lie somewhere between Maths A* Biology A* Chemistry A and Physics B.I have a lot of volunteering work with people and children with disabilities, generally nurseries, deaf people and I have also shadowed doctors and helped in the ER for a month. I also had an internship at a hospital abroad in which I observed surgeries for a month. :/ I've also lived with my grandparents for about 9 years which I took care of them since they had many health problems. In addition, no one from my family has studied at a university or higher degree of education.

I really want to study medicine because it's fascinating to me and I love caring for people but I don't think my grades can take me there.University of Glasgow is like my reach uni and the one I love the most.Do I stand a chance?
Reply 15
Please help what is the UKCAT cutoff this year for glasgow
Original post by DragonEmily
Hello:smile: I'm going through my UCAS application this month and I really want to make sure that I stand a chance for an interview at the University of Glasgow.I didn't do as well as expected in my UKCAT exam and I don't have the greatest grades. I got a total of 1850/2700 which gives an average of 617 on my UKCAT and for IGCSE i have 1 A* 4 A and 3 B. I also have so far a Greek A level grade A and an AS maths A*. My predictions lie somewhere between Maths A* Biology A* Chemistry A and Physics B.I have a lot of volunteering work with people and children with disabilities, generally nurseries, deaf people and I have also shadowed doctors and helped in the ER for a month. I also had an internship at a hospital abroad in which I observed surgeries for a month. :/ I've also lived with my grandparents for about 9 years which I took care of them since they had many health problems. In addition, no one from my family has studied at a university or higher degree of education.

I really want to study medicine because it's fascinating to me and I love caring for people but I don't think my grades can take me there.University of Glasgow is like my reach uni and the one I love the most.Do I stand a chance?


hello there, the best way to estimate if your UKCAT is enough is to wait for the testing period to close and see the deciles for the year. I believe that the way Glasgow does it is look at your application as a whole, rather than have a cut off. This basically means that you could have a high UKCAT score and not get selected for interviews if you score low on other aspects of the application. However, if your UKCAT is too low, you may not be able to compete with the rest of the Applicants even if you score perfectly in the other aspects. If Glasgow is your dream university though, I believe it would be worth applying anyway as you meet the minimum academic requirements. Congratulations on your A level by the way! Work hard on your personal statement and you should be in a good position. Besides even if you don't get in this year, as long as your achieved results are good and you have good experience, then you can always reapply and try to do better next year on the admission tests.*
Original post by Lisa0102
Please help what is the UKCAT cutoff this year for glasgow


Glasgow does not use cut offs as such, they score your application as a whole. However, this document shows the lowest scores of people invited for interviews for the previous three years and could give you an idea of how well you are doing: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_475041_en.pdf . You can see that the scores change every year, so you cannot accurately predict whether you will be invited for an interview or not, but this should give you an idea.
Original post by alkyone
hello there, the best way to estimate if your UKCAT is enough is to wait for the testing period to close and see the deciles for the year. I believe that the way Glasgow does it is look at your application as a whole, rather than have a cut off. This basically means that you could have a high UKCAT score and not get selected for interviews if you score low on other aspects of the application. However, if your UKCAT is too low, you may not be able to compete with the rest of the Applicants even if you score perfectly in the other aspects. If Glasgow is your dream university though, I believe it would be worth applying anyway as you meet the minimum academic requirements. Congratulations on your A level by the way! Work hard on your personal statement and you should be in a good position. Besides even if you don't get in this year, as long as your achieved results are good and you have good experience, then you can always reapply and try to do better next year on the admission tests.*


Thank you very much for the info and advice. I just feel really disappointed in myself and I'm trying to find a place that will guarantee me an offer but I guess if you're just average you can't get too far. Maybe I'm just afraid of doing a gap year
Original post by DragonEmily
Thank you very much for the info and advice. I just feel really disappointed in myself and I'm trying to find a place that will guarantee me an offer but I guess if you're just average you can't get too far. Maybe I'm just afraid of doing a gap year


In my opinion there is no such thing as guaranteed offer in medicine. Even if you are fairly sure to be invited to an interview, at the interview stage it can be quite tough, competing against people academically as good as you. Also there is no point in beating yourself up for this minor setback, which does not necessarily mean that you won't get a place this year! Just stay optimistic and try and see what you could improve if this year's application does not go as hoped! You seem to have worked hard to put yourself in a good position academically and work experience-wise, and the one test you took in 2 hours does not mean that you are not fit to do medicine. It is not even that bad. Besides, there is also the BMAT that you can still do and apply to some BMAT universities.*

Doing a gap year may be a great experience, you can travel, or maybe work and earn money towards your studies, and if used effectively it can prepare you for medicine and make you an even more desirable candidate. It really is not the end of the world to apply one year later, it may actually be better for you! So my advice is to stay optimistic and to not put so much pressure on yourself :smile: