St.Andrews or Dundee

OP

I am pushing myself but i cant decide between dundee or st.andrews as my second or third choice. So which one is easier?

Reply 3

Reverie.

14

Well, more medics at my school got into Dundee (and with lower grades) but that's just anecdotal evidence...

Reply 4

OP

Still evidence :smile:

thanks . Also, im guessing that although Glasgow has lower grades its actually harder to get into that dundee, would i be correct? ( please tell me im wrong)

Reply 5

Reverie.

14

[More anecdotal evidence] No-one from my school got into Glasgow, and only two got to interview, so yeah, I think so.

Reply 6

OP

Damn, your anecdotal evidence just came back and bit me on the ass :P thanks :smile:

well i think im gonna hope against hope for glasgow and dundee

Reply 7

Glasgow's probably harder to get into than Dundee, yeah.

Overall, St Andrews has a better reputation than Dundee, but Dundee's medical school is, to my knowledge, considered far superior to St Andrews'.

Reply 8

ASprinkleOfPixieDust

Dundee has gained a very good repuatation for medicine in recent years, they are very fussy over who they even interview though, I know people with straight A's and amazing exctracurriculars and work experience who didn't get an interview-I've no clue what they look for. Personally the Glasgow interview was a nightmare and scary (but they're very into their PBL anyway bleurgh). Come to Aberdeen instead :p:

lol just kidding, I wouldn't go to Andrews myself-too much shifting you about.

Reply 9

SmilerNuts

15

Yeah, Aberdeen is way better! Why you not thinking of applying there? Not much to choose between it and Dundee tbh

Reply 10

ChemistBoy

16

I think in medicine it is far more important to consider the reputation of the medical school ahead of the university as a whole (at least that is what I have been told by someone who should know).

Reply 11

OP

Im not really thinking of Aberdeen right now, just cause its really far north. Though its definitly not off the cards. Might change my Queen Mary choice to aberdeen :s-smilie:

. Now im confused again :P

Reply 12

ASprinkleOfPixieDust

It's not that far north really, everyone seems to think there's nothing above aberdeen! I live further north I'm at least 4.5 hours by car to get home and at least 9 hours using public transport. It doesn't take long to get to Glasgow from aberdeen either if you want to go for a gig or fly from glasgow airport or something and there are a lot of people from Ireland. But you're best off deciding where you want to go based on the course rather than the attractions/location I wanted to go to Glasgow originally just for the city but I'm actually really glad I messed up the interview because tbh the course isn't really my style.

Reply 13

SmilerNuts

15

Dundee is pretty much as far north as Aberdeen if that's your only reason for not considering the 'Deen :s-smilie:

Reply 14

SmilerNuts

Dundee is pretty much as far north as Aberdeen if that's your only reason for not considering the 'Deen :s-smilie:

Well, it's what - forty five minute's drive from Dundee to Edinburgh, then another hour and a half from Dundee to Aberdeen. When did you last look at a map? :p:

Reply 15

IR Postgraduate

4

Okay, so I‘ve asked a similar question before (http://thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=376021), but I still don’t get why people would consider a university like Dundee over St Andrews/Edinburgh. Dundee may have an up-and-coming medical school, but for the most part they aren’t even in the same league as St Andrews. St Andrews ranks as one of the top universities in the UK (averaging 5th this year), while Dundee is almost always found well down the rankings. In the United States it would be very unlikely for a student accepted by a top-ten university to choose a significantly lower ranked option, regardless of the strength of a particular department. In short, why would someone choose an average university over one of the best in the United Kingdom?

Reply 16

Well, you've got a choice between getting better teaching and going to a department which every professional will realise is better respected... or, you can listen to some ambiguous league tables (I'll avoid going into my usual rant about St Andrews cheating on these to try and compete with Edinburgh, but anyway...) which mean what exactly?

Incidentally, the medical school at Dundee (if you believe what is inscribed in the building, that'll be the "St Andrews University Medical School" :p:

) is only one year younger than the Bute School. So it's hardly "up and coming" - it's been one of the solid, established Scottish medical schools for decades.

In short, St Andrews isn't the 5th university in the UK. It's a good university, and a pleasant one - I have many friends who attend there - however it is not in the same 'league', if you will, as Edinburgh or the London colleges even by the criteria you pick. It's certainly in the top five for pretension however.

Reply 17

ChemistBoy

16

Libertinus Septentrionalis

however it is not in the same 'league', if you will, as Edinburgh or the London colleges even by the criteria you pick.

I disagree. I believe you study at Edinburgh so I guess that's why you feel the need to suggest that St Andrews isn't as good.

Reply 18