University of Glasgow - Medicine

• Duration of the degree is 5 years
• Will accept UCAT ANZ
• Applicants who have commenced the first year of a degree programme other than medicine can apply as year 1 but will need to meet the following academic requirements
• International students’ admission rate: 18%
• UCAT SJT is not considered
• Relevant science degree holders at 2:1 or above can also apply

A. High School Graduates

International Subjects required: Chemistry, Biology, and either Maths/Physics + IGCSE English at a grade B or above if English is not taken at A level

Domestic Subjects Required: Chemistry and one of either Biology or Human Biology, Physics or Mathematics or Further Math. GCSE English literature or English language at Grade B or 6. GCSE Biology at Grade B or 6 (if not studied at A-level).

• A Levels: AAA
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 38, 666 for 3 HL: Chemistry, Biology and Math + SL English at 6
• HKDSE: 55533, all required subjects at grade 5 including M1 or M2
• Canada: 85% average with no grade lower than 85%
• USA: 3AP all level 5 in required subjects or 2AP at level 5 + SAT 1280
• ATAR: 85

Taking extra subjects has no advantage

Only accept qualifications taken in normal timeframe

Won’t accept applicants taken dual curriculums at the same level (e.g. DSE and A level at the same time)

B. Bachelor Degree Holders

Majors required

• Aeronautical Engineering (resit high school biology and chemistry and meet minimum grades)
• Anatomy
• Animal Science (resit high school biology and chemistry and meet minimum grades)
• Applied Biological / Bio / Biomedical Sciences
• Applied Sport Science
• Biochemical Engineering
• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biomedical Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
• Clinical Sciences
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Dietetics
• Environmental Science
• Exercise and Sport Science
• Forensic Anthropology
• Forensic Biology and Psychology
• Genetics
• Herbal Medicine (resit high school Chemistry must meet minimum grades)
• Human and Medical Sciences
• Human Biology
• Human Biosciences
• Immunology
• Medical Biochemistry
• Medical Physiology
• Medical Sciences
• Midwifery
• Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Natural Sciences
• Neuroscience
• Nursing
• Optometry
• Osteopathy
• Paramedic Practice / Paramedic Science
• Pharmaceutical Science
• Pharmacology
• Physics
• Physiology
• Podiatry
• Prosthetics & Orthotics
• Psychology (resit high school Chemistry and Biology and must meet minimum grades)
• Radiography
• Speech & Language Pathology (resit high school Chemistry and Biology and must meet minimum grades)
• Sports Biomedicine & Nutrition
• Stratified Medicine
• Tropical Disease Biology
• Veterinary Biosciences
• Virology
• Zoology (resit high school Chemistry must meet minimum grades)

Academic Standard

4 year 2.1 degree in a relevant science within seven years of the entry date or you can

• Resit high school graduation chemistry and biology and achieve minimum grades at level A and B; or
• Masters or PhD in a relevant field within the last seven years

Retake and Predicted Grade Policies

• A Levels: no resit
• GCSE: can resit

English Language Proficiency

• IELTS: 7.0 overall with 7.0 in all skills, one skill retake accepted
• International Baccalaureate (IB) - HL English 5 OR SL English 6
• IGCSE English First Language - Overall grade B, with B or above in all components
• DSE English 5
• PTE 80

UCAT Cut off

• Domestic cut off for UCAT: 2690 (60th percentile)
• International cut off for UCAT: 2800 (80th percentile)
• University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) in the same calendar year as submission of the UCAS application

a. Where is it going to take place?

Clinical placements will take place in 25 hospitals and 150 GP practices throughout Glasgow and the west of Scotland, some are listed as below:

• Crosshouse Hospital
• Gartnavel General Hospital
• Glasgow Royal Infirmary
• Hairmyres Hospital
• Monklands Hospital
• Inverclyde Royal Hospital
• Royal Alexandra Hospital
• Southern General Hospital
• The Victoria Infirmary
• Western Infirmary
• Wishaw General Hospital
• Ayr Hospital

b. What are the clinical placement sites like?

• Over 30% of the clinical-based teaching takes place outside the home NHS Board - the highest in Scotland.
• NHS provision comes from across the West of Scotland, providing the students with high quality experience of the variations in healthcare needs of over 2.5 million patients ranging from the impoverished, socially deprived communities to more affluent areas.

c. How is clinical placement going to be for undergraduate students?

The clinical placement is undertaken from the middle of Year 3 onwards. The students will undertake a series of rotating clinical attachments with the duration of 5-10 week as follows:

• Junior Medicine
• Junior Surgery
• Senior Medicine
• Senior Surgery
• Child Health
• Emergency Medicine
• ENT/Ophthalmology
• General Practice
• Musculoskeletal
• Neurology/Cardiology
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology
• Psychiatry

d. What is the course structure?

The course is organised into four Phases:

• Phase 1: the first half of Year 1
  • Basic Biomedical Sciences
  • First Clinical Skills Session + A Clinical Visit to an A&E ward for GP
• Phase 2: the second half of Year 1 + the whole of Year 2
  • Systems-based Biomedical Sciences including Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Biochemical Sciences
• Phase 3: the first half of Year 3
  • Clinical Sciences including Pathology, Microbiology, Clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Biochemistry and Genetics
• Phase 4: the second half of Year 3 + the whole of Year 4 + the first half of Year 5
  • Clinical Practice
• Preparation for Practice: the second half of Year 5
  • A final “Apprenticeship” hospital-based attachment

e. What is the teaching style in The University of Glasgow medical school?

The following teaching methods are delivered in the course:

• Lectures
• Small Group Teaching
• Labs
• Vocational and Professional Studies
• Clinical Studies
• E-leaning

f. Is there Intercalated BSc Programme at The University of Glasgow?

The University of Glasgow offers one and two year programmes in the School of Medicine, School of Life Sciences and School of Critical Studies. The standard is comparable to the BSc (Hons) degree in Life Sciences and has the same honours classifications.

The subjects offered are:

• School of Medicine – BSc (Med Sci) Clinical Medicine
• School of Life Sciences – BSc (Med Sci – 1 year) and BSc (Hons – 2 year)
• School of Critical Studies – BSc (Med Sci) Honours in Medical Humanities

The interview session will last around 30 minutes in total, divided into two sections - panel A and panel B:

• Panel A: explore what being a doctor means and related topics around this.

• Panel B: focus more on the applicant as a future doctor and will include discussion of an ethical scenario.

The applicants will be interviewed by two interviewers, who cover both Panel A and Panel B.

Motivation to study medicine + Personal Statement

1. Why medicine?
2. Why Glasgow?
3. What did you learn from your work experience?
4. What qualities of a doctor did you see from your work experience?
5. Take us through your personal statement.
6. What is your greatest achievement on your personal statement?
7. What do you know about the Glasgow Medicine course? How is it taught?
8. Why do you think you will be well suited to this course?
9. Why medicine and not dentistry or nursing?
10. What is your greatest achievement?
11. Tell us about your volunteering.
12. What are your hobbies?
13. What are the negatives of a career in medicine?
14. Why do you want to become a doctor?
15. Why this area of Scotland?

Background/Personal Statement

1. Tell us about your hobbies and/or charity work.
2. Tell us about a time that you worked as part of a team.
3. How would your colleagues/peers describe you?
4. Why should patients trust you?
5. What are your best qualities?
6. How do you manage stress?
7. Can you provide us with an example of a time when you demonstrated resilience?
8. Give us an example of a time when you demonstrated teamwork.
9. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
10. How would your friends describe you?
11. Tell us about an article that you have recently read.

NHS & Local Area

1. What changes would you make to the NHS if you could?
2. What are the NHS values and why are they important?
3. How do you deal with overpopulation?
4. What do you know about the local area here in Glasgow?
5. What are the main challenges that face the NHS?
6. How has COVID changed the way the NHS operates?
7. What do you think are going to be the long-term consequences of COVID on the NHS?
8. How does the healthcare system differ here compared to other areas in the UK?

Ethical Scenarios at Glasgow

1. What is the debate surrounding euthanasia, should it be legalised?
2. Should abortion be banned?
3. Who would you give this organ to?
4. If you notice that a colleague has turned up to work drunk, what would you do?
5. Who can you escalate concerns to within a hospital?