Dear Incoming Freshers,

On behalf of the Bute Medical Society, it is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to the University of St. Andrews and the start of your journey through medical school. Huge congratulations to each of you for receiving your offers! As you walk through the streets of our beloved town for the first time, know that you’re joining a legacy of students who have stood exactly where you stand now—equal parts excited and unsure, driven by a shared desire to make a difference.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Deborah Li, and I am the president of the Bute Medical Society for the upcoming academic year. I look forward to the opportunity of meeting each one of you and helping you navigate the ebb and flow of your first year!

What is Bute?
The Bute Medical Society is only the biggest, oldest, and most well-established student society at the University of St Andrews! Many would say it is the best society at this University, the union would agree (we won the best society award for the 2024-2025 Academic Year – no small feat)! Bute is an integral part of medic life for most of us here. Being a medical society, Bute offers recreational events that are easy to balance alongside intense studies. That’s one of the many reasons why being a medic and a Butie go hand in hand. Bute is intrinsic to the Medical School, and we often co-organize events and research opportunities for students to get involved in. Whilst most of our members are undergraduate and postgraduate medics, we are open to anyone keen on exploring the medical field. We’re going all out this year, and we’d love for you to join us. Some events to jot on your calendars…
Hecklings: Shrouded in mystery, Hecklings is a welcome social for all medic freshers. Held in the first few weeks of the first semester, it involves crazy group challenges and treasure hunts. Memorable (for some) and notoriously fun, every St. Andrews medic has a story from Hecklings. I’d tell you more, but I signed an NDA.

Balls: We strive to help you blow off steam in good ol’ Bute fashion; with music, Ceilidh dancing, delicious food, and other delights. We host three incredible formals:
1. Hippocrates: Our wonderful welcome ball poised in the first semester to help you get to know other medics.
2. Bute Ball: Our pride and joy, heralding our return in the New Year. Always a gem to remember.
3. St. Vitus: Our summer ball celebrating the end of exams and sending off our third- year comrades in style.

Research events: We encourage our members to be innovators in their fields and expand their horizons. Bute hosts the Bute Innovation Forum, our impressive inter-societal speaker competition that aims to promote the research and presenting skills of our members. Bute also advertises opportunities and offers academic talks on what interests you. Be it talks on how to build a portfolio or specialty specific talks, our speakers inspire our members to venture into new areas of research and industry. Many of our speakers are our Medical Demonstrators (Med Dems affectionately), who teach us in clinical skills and dissections.
Sports teams: Teaming up with your fellow Buties to annihilate our opponents is an excellent way to boost morale! Bute FC, Bute Rugby, Bute Hockey and Bute Netball have all been big hitters in the past, but we are very much open to sharing the love with an array of other sports and getting a team started. Matches are flexible around the hectic medicine timetable, so medics with commitment issues, fear not. With teams of varying abilities and no pressure, it’s a great opportunity to start something new. We are super keen to expand this for the coming academic year so please get involved!

Charity events: Massive prize raffles? Bake-offs? Pub Quizzes? Bute is not afraid to host the classic, fantastic events you love to raise money for our two annually chosen charities. Hugely popular and filled with great energy, our charity events are designed to be a chill way to unwind. Our raffle last year had prizes with combined value of over £2000!

Bute Revue: What better way to end the year than share a laugh whilst watching bizarre skits involving your lecturers, Med Dems, and beloved Bute Committee?!

Is there anything I can do now?

· Follow @butemedics, @standmedicine and @standrewsunion on Instagram.
· Join your fellow medics before you come to St Andrews on Bute’s “St Andrews Medic Freshers 2026/27” Facebook page.
· If you have any questions for Bute, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can email our secretary on butemedsoc@st-andrews.ac.uk
· Congrats! You’re ready for Freshers!

The next few years will stretch you, shape you, and, without question, change you. But I hope you’re looking forward to all the amazing memories that you are about to make, there is plenty to look forward to! The Bute Medical Society is excited to welcome you with open arms, offering support, friendship, and a community that reminds you that you belong here. So, take a deep breath—you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

P.S. word on the street is that there are over 50 lab coats that will be given out for FREE in Fresher’s week, but stay tuned…

With admiration and anticipation,
Deborah Li