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Monday of Orientation
The formal School of Medicine orientation begins at 9.00am on Monday of orientation week, which will be in person – all timetabling information will be found on your Solas timetable which you will log into with your username (first part of your university email address) and email password here.

At this introductory event, you will be welcomed by the Dean of Medicine, the ScotGEM Programme Director and Deputy Director and the Year 1 Lead. During orientation week there will be a full programme of introductory classes specifically organised by the School of Medicine for new medical students – these will be delivered live and in person. Your attendance at these classes is essential since they will help you to find your feet in the early stages of your medical course.

The Orientation Week provisional programme for ScotGEM.

Academic support

The University Orientation Week Programme includes guidance on study skills which may help you in the transition to this programme.  The School is committed to supporting you during your medical studies, but in common with other studies at graduate level, we are unable to provide individual help on a daily basis. The Medical School provides many resources to help you monitor your own progress, and the University provides study skills sessions via CEED for those requiring additional help, this includes one-on-one study skill appointments, skills workshops and online resources, but you ultimately have to take charge of your own studies. 

You will be allocated a personal tutor who will meet with you periodically to discuss your progress. Your tutor can help you identify and reflect on the support you may need to balance your studies with the other opportunities available to you as a student of our University.

Previous SCOTGEM Y1 student (1)

Do not underestimate the workload – but never sell yourself short! You got into ScotGEM and are therefore more than capable of tackling it!

Find a study technique that works for you!

• A popular study technique among medical students is through using flashcards, namely Quizlet and ANKI. See if that works for you, find out which one you prefer OR use both!
• There are loads of resources out there, find the ones that help YOU the best. Here’s some to get you started: The Oxford Handbook of clinical medicine, Zero to Finals website, Osmosis and Amboss.
• The Learning Objectives, Lectures, KuraCloud and CLIC materials will help guide you when feeling lost on how in-depth to study.
• Regular and consistent studying and revision goes a long way – remember, little and often!

The Clinical Placements (GCM Days) are what you make of them – take advantage of the early patient and clinical interactions and put yourself out there.

You and your peers are all part of the same unique experience that is ScotGEM, so be there for one another and help each other out – no one knows what you’re going through best than those with you along the ride.

You all come from a wide array of backgrounds, so avoid trying to compare yourselves with your colleagues. You all come with your own unique skill sets and study styles.

Appreciate that medicine requires a lifelong commitment to learning. You won’t be able to learn everything there is to know all at once, and that includes first year content. Know when enough studying is enough and remember that it’s okay to not be 100% on top of it all.

Join sports teams and clubs and participate in what both St. Andrews and Dundee University has to offer. Medicine itself can be very insular, and its important to try and make connections outside of ScotGEM

Try and organise activities with your course mates so that you have something to do and talk about other than medicine.

Lastly, don’t neglect your physical and mental health!

You’re going to have a truly memorable time at ScotGEM. We’re excited to welcome you to this amazing experience, and we hope you enjoy the ride.

Previous SCOTGEM Y1 student (2)

A popular study technique amongst students is using flashcards, namely Quizlet or Anki. The main advantage of Quizlet is that you can create a study set and add it to multiple different set folders, so you might add your ‘anti-epileptic drugs’ set to your ‘week 25 – headache’ folder AND to your ‘pharmacology folder’. You can then study an entire folder at a time, which makes it easier to focus your studying, by case of the week, or by system. Others prefer Anki, because it applies the ‘spaced repetition’ study technique.

You want to revise as you go. Preparing for the week’s content during the weekend prior makes a huge difference. If you prepare flashcards on your lectures, clinical skills, and anatomy, during the weekend before they happen, you will save yourself a lot of stress, and you will be able to give your full attention during the live delivery of the material. Don’t take too much time on making these flashcards, even screenshots of lecture slides can suffice, as at least it means you’ve read the material once before it’s delivered. Preparing your study materials in advance also means that you can actually revise them as the week progresses, using your flashcards, and you’ll feel much more on top of things. It also means you have time during the week to enjoy the societies and events that the university has to offer!

Try to prioritise sleep, healthy meals and snacks, and sports, to avoid burnout! The fitness center has really fun gym classes – I highly recommend Zumba!

The learning objectives, the lectures, and the CLIC guide will guide you on the depth of learning you should aim for.

‘The Oxford Handbook of clinical medicine’, the Zero to Finals website, Osmosis, and Amboss are huge life savers if you’re struggling to get your head around any concepts.

Useful tips and advice from your School President

Engage with the Orientation: There are plenty of facilities around the school that are worth knowing, and Solas is definitely helpful if you take plenty of time to explore its functions. Look at every nook and cranny during Orientation week and bring out the explorer in you! However, don’t be afraid if you don’t remember everything in one go because that is normal.

Try out and be open to different study methods: It is worth looking at diverse study methods and finding out which suits you best. Don’t be afraid if a study method you thought would work out doesn’t; trial and error are essential in medical school.

Learn how to make a realistic plan: Planning is easy to do, but being realistic needs practice; set a goal of what you ‘want’ to do and what you are ‘able’ to do and prioritise a few things that you ‘can’ do and ‘should’ do.

Balance your studying and well-being: Medical school does seem like a lot, but it doesn’t mean you should spend all your time studying. Enjoy spending time with friends or by yourself to make sure you get to relax, thus taking care of yourself so that you do not burn out. This also means getting plenty of sleep.

Get involved in plenty of societies: You don’t have to join a lot of societies or go and try out every activity, but since there are a lot of societies, it is always worth having a look around and picking a few that you would like to have continuous interest in. You can always explore freely and decide to join the committee in later years.

Don’t be afraid to approach other medical students: It is expected to be nervous when meeting new people, but remember, all the other freshers feel like that, too! Don’t be afraid to start a conversation with them because, deep down, they might want to talk too. Also, do not hesitate to approach students in different years; we love answering questions, giving advice, or just chatting about how bad the weather is.

Do not be intimidated: I get that when first entering medical school, it might seem huge, scary, and intimidating. However, I want to emphasise that it is perfectly okay to not understand something at once and have many questions you want to ask. Therefore, feel free to ask staff questions after a lecture or when you see them in the School café; they are very friendly and eager to answer questions.