It’s good that you are thinking about IT. We’ve made a special section of Launchpad just for questions about IT.  You can find this here…

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 senior leadership team 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 International Education and Lifelong Learning Institute (IELLI) 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

• You don’t need to know everything before you arrive.
• Everyone feels behind at some point.
• Ask questions early and often.
• Your classmates are your best resource.
• Find a study routine that works for you – so many people are stuck doing what they did for their undergrad which may not work. Medicine has a lot of content and can be very concept heavy, you need to learn to adapt your study method.  
• Get involved in university life outside of medicine.
• Try to Enjoy it if you can – first year will fly by ! 

Useful tips and advice from your School President

• Get to know your cohort from day one. The Orientation Programme exists for a reason so make the most of it! Explore the Med School together, find the good study spots, and figure out where everything is. 
• Be open to completely changing how you study. What got you here might not be what gets you through. Give yourself time and grace to experiment – spaced repetition, active recall, past questions — and don’t panic if your first approach doesn’t stick. Trial and error is part of the process, most of us (including myself) went through this in first year.
• Ask questions. Constantly!! You get out what you put in, no one walks out of a single lecture knowing everything, and no one expects you to. Staff are genuinely approachable and love to help – email them, catch them after sessions, be curious. That curiosity is what will carry you through the degree and beyond.
• Plan realistically. Set honest goals, know your deadlines, and prioritise!! The skill of realistic planning will serve you more than any amount of cramming.
• Talk to students in the years above you. We genuinely love sharing what we’ve learned – what worked, what didn’t, what we’d do differently. You might even find your academic family along the way.
• Join societies and find your people. There is genuinely something for everyone. Societies give you a life outside the course and connections outside your year group – both of which you’ll be grateful for. 
• Try to connect what you’re learning to the bigger picture. Lectures, clinical skills, dissection, placements – they all feed into the same thing. That patient in front of you one day. Keep that in mind when it gets dry rather than trying to learn random facts.
• Ask for help – in any area of university life. Academic, personal, mental health, financial – the support exists. Use it without hesitation. Asking for help is not weakness; it’s exactly what a good clinician does.
• Most importantly – actually enjoy your first year, and your whole journey! This one matters more than people will tell you. First year is hard, yes – but it’s also the beginning of something huge, and if you spend it buried in notes without coming up for air, you’ll burn out long before the finish line. Medicine is a marathon, not a sprint. Students who go the distance are the ones who figured out balance early. Go out. Sleep properly. Enjoy yourself – you only get to do med school once!!