Applying to medical school in Scotland

Free outreach activities and support

Many outreach groups offer free support at all stages of your medical school application. Some are student-led charities or student-staff partnerships, while others are funded by the Scottish Funding Council. They include:

• Aberdeen Medic Outreach Society (AMOS)
• ASPIRENorth
• FOCUS West
• Glasgow University Widening Access to Medicine Society (GUWAMS)
• In2MedSchool
• LEAPS
• LIFT OFF
• Medic Insight Dundee
• Medic Insight Edinburgh
• Medic Insight Glasgow
• Medics and Me
• Reach Aberdeen
• Reach Dundee
• Reach Edinburgh
• Reach Glasgow
• Reach St Andrews
• You Can Be A Doctor

These groups run workshops on writing personal statements, preparing for UCAT or GAMSAT, and mock multiple mini-interviews (MMIs). They are also happy to provide you with general advice.

Support from NHSScotland Health Boards

Some NHSScotland Health Boards may also offer outreach activities. You should check with them to find out if information sessions or support are available locally.

Contact NHSScotland employers.

Preparing your application to medical school

If you meet the medical school entry requirements, there are 3 components for applying to study medicine in Scotland:

1. Your personal statement, including examples of work experience and extracurricular activities. Find out more about preparing your personal statement.
2. The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) or Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT). Discover more about aptitude tests.
3. Your medical school interviews. Learn more about what to expect at your medical school interview.

Medical schools value each of these differently. When preparing for each part of your application, you should consider your strengths, values, interests, and experience.

Identifying your strengths and values

Before drafting your personal statement or preparing to sit an aptitude test, you should identify your strengths and values. These are inherent qualities that define how you approach various situations and can include the following characteristics:

• Communicating with patients, their families and carers to make sure they are involved in decisions about their care.
• Collaborating with your team and colleagues in other departments to achieve the best outcome for patients.
• Empathy to understand how an injured or unwell patient is feeling.
• Leading by demonstrating professionalism, ethical behaviour, and a strong work ethic sets a positive example for colleagues.

It is essential to recognise and align your unique attributes with the qualities needed for medical school. This will demonstrate your suitability for and commitment to studying medicine.

Core attributes you’ll need to study medicine 

The Medical Schools Council (MSC) has produced a guide to the core values and attributes needed to study medicine. It provides a helpful overview of the key qualities that medical schools may require. However, you should also check the strengths and values your chosen medical schools may be looking for.

Download the MCS’s Statement on core values to study medicine [PDF].

How to analyse your strengths and values for medical school success

A helpful starting point for identifying your strengths is to follow a step-by-step approach, which will include:

• self-reflection
• seeking input from others
• prioritisation and selection
• detailing specific examples
• identifying common themes

You should take the time to match and align your strengths to those needed for medical school. It will put you in a strong position to showcase your suitability for a career in medicine. 

Download Medic Mind’s guide on analysing your attributes for medical school success.

Reflecting on your experience

To demonstrate your strengths during the selection process, you can draw from a wide range of activities and experiences, including:

• work experience
• volunteering
• education
• extracurricular activities

You should outline specific, relevant examples at each stage of the application process. You may also find it helpful to use some tools and resources to help you reflect on the experiences you have gained.

Discover the University of Edinburgh’s resources to help you reflect on your experience.