Student reviews
What is studying medicine at University of St Andrews actually like?
The interview gets you a place; these reports are about the five or six years after that. Gathered from current student and recent graduate forums, weighted by how many independent sources agree. These are unverified community reports, not official university information.
7 reports · 1 widely reported
St Andrews medicine is structurally a three year pre-clinical BSc only; every single student must transfer out to a partner medical school (commonly Manchester, also Edinburgh, Glasgow, Barts, and rarely Cambridge) to complete the clinical MBChB, and allocation to which partner school you get is competitive, based on your ranking from second year first semester grades plus your stated preference, not guaranteed.
Widely reported · 3 sources(spans several cycles)
St Andrews medicine is structurally a three year pre-clinical BSc only; every single student must transfer out to a partner medical school (commonly Manchester, also Edinburgh, Glasgow, Barts, and rarely Cambridge) to complete the clinical MBChB, and allocation to which partner school you get is competitive, based on your ranking from second year first semester grades plus your stated preference, not guaranteed.
"students are ranked based on 2nd year first semester grades within their route, and ranking determines chances of getting first preference partner medical school for clinical years"
TSR thread, St Andrews A100/Gateway/A990 2021 Offer Holders (snippet-derived, paraphrase)"every year around 40 medical students transfer to Manchester from St Andrews to complete the clinical years"
manchesterbmhstudents.wordpress.com, real Manchester/St Andrews transfer student blog"In 4th year we start at our partner medical schools and start full time clinical teaching"
lifeofamedic.com, real St Andrews medical student blogSt Andrews accommodation and cost of living is a recurring complaint distinct from the medicine course itself: halls are among the most expensive in the UK bar one or two budget options, and students report the town's rental market gets noticeably harder from second year onward, with some being pushed out to commute from Dundee.
Several reports · 2 sources(spans several cycles)
St Andrews accommodation and cost of living is a recurring complaint distinct from the medicine course itself: halls are among the most expensive in the UK bar one or two budget options, and students report the town's rental market gets noticeably harder from second year onward, with some being pushed out to commute from Dundee.
"St Andrews Uni Accommodation is EXPENSIVE; halls are very expensive except Albany Park, the only reasonably affordable one"
TSR threads on St Andrews accommodation costs (snippet-derived, paraphrase)"2nd year onwards students are finding it incredibly hard and are having to move out of St Andrews to places like Dundee"
TSR accommodation crisis discussion (snippet-derived, paraphrase)Real transfer accounts describe the move away from St Andrews as initially daunting or nerve wracking, but say the anxiety is mostly anticipatory: students who had already made the same move reassured them it would be fine, and in hindsight the dense St Andrews course had prepared them well for clinical years.
Single report(spans several cycles)
Real transfer accounts describe the move away from St Andrews as initially daunting or nerve wracking, but say the anxiety is mostly anticipatory: students who had already made the same move reassured them it would be fine, and in hindsight the dense St Andrews course had prepared them well for clinical years.
"The thought of leaving St Andrews and transferring to Preston was initially daunting. However, everyone I spoke to who had followed the same path reassured me that I'd be fine!"
scrubbed-up.com, real student account of St Andrews to Manchester transferStudents who transfer to Manchester describe it positively as a deliberate upgrade after outgrowing St Andrews's small town feel, gaining a much larger year group (400+ students split into base-hospital cohorts) and city amenities on their doorstep, suggesting the transfer is experienced by some as a relief rather than a loss.
Single report(2025 entry)
Students who transfer to Manchester describe it positively as a deliberate upgrade after outgrowing St Andrews's small town feel, gaining a much larger year group (400+ students split into base-hospital cohorts) and city amenities on their doorstep, suggesting the transfer is experienced by some as a relief rather than a loss.
"by the time I graduated and came to Manchester three years later, I was ready to explore outside of that bubble... I love how everything is on your doorstep at Manchester, from shops to restaurants and nightlife... It isn't as overwhelming as it might sound, as we are split into cohorts by base hospital"
manchesterbmhstudents.wordpress.com, real transfer student blogCurrent and former students flag the curriculum as unusually heavy on public health content, with at least one describing it as excessive for an undergraduate medicine degree and more suited to a Master of Public Health.
Single report(older cycle)
Current and former students flag the curriculum as unusually heavy on public health content, with at least one describing it as excessive for an undergraduate medicine degree and more suited to a Master of Public Health.
"Way too much public health, described as excessive and more appropriate for an MPH rather than a BSc in Medicine"
TSR thread, Pros and cons of your med school (snippet-derived, paraphrase)St Andrews runs full body dissection across all three pre-clinical years (not just year one), with small groups of 4 to 6 students staying on the same cadaver for the whole year and a demonstrator shared between two groups, which students frame as a genuine strength of the course.
Single report(older cycle)
St Andrews runs full body dissection across all three pre-clinical years (not just year one), with small groups of 4 to 6 students staying on the same cadaver for the whole year and a demonstrator shared between two groups, which students frame as a genuine strength of the course.
"we work in small groups of 4-6 people per cadaver, working on the same cadaver for the whole year"
lifeofamedic.com, real St Andrews medical student blogThe small town bubble atmosphere that suits students in first and second year is reported by some to wear thin later on, with a minority describing the place as claustrophobic by the later semesters even though the closed-off feeling is more social than geographic.
Single report(spans several cycles)
The small town bubble atmosphere that suits students in first and second year is reported by some to wear thin later on, with a minority describing the place as claustrophobic by the later semesters even though the closed-off feeling is more social than geographic.
"some people feel claustrophobic later in the semester, though the closed off feeling is more psychological and social than geographical"
TSR threads on what St Andrews is like day to day (snippet-derived, paraphrase)Free course: Communication and Role-Play Scenarios
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