Why do so many private school kids go to St Andrews?

[Anonymous]

Is it a really good school? Or is it a school where kids go because they didn't get into "good/prestigious" US schools?

[Anonymous]

St Andrews, and McGill. These I don't get it.

Why not Oxybridge? Why not UBC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it a really good school? Or is it a school where kids go because they didn't get into "good/prestigious" US schools?

St Andrews and McGill are great safeties because their admissions are exam-based and therefore highly predictable. American schools are more likely to (1) require weighted GPAs that private schools don’t allow and/or (2) play games with yield, which makes them unpredictable. Maybe some face-saving too, but I think it’s mostly the predictability.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Predictability and ability to slot it in between t20-t50 schools. If you look at the other thread, there are tons of kids giving up spots at the USC’s, NYUs, W&M, UVAs of the world for St Andrews depending on major.
Cost is also a factor. If you have OOS costs or a private tuition with no merit in the US, St Andrews ends being a decent deal at about $50k per year.

Great School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it a really good school? Or is it a school where kids go because they didn't get into "good/prestigious" US schools?

yes.

[Anonymous]

MY kid went to St Andrews and didnt apply to “prestigious US schools”unless you consider NYU and W&M prestigious.
She was accepted to both from Tennessee and chose St Andrews.

[Anonymous]

To us, St Andrews seemed almost like a hack. Relatively easy for Americans to get into, but a great international experience with kids from around the world and opportunities for travel. Plus, rolling admissions meant you could have a good school in the bag before other applications were even due, which meant you didn’t need to apply to safeties. DC ultimately chose somewhere else but it was a tough decision.

[Anonymous]

Another plus is the peers. The UK peers you will have at St Andrews are on par with the top kids in the US. It is much harder for them to get in and most need A*A*A* just to be considered or a 42+/45 IB.

[Anonymous]

To us, St. Andrew’s is not an option. How would you do premed or prelaw in a foreign college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another plus is the peers. The UK peers you will have at St Andrews are on par with the top kids in the US. It is much harder for them to get in and most need A*A*A* just to be considered or a 42+/45 IB.

It is different for Americans (meaning it is easier for Americans to get in Sta vs Oxbridge), but that is not the case for all programs and UK students. Just go to student room forum and you will see a dozens of UK kids getting in Oxford and not St Andrews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To us, St. Andrew’s is not an option. How would you do premed or prelaw in a foreign college?

pre-law? That is a no brainer. There are tons of American kids that do History, English, IR and then come back to go to Law School. Several examples in the other thread.

[Anonymous]

Same with Pre-med…..if you are going to do 4 years in the US, why not 3 years of Biology, Microbiology, etc at a top UK uni before going back to US for Medical School?

[Anonymous]

There is no such thing as “pre-law” at many top U.S. universities. Most who go to law school are liberal arts majors.

[Anonymous]

Word of mouth at the elite Catholic schools in our area is, "If you don't get into Notre Dame, check out St Andrews."

It's also likely that the typical private school kid has international exposure and more comfort with the idea of moving overseas, using the visa program to work in London for a few years afterward, attending Oxbridge/LSE for grad school, etc.

The school's popularity is growing, it is a very tough admit for UK students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Same with Pre-med…..if you are going to do 4 years in the US, why not 3 years of Biology, Microbiology, etc at a top UK uni before going back to US for Medical School?

Really? I'd imagine it's difficult. Premed students are occupied with clinical experience, research, and whatnot. St Andrews, being a foreign institute, won't have the same premed program and advisory for US premed students. Perhaps 1-2 years postBac would help.