What can you tell me about St. Andrew's?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am assuming OP means the University St Andrews in Scotland, not some other unrelated school…

I have been there many times. It is a small college and golf town, with 3 main streets. There are very few hotels, which are all expensive. Some B&Bs, but try to book way in advance; B&B pricing is much higher during golf season. It does not have a railway station, so one takes the train to Leuchars and then the 99 bus. For climate, keep in mind it is pretty far north, so it is both cold and dark in winter with correspondingly more daylight in summer. It is often wet, sometimes snowy. Good university, but not really a large university. Solid academics. Students and faculty know each other well; students are a name not a number. One really needs to select one’s major prior to application, as with nearly all UK schools. Because of its theology/religion major, lots of US Presbyterians undertake graduate degrees there. Housing is very tight in/near town; market-rate housing is both scarce and expensive, so try to live in university accommodation every year. Restaurant food is a bit more expensive in the UK than in metro DC in my experience, though there are some more affordable places, such as the local chippy. Please do realize that many UK and European folks have and openly express anti-American sentiments, some based on reality (e.g., dislike US policy on topic X) and some are based on confusion/misunderstanding of the US constitutional and legal systems. So Americans at StA need to be thick-skinned about negative feedback about the US from others.

Look at all of the UK university rankings/reviews published in these 3 major UK newspapers - Guardian, Times, Telegraph. Each will rank differently, but also likely will list different strong/weak points for each UK university. These likely can be found online via “www.google.co.uk”.

If other specific questions, please post them…


[/quote

My kid is at Oxford in politics and says no one -no one talks about our constitutional issues or Dobbs -not even the profs. They simply don’t care

[Anonymous]

My DC’s best friend from HS goes there and seems relatively happy. A caution though is that the friend is Asian American and has experienced quite a bit of anti-Asian sentiment. Very in your face and rude. Much worse than in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Something to consider: it's a different style of teaching/learning, and changing majors is apparently difficult
Also google the William & Mary joint degree program with St. Andrews

"Majors" do not exist in Britain.

[Anonymous]

St. Andrew's has gotten popular because of the old castle feel. The town it is in pretty boring though. Unless you're into golf courses. Much more fun to go to Edinborough.

[Anonymous]

My kid went to visit and fell in love and applied for next year. we visited the child of a friend who is a student there and loves it. It is 20 percent or so American so lots of folks around who feel familiar, There is a fairy-tale feel, tons of traditions, cute town, gorgeous scenery. Very highly rated in Britain- varying rankings depending on which list you look at, but overall for Brits it seem to line upon terms of rankings for Brits with a lower Ivy level- think Cornell/Dartmouth or maybe a place like Wesleyan.

It's very hard to get in in the UK less so for Americans, but they are VERY grade and test score oriented and care much less than US schools about extra curriculars, sports, if you founded a charity to save the northern titmouse etc.

I hear the academics are hard especially the first year because the brits are basically a year ahead of us when they start. My kid is independent and intellectual so I think it will be a good fit if it works out.

[Anonymous]

There is no period after St in St Andrews.

[Anonymous]

My twin DDs attended a summer program there and loved it, but did not apply because the school is pretty isolated and they couldn't picture themselves spending 4 years there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no period after St in St Andrews.

Actually as an abbreviation of Saint, the period should technically be included, but a modernized, streamlined English language often forgets those details, even the administration of the town of St. Andrews and its university. It's fine, but don't imagine that they make the rules on spelling.

[Anonymous]

Boringly mediocre

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's so insanely overrated and anyone who knows anything about universities would tell you the same.

really not helpful. just give examples and reasons so OP and whoever else is interested can learn something. saying "it's bad and experts agree with me" really goes nowhere.

[Anonymous]

OP Since my kid is interested I found out in my searches on DCUM and you should know there are UK haters and St Andrews haters on this board. Most of them have probably never set foot in the UK. Ignore them.

Some of the PP's have had helpful advice. The town is cute but small- but a hour to Edinburgh by train. Student housing is expensive by UK standards but in line with many places in the US.The school is very academically challenging with less supports than US schools.

The three kids I know there LOVE it- but I think it takes an adventurous kid and family to do this. Then there is the worry they won't come home!

[Anonymous]

I am not as familiar with the school, but Saint Andrews is a great small town in Scotland. Please know the difference UK fans.

It is not the same small town as our elite universities in the US, but only 1.5 hour train ride to Edinburgh.

[Anonymous]

My kid is going to start next fall, so we are not haters...loved the school, the town and the academic options. One important note is that unlike some international school. you can be more flexible in what you study. You pick one or two areas to apply into (single or joint honours) and then you pick one additional subject to study first year. After the first year, you do not have to stick with the module you applied into, so you can change based on interest/experience. There are some subjects where that may n0t be true (maths, medicine) but mostly it is pretty similar to US liberal arts but no real gen ed requirements. My student had a very high GPA and good standardized scores, but I know it is easier for Americans to get admitted than UK students.

[Anonymous]

Pretty lousy outcomes and career paths for grads out of
St Andrews, I've noticed (at least the ones who come back stateside).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty lousy outcomes and career paths for grads out of
St Andrews, I've noticed (at least the ones who come back stateside).

Same poster blaming St Andrews for your daughter not getting a job on Wall Street? Oh gosh find a new hobby