Tell me about St Andrews in Scotland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

That means nothing in the real world, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is most entertaining - lots of British folk suggesting St Andrews is a decent school but not that great although very effective at marketing to gullible Americans……and lots of Americans telling the Brits that it’s a great school. A triumph for marketing I say!

To a tee!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

Not misinformed. It is still considered an undergraduate qualification. No extra credit given. My DC's Cambridge undergraduate degree turns into a MA by right after a few years but no one actually considers it to be a postgraduate degree.

[Anonymous]

If Oxbridge = HYPS, then St. Andrews = Vanderbilt.

Which means it is still a pretty good university.

Edinburgh is a step up but in practice this will have minimal effect on the outcome re post graduate jobs and recruiting, just like the outcome between Vanderbilt and Duke is more identical than not even if one is higher ranked.

Bright graduates from all these top universities do well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

Not misinformed. It is still considered an undergraduate qualification. No extra credit given. My DC's Cambridge undergraduate degree turns into a MA by right after a few years but no one actually considers it to be a postgraduate degree.

If you do single honours in Scotland, you can enter a PhD course in your field, both in the UK and in the US. So, it is in fact a masters degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

Not misinformed. It is still considered an undergraduate qualification. No extra credit given. My DC's Cambridge undergraduate degree turns into a MA by right after a few years but no one actually considers it to be a postgraduate degree.

If you do single honours in Scotland, you can enter a PhD course in your field, both in the UK and in the US. So, it is in fact a masters degree.

1). Even St. Andrews acknowledges that the 4 year degree is only a bachelor's degree: "In the Faculty of Arts the degree is called a Master of Arts (MA) which is equivalent to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) elsewhere" You may want to tell your friends your kid has a Master's but we know they do not. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/study-options/ug/degree-routes/honours/

2) Anyone with a four year degree can apply directly to a PhD or DPhil programme. A Master's is not required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UUK - https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/about-us/our-members -appears to be an advocacy group for UK universities. Professor Mapstone is not leaving St Andrews but is taking on the President’s role for 2 years after being elected by her peers from 140 academic institutions in the UK.

The organization seeks a global reach and did not want Brexit to stand in the way with collaboration with EU universities. Wikapedia doesn’t always provide the best information.

I don't see where wiki got anything wrong. And I don't see how this is proof that "St Andrews is doing something right".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

Not misinformed. It is still considered an undergraduate qualification. No extra credit given. My DC's Cambridge undergraduate degree turns into a MA by right after a few years but no one actually considers it to be a postgraduate degree.

If you do single honours in Scotland, you can enter a PhD course in your field, both in the UK and in the US. So, it is in fact a masters degree.

OMG - you can go strait to a PhD with a three-year undergraduate course. You really need to stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Oxbridge = HYPS, then St. Andrews = Vanderbilt.

Which means it is still a pretty good university.

Edinburgh is a step up but in practice this will have minimal effect on the outcome re post graduate jobs and recruiting, just like the outcome between Vanderbilt and Duke is more identical than not even if one is higher ranked.

Bright graduates from all these top universities do well.

Except that St Andrews = Elon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Oxbridge = HYPS, then St. Andrews = Vanderbilt.

Which means it is still a pretty good university.

Edinburgh is a step up but in practice this will have minimal effect on the outcome re post graduate jobs and recruiting, just like the outcome between Vanderbilt and Duke is more identical than not even if one is higher ranked.

Bright graduates from all these top universities do well.

Except that St Andrews = Elon

Maybe Northeastern, with how good they are at marketing themselves above their paygrade, haha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Oxbridge = HYPS, then St. Andrews = Vanderbilt.

Which means it is still a pretty good university.

Edinburgh is a step up but in practice this will have minimal effect on the outcome re post graduate jobs and recruiting, just like the outcome between Vanderbilt and Duke is more identical than not even if one is higher ranked.

Bright graduates from all these top universities do well.

Except that St Andrews = Elon

Maybe Northeastern, with how good they are at marketing themselves above their paygrade, haha!

+1. well done!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you go on /6thform or thestudentroom, you can read posts by hundreds of British students who pick SA over other schools save Oxford or Cambridge.

My DD is an undergraduate student at a UK uni (not St Andrews). When I asked her about the opinion of the English re: St Andrews she noted that what she had heard was that they weren't too keen to spend four years on a degree that would only take three years to earn in England. I understand that Scotland subsidizes the fourth year for English students but it is still an additional year of study.

Well you and your DD are mis-informed. When you graduate from a Scottish university you do so with an MA or an MSc because of that extra year, it's not 3 years spread across 4, it is a further year of learning, hence the higher degree you leave with.

Not misinformed. It is still considered an undergraduate qualification. No extra credit given. My DC's Cambridge undergraduate degree turns into a MA by right after a few years but no one actually considers it to be a postgraduate degree.

If you do single honours in Scotland, you can enter a PhD course in your field, both in the UK and in the US. So, it is in fact a masters degree.

OMG - you can go strait to a PhD with a three-year undergraduate course. You really need to stop.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Interesting back and forth between the American and English view of St Andrews. I think that this comes down to a matter of national pride.

The English are still stinging from the need to return the Stone of Scone (or Destiny) to Scotland in the mid 90s. So Scotland can’t have anything on par to what the English possess.

In looking at the various university rating systems, of which none are perfect. I think it is fairer to compare St Andrews to Vanderbilt or Brown rather than Northeastern or Elon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting back and forth between the American and English view of St Andrews. I think that this comes down to a matter of national pride.

The English are still stinging from the need to return the Stone of Scone (or Destiny) to Scotland in the mid 90s. So Scotland can’t have anything on par to what the English possess.

In looking at the various university rating systems, of which none are perfect. I think it is fairer to compare St Andrews to Vanderbilt or Brown rather than Northeastern or Elon.

LOL, sure. Except Edinburg is probably ~Michigan, and it's light years stronger than St. Andrews, so...

[Anonymous]

Yep, good analogy for Edinburg being equivalent to Michigan about 10 slots below Vanderbilt and Edinburg about 10 slots below St Andrews.