Tell me about St Andrews in Scotland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2023 Times Education ranks it in joint 30th spot with a few other places

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-uk

This list looks about right to me. Maybe Durham is a little low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for the braintrust here, not specifically related to St. Andrews..

I understand that UK universities depend on AP scores and SATs to evaluate students rather than grades.

DS has a mediocre GPA and has scores of 4 and a 5 in AP CS and AP Calc AB. 3s and a 2 (AP Physics 1) in other subjects. 1520 SAT.

AP Stats, Physics C and BC calc on schedule for next year and might end up with 4s in one or more of those.

Which UK universities does he have a fair chance of getting in?

I understand the info. is on each school's websites but wondering if anyone can share their wisdom based on research already done. Thanks!

He will have to apply for a specific course. What would it be? As entry qualifications vary widely by course, without this information no one can really tell you anything.

Computer science or adjacent programs.

StA has a smaller, but well regarded CS dept. Teaching is done by faculty, not by Grad TAs, which is a difference from many large US universities. Make sure DC meets both general StA admissions requirements and also CS-specific admission requirements - both are on the StA public website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Andrews must be doing something right - Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of University of St Andrews, has been elected as the next President of Universities UK (UUK).

The role runs for two academic years from 1 August 2023 and is elected through a ballot of UUK’s 140 members.

She was educated at Oxford and held leadership positions at Oxford before moving to St Andrews.

Exactly. the leadership exchanges between St Andrews and Oxford speak for themselves. Louise Richardson went from leading St Andrews to leading Oxford. Mapstone went from number 2 spot at Oxford to leading St Andrews.

Only visible difference between Oxford and SA is location for more opportunities . However, for undergraduate, SA is a better choice.

Ridiculous. No one should pick St Andrews over Oxford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because it is smaller and a bit more akin to liberal arts colleges, StA is like an apple compared to the oranges of big research-based UK universities. It is a good school that also has some of the exclusivity and upper-class vibes a lot of Americans want.

To the person bashing Manchester: it is where man first split the atom, where Alan Turing first explored AI, where countless Noble Prize winning scientists have studied or taught. But it is more like a strong state school in the US, without upper-class cache in a very class-center culture.

Didn't mean to bash Manchester at all. It's obviously a great city and university, and offers great teaching and research. But it's probably not the highest calibre for undergrad.

For undergrad, it's probably common sense for a strong student to pick a school like St Andrews—for student experience, quality of teaching, reputation, and quality of peers—in the same way one would pick Dartmouth over UIUC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:St Andrews must be doing something right - Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of University of St Andrews, has been elected as the next President of Universities UK (UUK).

The role runs for two academic years from 1 August 2023 and is elected through a ballot of UUK’s 140 members.

She was educated at Oxford and held leadership positions at Oxford before moving to St Andrews.

Exactly. the leadership exchanges between St Andrews and Oxford speak for themselves. Louise Richardson went from leading St Andrews to leading Oxford. Mapstone went from number 2 spot at Oxford to leading St Andrews.

Only visible difference between Oxford and SA is location for more opportunities . However, for undergraduate, SA is a better choice.

What are you smoking? It’s easy for am American ($$) to get into St Andrews. It’s not so easy getting into Oxbridge

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because it is smaller and a bit more akin to liberal arts colleges, StA is like an apple compared to the oranges of big research-based UK universities. It is a good school that also has some of the exclusivity and upper-class vibes a lot of Americans want.

To the person bashing Manchester: it is where man first split the atom, where Alan Turing first explored AI, where countless Noble Prize winning scientists have studied or taught. But it is more like a strong state school in the US, without upper-class cache in a very class-center culture.

Didn't mean to bash Manchester at all. It's obviously a great city and university, and offers great teaching and research. But it's probably not the highest calibre for undergrad.

For undergrad, it's probably common sense for a strong student to pick a school like St Andrews—for student experience, quality of teaching, reputation, and quality of peers—in the same way one would pick Dartmouth over UIUC.

UMN is a better comp for Manchester. And Elon is a better comp for St Andrews. If nobody picked big schools over smaller one, they wouldn't be so big...

[Anonymous]

A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

I would say more like Trinity College in CT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

I would say more like Trinity College in CT

This was true 15+ years ago.

A lot of people here have especially out of date UK info, maybe because they moved from the UK 30 years ago?

I mean, when I left Chicago, UChicago has a 40% admissions rate. Things chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

GTFO. I mean, seriously, just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

GTFO. I mean, seriously, just stop.

Sorry, did I inadvertently upset an Elon alum, or somebody from Imperial or UCL that can't accept how far St. Andrews has progressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A better comp for St Andrews is Brown, not Elon.

I would say more like Trinity College in CT

This was true 15+ years ago.

A lot of people here have especially out of date UK info, maybe because they moved from the UK 30 years ago?

I mean, when I left Chicago, UChicago has a 40% admissions rate. Things chance.

Ivy grad + recent Oxbridge grad degree. My rising senior goes to a school where 50% go to UK universities. It is clear from rising senior school (recent data points) --- it is very much viewed as a 'target' school for top 40% of students there not a reach and admissions has been in accordance with this (it hoovers up those that don't get into those top tiers). Kid school is an IB school that has one of highest IB avg scores by school in world for context (intl. unis tend to have preference for IB so maybe acceptances reach lower % bands in the class). I respect St. Andrews and I am sure the outcomes are good (I believe the degree is just a brand enabler - really down to individuals to make sh-t happen (know party kids that did well in life & great students that struggled with life)). When I am hiring (hire from UK as well) - I tend to view Edinburgh as more prestigious & have had better experience with those grads in the workforce (again I focus more on the individual).

[Anonymous]

I haven’t waded through all 20+ pages, but just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I spent year of grad school at St. Andrews.

It’s sooo different than you’d expect. There are a few old/attractive college buildings but nothing remotely like Oxford or Cambridge. My department was located in a musty old house with zero academic ambiance.

Dorm food was horrible, with scarce fruit & veggies. Local doctor told me it wasn’t uncommon for students end up with problems at various points along the digestive path.

Biggest problem was train didn’t stop in town. Train station was several miles outside of town. I hope they have fixed that by now, as that would dramatically ease the feeling of isolation.

Faculty & students were both top-notch, so why people think it would be way down the list in US is puzzling.

A wonderful compromise for adventurous American students are the many fine universities in Canada, some of which look far more Hogwartsish than St Andrews does.

[Anonymous]

It's not f'ing Dartmouth or Brown. Or even Edinburgh. ::

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not f'ing Dartmouth or Brown. Or even Edinburgh. ::

Looks like somebody got rejected.