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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be careful with this place. Our son loved it, but there’s a lot of anti American sentiment from the administration. We never thought we’d need to worry about the negative things we’d read about the school, but it’s there and can affect your student if something comes up. They are trying to raise as much cash as possible from the Americans, but they resent us. Also - there is not enough housing, on campus or off. It’s a huge problem that they dont mention until your freshman has no place to live and gets housed on a satellite campus in a different city an hour away !

+1. I’m glad you reactivated this thread. My DD is at a similar British school abd is experiencing the same anti-American brush off. You are totally on your own

Its largely a cultural difference. I am from London originally. Most UK people devour American culture but will be rude about Americans publicly. There are also subtle differences in what is considered "polite" there and here in the US. If you don't get it right, you're immediately dismissed and often people will feel the right to be openly rude to you. This is why we stay in the USA. It's preferable to dealing with that shit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only know people who super loved St Andrews and a couple families who have sent multiple kids. I will say these are mostly well off people from nyc (there is a cohort of NYers there), who wouldn't look to the college (any college) for mental health help, etc. Also, two of the families I know have actually bought property there bcs the housing is so bad - and that turned out to be a great investment. (Sold for double a few years later).

Anyway, I think it and other UK schools are an interesting option. It's more hands off, but a lot of us in NYC didn't have high schools that were very hands on tbh. I certainly don't think knowing someone there who is self-centered is meaningful. I mean, look around.

OMG that says everything. Do you have any idea how entitled you sound?

I knew British families who did the same. What they did was to buy a basic flat with an extra bedroom or two that would be rented out to the kid's friends. After graduation the flat was sold and often for a decent profit. They were not rich families, just upper middle class.

and just how many families on here can afford to buy a scottish flat?

the donut hole families who did the math and realized that St Andrews plus a Scottish flat costs the same as BC.

[Anonymous]

They know what to say to recruit Americans- you’re independent and responsible- just the right type to come study here. They have a brand new mission statement talking about inclusivity and wellness at the forefront- we want the best for our community. But reality is the very capable Student Services and Wellness team have absolutely no clout with the Administration. If somebody misses classes due to illness- the administration will be the judge of medical situations, not the health professionals at Student Services. It’s really a fake mission statement.

[Anonymous]

it's COLLEGE. I'm sorry but missing classes for an illness is .. missing classes for an illness.

I mean, have these kids never held down a summer job?

If you saying they couldn't finish the semester, well check into how well Yale is doing on this (hint: not at all)

[Anonymous]

Students are not protected with the same rights regarding their health here as they would be in the States. The University will not excuse classes missed because of illness. Even with Doctors’ letters, because they don’t have to. People with jobs cannot be fired from jobs if they have health problems. They are protected under disability rights laws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Students are not protected with the same rights regarding their health here as they would be in the States. The University will not excuse classes missed because of illness. Even with Doctors’ letters, because they don’t have to. People with jobs cannot be fired from jobs if they have health problems. They are protected under disability rights laws.

This seems like a pretty niche issue. I dont' know anyone who gets a doctors note for missing a class in college. if you have really disabling medical issues that prevent you from regularly attending college, I 100% agree that pursuing a university an international plane ride away makes little sense. But the other 95% of kids, it's a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Very niche indeed. I'm sympathetic to the presumably very personal issue that prompted the PP to address the health issue, but it's kind of a weird tool to judge a university. And 95% is more like 99.5% who don't have a beef with administration because of absences.

[Anonymous]

If you are a perfectly healthy 18 year old who develops a health issue while you are there, and it affects your studies, they are not supportive if you don’t follow their protocol to a T. At the expense of common sense. If this is the way they want to run their school- fine. But at the same time they are introducing all sorts of Americanized wellness and inclusivity mottos and mission statements, but not really following those tenets. So which is it? Ask the student who was diagnosed with cancer and had their studies terminated because they didn’t share their diagnosis before they failed their final exams, for example. I know this sounds extreme, but it’s not “niche”. Things do come up, and it’s something to think about. As a business- their customer service is exceedingly poor considering what an investment this is. Health, housing, accessibility aren’t great. “No coddling” is not really a badge of honor. Just make sure to think a commitment like this through very carefully.

[Anonymous]

I think you overestimate what would happen stateside. See, Yale:

https://apnews.com/article/yale-students-mental-health-discrimination-lawsuit-settlement-b444590c2c1982aca3ee848c2ec535b4

[Anonymous]

To the point about this being a nice case only applying to a small number of students- that should give you pause. A small number of students who have something very serious and unexpected come up that affects their studies are shown the door. I’ve heard of four of these in this academic year alone. Covid fallout, mental health, bad diagnosis, etc. Weak spot for the school.

[Anonymous]

But it looks like Yale fixed the problem.

[Anonymous]

My kid is there and loves it. Came from a DC Big 3 school. Yes lots of wealthy Americans and posh Brits- buts lots of other really smart, interesting kids from the UK and all over the world as well. Zero handholding compared to US schools and housing is a bit of a nightmare after freshman year- you have to get on it early. It's been a great experience for our DC. overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very niche indeed. I'm sympathetic to the presumably very personal issue that prompted the PP to address the health issue, but it's kind of a weird tool to judge a university. And 95% is more like 99.5% who don't have a beef with administration because of absences.

Are you aware of current research showing the large percentage of college students with poor health and poor mental health? It’s not so niche

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But it looks like Yale fixed the problem.

they settled a lawsuit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very niche indeed. I'm sympathetic to the presumably very personal issue that prompted the PP to address the health issue, but it's kind of a weird tool to judge a university. And 95% is more like 99.5% who don't have a beef with administration because of absences.

Are you aware of current research showing the large percentage of college students with poor health and poor mental health? It’s not so niche

I agree that sending a student in fragile health abroad isn't a great idea. But not sure what you'd expect in the US. They usually don't even loop in parents, no matter what paperwork you signed.