Tell me about St Andrews in Scotland
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Anonymous
The above is about right for UK universities generally, and for StA in specific. UK students specialize in a handful of A-level subjects [or Scottish Highers] during the last 2 years before college, so the entire UK educational system has much earlier decision points about one’s choice of college degree than the US system does.) StA has been the top ranked UK university last year and this year, in “overall” rankings, according to multiple “league tables” measuring all UK universities, and by multiple UK newspapers, including The Times and The Guardian and others. (NB: Those rankings are NOT a narrow “prestige” ranking, but instead are a blended overall ranking; any DCUM readers who are prestige-obsessed ought not confuse separate things.) There WILL be more faculty interaction for some departments, and less in other departments - at any university - and also variation in the degree of faculty interaction from one UK university to another. Another issue at most UK universities, including StA, is very limited university-operated student housing. So one usually can get 1st year university housing, but then will need to rent a place commercially (i.e., for 12 months, not 9 months) which is expensive and can be challenging to locate. As a different PP noted, many StA students live somewhere in Dundee at some point, and therefore commute between Dundee and StAndrews town via the 99 bus, which is reliable but not quick. |
Anonymous
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Yes, it’s well ranked among other UK Universities by the UK press. American students interested in a way to compare St Andrews to other schools worldwide should check out the new “US News and World Report Best Global Universities” rankings. This analyzes research, publications, other academic output metrics.
St Andrews is at #352. Cambridge and Oxford in the top 10 with the usual suspects from the USA. Edinburgh is at 34! |
Anonymous
We visited SA and Edi over the summer and we thought Edi was a much nicer college campus/ college town, so if you're considering SA, make sure you check out Edi also. |
Anonymous
Thanks. Needed a good laugh today. The alphabet generations x, y and z will be the downfall of humanity. 
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Anonymous
St Andrews is ranked #95 in the QS World Rankings - https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?page=6&tab=indicators a source perhaps better than USNWR. |
Anonymous
| St Andrews tied with Drexel and Delaware in the USN rankings - Gen X wants accountability! Lol! |
Anonymous
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Ok all, I had been half-following this conversation as my son has been happily enrolled in the William and Mary/St Andrews dual degree program, and unfortunately now I agree with the poster who was unhappy with the administration.
My son had an excellent two years at St Andrews, and requested to transfer to enroll full time at St Andrews to complete his degree. Excellent grades to support his application. His application was denied, without any real explanation as to why, ok fine. OP is right - the WAY he was treated was so different than if he’d been dealing with an American University. As he was waiting to hear about his application, they were unresponsive, dragged their feet, didn’t get back to him for literal months after he submitted it. To the point where it interfered with his ability to plan for next year - class sign ups, housing, employment… his requests for a date he’d hear by were met with a shrug. For the University to treat their own students as so unimportant - they don’t merit communication or clarity from the University. Can’t plan lives, income, housing, travel, visas… they have been vague and standoffish at best to deal with. Before everyone piles on about “boo hoo Americans expect special treatment”, consider this- It’s St Andrews that is expecting special treatment from the Americans. We agree to to pay their full American rates- a price that UK citizens wouldn’t dream of paying. We do, and they tell us it’s a bargain. Ok fine. Our son received in turn disorganized and unprofessional experience from the St Andrews administration on several occasions. Don’t get me wrong- the students, the societies, the beautiful setting are so special. The faculty within the schools are helpful and they do care. No problem with the faculty. I suspect the faculty and the administration are at odds. The administration itself from the top down, my son described, has an antagonistic relationship with its students. They won’t meet with you, can’t be bothered to work with you, they take their time getting back to you, left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing etc etc. It’s hard to describe until it happens- something run of the mill comes up regarding schedules, credits, housing, what have you, and suddenly you’re dealing with a completely defensive and murky bureaucracy over there. St Andrews has gotten very popular, and it’s easier for them to show kids the door and say “if you don’t like it- leave” than to put in a little effort to assist the students they already have. We were disappointed that after two great years at St Andrews, with excellent grades to show for it, they weren’t interested in keeping a successful student on campus that had come to feel like home to him. This also speaks to the social difficulty of the dual degree programs, but that’s a different conversation. Before your student says yes to St Andrews, remember the decision makers in the administration really do not care about your student at all in the way an American University would - an American University wants high retention rates and graduation rates. I suspect the high rankings for St Andrews may come from students who like the town, the parties and the societies, all great assets. It doesn’t seem like a something to consider until it happens to your student- this university sees itself as the customer, they want us to make their job easier. and the customer is always right. |
Anonymous
Very sad for your son. Sounds like this has been very stressful and he must be incredibly disappointed. If your son has only 1 or 2 more to complete his degree, I wonder whether the admin decided it was not worth the hassle of organising a student visa for 1 or 2 years of international fees vs admitting a first year student who would yield 4 years worth of fees. There is a lot of tension over international student admissions there at the moment. Maybe universities are being more strategic about how many or which international students they take given the extra scrutiny? |
Anonymous
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Our son is a current student- He loves it and is thriving academically and socially.
HE loves his major, the academic rigor and the international experience. It is ONLY 20% American despite all the inaccurate posts above to the contrary. It's about 35 % overall international including the Americans. My son has has friends in the joint Program with William and Mary mentioned by the PP above. in response to one of the PP's complaint that their son was "not allowed" to transfer into St Andrews from the joint program- she/he forgot to mention that if you sign up for the William and Mary/St Andrews joint program you are specifically NOT supposed to do that. You child could have applied to a matriculated to just St Andrews but they did not. Then your kid figured out they liked St Andrews better, and you are complaining that they were not accepted while not mentioning that this kind of transfer is frowned upon bc it affects their relationship with W&M and W&M's matriculation numbers. Also as mentioned the school has been elevated in the British rankings and has become more competitive on the international and UK scene and their is increased scrutiny over who is being accepted among the full-pay international kids. St Andrews is not perfect- the housing situation is a terrible (my kid is still sorting out housing for next year and the school doesn't help at all) but he is happier in ways I never expected- so much more mature, worldly and confident. And his professors are world class. I hope people with independent, adventurous kids will seriously consider this option. We are thrilled he is there. |
Anonymous
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I graduated from St Andrews relatively recently. A couple of points:
1. Many highly qualified St Andrews students turned down offers from ivies. One of my best friends from the states turned down an offer at Penn. My freshmen year roommate who was also from the states turned down a scholarship from Dartmouth. One of my other good friends got into Columbia. I’m not suggesting St Andrews is better than these schools- I believe school selection should depend on a students needs and aspirations. I do believe St Andrews is objectively a prestigious university. The material I was learning in my fourth year classes was more advanced than my friends studying the same subject at prestigious US schools. First year classes aren’t too bad, however the honors courses in third and fourth year can be very demanding. 2. You cannot judge St Andrews by the QS/US news rankings. St Andrews is known for its undergraduate education, it has a relatively small number of graduate students/programs. The QS/US ranking uses factors that favor larger institutions that have large graduate programs. Many smaller reputable schools in the US (Brown, Williams, Dartmouth) also do very poorly on the QS/US news rankings for the same reason. Use the UK rankings to judge St Andrews. Traditionally St Andrews has been significantly easier for Americans to be accepted compared to UK students, however, that gap is quickly closing. 3. St Andrews does not have the same name recognition as the ivies in the states mostly because people haven’t heard of it (name recognition is growing). However, most top companies understand that St Andrews is an academically prestigious school. I had no problem securing interviews at top consulting firms (BCG), investment banking firms, and Fortune 500 companies. Most of my friends studying computer science work at Apple, Meta, Spotify, Goldman, etc. My friend who went to St Albans for HS started working at Bain and Co right after graduation. Many of my friends from St Andrews have gone on to study at prestigious graduate programs in the US (Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Wharton, Georgetown Law, etc.) 4. St Andrews academics and lifestyle is very hands off compared to US institutions. It has its pros and cons. Pro: the majority of my fellow classmates living in the US noticed that after graduation we were considerably more mature and independent than our classmates who attended prestigious universities in the US. 5. St Andrews is truly a unique experience. I have good friends from all over the world. I’ve attended numerous black-tie balls, fashion shows, dinner parties, wine and cheese tastings (our wine tasting team travels all over the world for competitions). I’ve seen Obama golf on the Old Course. I’ve met Hilary Clinton when she visited. I’ve traveled to so many countries in Europe and had so many memorable adventures. The list goes on.. Let me know if you have any questions! |
Anonymous
Yep! That is exactly what it is! The British don’t like that their elite universities have St Andrews nipping at their heals… |
Anonymous
why are YOU reactivating this old thread? |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
“heals”
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