Tell me about St Andrews in Scotland

[Anonymous]

I've heard that most of Europe's royalty goes there, so it might not be a bad place for a pretty DD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting to be about that time where students get offers from colleges- having lived it- be warned - committing to four years at St Andrews is risky for Americans. Maybe do a semester there but don’t be fooled- they really don’t care about the outcomes of their American students- they use us to pay the bills and they cut as many costs and corners as they can.

The academics are fine but a lot of it is perceived prestige. The housing is ok if you can find it.

The relatively affordable tuition is a reflection of what they offer. Independent students do well there, because nobody will lift a finger to go above and beyond to help them, ever. They aren’t paid to build community or look out for their own, and so... they don’t.

They are happy to take our money, but the Americans are a necessary evil.

The education offered is similar to Bucknell or Middlebury or U Wisconsin. American schools will deliver a better experience if that is important to you-

Housing, reliability, accessibility.. things we take for granted here you cannot take for granted there

Things like needing visa extensions turn into headaches and can become seriously problematic

If you have studied hard and saved for years, please reconsider going here. Don’t fall for this ancient prestige nonsense, it’s a marketing ploy. They are luring some of the brightest, well meaning students who are excited to study and travel and meet kids from around the world, but they do not care about the outcomes of any of those students. Literally do. Not. Care. They call it no handholding, but it’s an inferior business model.

Terrible take as someone who has insight into higher education. The academics at St Andrews are most comparable to Brown, Dartmouth, or Williams. I know multiple students who have turned down offers at Dartmouth, Penn, and Columbia to attend St Andrews.

It sounds like you had a bad experience and you're channeling your frustration into this forum. Sad.

St Andrews does have less handholding, but to say it doesn't care about its students or their outcomes is far from the truth. There are two unbiased data points from league tables that supports this 1) High Student Satisfaction score and 2) High Graduate prospectus

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