If you've never wintered that far north, you really can't appreciate how dark it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of sending a freshman away to another continent when US has hundreds of great schools right here, its better to do a semester or year abroad their junior year. They are more savvy, have a lot of course work done and focused on their major.

Because US Schools are crazy woke and too expensive - signed Oxford dad

Oxford is pretty damn “woke”, Dad!

I have a kid at University of Edinburgh. It’s a great school in an amazing and beautiful city. The education he’s getting is top-notch.

Edinburgh was the only school in Scotland he wanted to attend so he never looked at St Andrews or any other UK schools.

Anonymous wrote:Instead of sending a freshman away to another continent when US has hundreds of great schools right here, its better to do a semester or year abroad their junior year. They are more savvy, have a lot of course work done and focused on their major.

Because US Schools are crazy woke and too expensive - signed Oxford dad

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to University of Edinburgh, and was accepted. Ultimately, DC selected University of St Andrews instead because it is smaller and they felt it would be easier to integrate into the community and make friends. It's also in the middle of nowhere so it felt safer than Edinburgh.

I'm sorry but what a joke. Edinburgh is an extremely safe and super fun city. People really are clueless.

Why must you be so rude? These clueless people are 17 year old students contemplating moving abroad, alone. I can totally understand why a small town would feel safer.

Edinburgh has a population of 500,000 -- it's not LA.

It's just so over the top ridiculous to visit Edinburgh and conclude that it doesn't "feel safe."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to University of Edinburgh, and was accepted. Ultimately, DC selected University of St Andrews instead because it is smaller and they felt it would be easier to integrate into the community and make friends. It's also in the middle of nowhere so it felt safer than Edinburgh.

I'm sorry but what a joke. Edinburgh is an extremely safe and super fun city. People really are clueless.

Why must you be so rude? These clueless people are 17 year old students contemplating moving abroad, alone. I can totally understand why a small town would feel safer.

Edinburgh has a population of 500,000 -- it's not LA.

St Andrews has 10k students, Edinburgh has 45k. Its a very different experience. Think Trader Joe's vs Walmart, yes more stuff and cheaper but not the same environment.

Pandemic and Ukraine war made me skeptic of sending a high school grad abroad. Things happen. I would rather they do undergrad here and go there for their masters.

Instead of sending a freshman away to another continent when US has hundreds of great schools right here, its better to do a semester or year abroad their junior year. They are more savvy, have a lot of course work done and focused on their major.

I think its a better strategy to attend St Andrews and take trips to Edinburgh and other cities on ling weekends or holidays.

St Andrews is a nicer campus and community with great support system for American students.

Anonymous wrote:If I understand correctly, St Andrews participates in the Common Application and Edinburgh (like most UK universities) does not. Presumably a US student who is committed to studying in the UK would go through the UCAS process without hesitation but perhaps there are some who find the ease of the Common Application to tip the balance to St Andrews?

OP here. I think this totally answers the question. How interesting. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Edinburgh is viewed above St Andrews (why on earth is this random podunk school constantly being brought up on this board?), but we must once again ask why an American would elect to go to school in Scotland, of all places.

Why not? Are you from UK and think bad idea based on your experience ?

Had a family member do exactly that. Great, smart kid, got in everywhere in us and abroad. Wanted a different path. Worked out extremely well. I love that for those who have options and can think outside the box they will have experiences that a lot of us never will have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC applied to University of Edinburgh, and was accepted. Ultimately, DC selected University of St Andrews instead because it is smaller and they felt it would be easier to integrate into the community and make friends. It's also in the middle of nowhere so it felt safer than Edinburgh.

I'm sorry but what a joke. Edinburgh is an extremely safe and super fun city. People really are clueless.

Why must you be so rude? These clueless people are 17 year old students contemplating moving abroad, alone. I can totally understand why a small town would feel safer.

For starters, these 17 year old students have parents who should know better. It makes no sense to me that a 17 year old would not be afraid to travel all the away across the ocean to attend a foreign university, yet is too afraid to attend one in one of the world's great cities. St Andrews might as well be Grinnell. Great school, sure -- but in the middle of nowhere.

No one said that students are afraid of going to university in Edinburgh, for heaven's sake. DC applied to Edinburgh and other urban schools, but there are many factors that go into selecting a college or university and my kid decided they preferred the vibe of a small town to an urban hub. And yes, felt safer. Which is totally valid and a reason many kids choose schools in the middle of nowhere, like St Andrews or Grinnell.

Anonymous wrote:If I understand correctly, St Andrews participates in the Common Application and Edinburgh (like most UK universities) does not. Presumably a US student who is committed to studying in the UK would go through the UCAS process without hesitation but perhaps there are some who find the ease of the Common Application to tip the balance to St Andrews?

Makes sense to me. I also think size is a factor.