Many don't apply to Oxbridge because the date to take the exam is super early--like late September. You have to begin senior year knowing this is what you want.
In contrast, you can add St. Andrews up until February.

My kids were still adding schools well into late December. They really didn't know what they wanted until they started writing apps, looking online, etc. This is not unusual.

My private-school-educated DC is currently weighing St Andrews and another international offer. DC also has been admitted to some excellent US schools, and in two cases been awarded significant merit aid ($40k/year) that makes the all-in costs pretty equivalent. DC has been interested in going outside the US for college since 8th grade and their interest has only intensified with the election outcome and now the first few months of the new Administration. I think they want a different and more independent experience than they would likely have in the US. And I will be very glad to not pay $90K/year for college.

Good academics, adventure, Harry Potter style, drinking age is 18, plenty of Americans to build a social circle to bring back home, good job placement, good price.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another plus is the peers. The UK peers you will have at St Andrews are on par with the top kids in the US. It is much harder for them to get in and most need A*A*A* just to be considered or a 42+/45 IB.

Wouldn't Oxbridge peets be on par with the top kids in the US? I would consider StA peers to be T50 level. Also, the admission requirement minimums seem to be ABB, not 3 A*s. E.g. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/management/management-ma/#entry-requirements

Again, this has nothing to do with prestige, research quality, name brand, etc. It is simply about the Peers from a UK perspective.

https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/what-are-ucas-points/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another plus is the peers. The UK peers you will have at St Andrews are on par with the top kids in the US. It is much harder for them to get in and most need A*A*A* just to be considered or a 42+/45 IB.

Wouldn't Oxbridge peets be on par with the top kids in the US? I would consider StA peers to be T50 level. Also, the admission requirement minimums seem to be ABB, not 3 A*s. E.g. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/management/management-ma/#entry-requirements

You are wrong. The minimum is a worthless metric. Sta has the highest Tariff entry for Scottish students. And the highest in the UK.
The avg entry grades of Oxford/cambridge and Sta kids are very very similar for English students. Minimums get you to apply. If you are applying to non-competitive program, sure. Same everywhere. Please go to student room forum. It is a UK forum with kid discussing their acceptances and rejections….many A*A*A*s rejected at Sta. That is top of the top.

Anonymous wrote:Another plus is the peers. The UK peers you will have at St Andrews are on par with the top kids in the US. It is much harder for them to get in and most need A*A*A* just to be considered or a 42+/45 IB.

Wouldn't Oxbridge peets be on par with the top kids in the US? I would consider StA peers to be T50 level. Also, the admission requirement minimums seem to be ABB, not 3 A*s. E.g. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/management/management-ma/#entry-requirements

Anonymous wrote:St Andrews, and McGill. These I don't get it.

Why not Oxybridge? Why not UBC?

They can't get in to Oxbridge and their parents don't consider UBC to be more prestigious than McGill. My high school classmate who was going to McGill called it "the Harvard of Canada".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same with Pre-med…..if you are going to do 4 years in the US, why not 3 years of Biology, Microbiology, etc at a top UK uni before going back to US for Medical School?

Really? I'd imagine it's difficult. Premed students are occupied with clinical experience, research, and whatnot. St Andrews, being a foreign institute, won't have the same premed program and advisory for US premed students. Perhaps 1-2 years postBac would help.

You don’t need to do pre-med.

DS studied biological sciences at UCL. 3 yrs. She is now at Cornell Weill.

Can you elaborate (without revealing private info) on how this was done. US med school asked a lot and the competition is fierce. Thanks.

St Andrews has a 4 year degree, not like English universities, which are 3. So it is NOT that popular outside Scotland in other parts of the UK. The 4 year degree though is one of the reasons it is popular in the US.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same with Pre-med…..if you are going to do 4 years in the US, why not 3 years of Biology, Microbiology, etc at a top UK uni before going back to US for Medical School?

Really? I'd imagine it's difficult. Premed students are occupied with clinical experience, research, and whatnot. St Andrews, being a foreign institute, won't have the same premed program and advisory for US premed students. Perhaps 1-2 years postBac would help.

You don’t need to do pre-med.

DS studied biological sciences at UCL. 3 yrs. She is now at Cornell Weill.

Amazing

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Word of mouth at the elite Catholic schools in our area is, "If you don't get into Notre Dame, check out St Andrews."

It's also likely that the typical private school kid has international exposure and more comfort with the idea of moving overseas, using the visa program to work in London for a few years afterward, attending Oxbridge/LSE for grad school, etc.

The school's popularity is growing, it is a very tough admit for UK students.

This is confusing to me, as St. A is not a religious school. What's the connection?

It is more confusing to me, because I know that many US Presbyterian ministers go to StA to study graduate Theology. (The US offshoot of Church of Scotland is Presbyterianism.)

Anonymous wrote:Word of mouth at the elite Catholic schools in our area is, "If you don't get into Notre Dame, check out St Andrews."

It's also likely that the typical private school kid has international exposure and more comfort with the idea of moving overseas, using the visa program to work in London for a few years afterward, attending Oxbridge/LSE for grad school, etc.

The school's popularity is growing, it is a very tough admit for UK students.

This is confusing to me, as St. A is not a religious school. What's the connection?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Same with Pre-med…..if you are going to do 4 years in the US, why not 3 years of Biology, Microbiology, etc at a top UK uni before going back to US for Medical School?

Really? I'd imagine it's difficult. Premed students are occupied with clinical experience, research, and whatnot. St Andrews, being a foreign institute, won't have the same premed program and advisory for US premed students. Perhaps 1-2 years postBac would help.

You don’t need to do pre-med.

DS studied biological sciences at UCL. 3 yrs. She is now at Cornell Weill.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To us, St. Andrew’s is not an option. How would you do premed or prelaw in a foreign college?

You study medicine in the UK as a direct admit to medical school. There is no need for a separate pre-med degree.

Yeah, we were exploring the possibility of UK college then back to US med school, i.e., treating St Andrews as a venue for US premed purpose.

Direct admit to UK med school is another story.

Anonymous wrote:To us, St. Andrew’s is not an option. How would you do premed or prelaw in a foreign college?

You study medicine in the UK as a direct admit to medical school. There is no need for a separate pre-med degree.