At Exeter we toured Holland hall and Birks Grange. One is Catered the other is self catered. They were both great, but we thought Holland Hall was the best one for my son since it was catered and quite frankly the views were phenomenal. We walked by some older quaint looking halls like Lopez hall but we couldnt go in. If he goes to Exeter, he will shoot for Holland Hall.

Anonymous wrote:What is the housing/dorm situation at Durham? Old/new? Renovated/needs update? Near classes or not?

What were the two dorms you toured at Exeter and what did you like about them? Asking because my DD is interested in that school. Thanks.

What is the housing/dorm situation at Durham? Old/new? Renovated/needs update? Near classes or not?

Here it is….sorry for the delay:

We had an amazng week traveling from London to Exeter, then Manchester, Durham, Edinburgh, and St Andrews.
The train ride to Exeter was an easy two-hour trip. When we arrived, we were greeted by an American professor who showed us around town and introduced us to the person leading our private campus tour. The campus i beautiful and looked the most like a traditional American college campus out of all the ones we visited. We lucked out with amazing weather. The student union is very nice, and I can easily see how people end up choosing to study there. The business school looked great, and the two dorms we toured were fantastic. Overall, it was a great experience that got even better when we drove to Exmouth Beach, just 15 minutes from campus. What a beautiful place to spend three years of your life. My son really liked it.
Next was Manchester, which was a complete 180. My son expected this, but I did not realize just how urban the campus was. I assumed he had not applied to London universities because he wanted to avoid a heavy urban environment, and I was right. While the buildings were nice and the business school area was bustling with activity, he thought it was a bit too much. The attention we received during the tour was great. However, the dorms were nowhere near as nice as Exeter's, and some are located very far from campus, though public transport is good. It is a major city, so there is naturally a ton to do. He likes soccer, which was a plus, but immediately after we left Manchester, he said it was off his list.
Next was Durham. The weather wasn't great when we arrived, but it is a lovely place. It felt like something special was going on there. The tour wasn't quite as good as the first two, but the environment was really cool. Durham Castle provides an amazing backdrop to the campus. While there is a slight urban feel, you can tell it is a small town with a much cooler environment than Manchester. By that point, my son ranked Exeter's campus #1 and Durham #2, although he preferred the atmosphere and collegiate system at Durham.
Then we headed off to Edinburgh to be tourists for a day. It is a lovely city, and we all fell in love with it. We managed to climb Arthur's Seat. By the time we reached the peak, the weather had cleared up, and the views were to die for. I have to say, the locals in Edinburgh were the best part of the city. He didn't apply to Edinburgh, but our experience with the Scottish people we met was top-notch.
The next day, we drove to St Andrews. What an incredible place. The tour was amazing. It is a tiny town where the campus is seamlessly spread throughout the city. I can easily see the appeal of going to school there. We were lucky again with fantastic, sunny weather around 50 degrees. We decided at the last minute to spend the night. The next morning, we went running by West Sands, playing the obvious soundtrack (Chariots of Fire). The town is surreal, with the St Andrews Links right next to everything. My son was even able to attend a class at Younger Hall with a student he met on Reddit.
I am very glad we took him on this trip. I highly recommend doing these tours to help make college decisions. My son is now processing everything and told us he will make a final decision in a week. It will be a tough choice!

Please feel free to ask any questions about the trip and universities. I’o do my best to answer.

Bump. Hoping the PO will post a UK trip report.

Looking forward to this as well.

DC is facing a StA vs. USC Marshall decision, and only had the opportunity to spend one afternoon in StA a few years ago.

Can’t wait for you trip summary!

Anonymous wrote:PP….Pleasant surprise as we are traveling later today to the UK during spring break. Kid was accepted to St Andrews too. We are now going to be busy next week going from Exeter to Manchester to Durham and St Andrews. Kid is super excited here. Any other suggestions while we are there?

Still in the UK. Long day….what an amazing week. Will post impressions later this weekend that might help others in the forum.

If taking a train to StA, use the "Leuchars" train station, then take the 99 bus into StA. Be sure the bus you get on is headed to StA as that train station is a mid-point on the bus route. Leuchars is not especially close to StA, but it is on the LNER main line to London.

[There is talk of re-instating train service to StA, which totally would make sense for a university town, but it won't happen any time soon (if ever). Look up "Beeching cuts". General consensus across the whole of the Uzk is that Beeching was an idiot.]

I recommend driving if possible.

Anonymous wrote:Apple News today (3/16/2026) has a no-cost WSJ article dated 3/15/26 about U. St Andrews titled "Americans Love Everything About This Scottish University - Except All the Americans".

It says students with a US permanent address are about 20% of undergraduates.

(NB: I cannot supply a gift link because I do not subscribe to WSJ.)

What point are you trying to make? US students go to Scotland to attend a UK uni & them are annoyed that 1 in 5 is American?

Apple News today (3/16/2026) has a no-cost WSJ article dated 3/15/26 about U. St Andrews titled "Americans Love Everything About This Scottish University - Except All the Americans".

It says students with a US permanent address are about 20% of undergraduates.

(NB: I cannot supply a gift link because I do not subscribe to WSJ.)

Anonymous wrote:PP….Pleasant surprise as we are traveling later today to the UK during spring break. Kid was accepted to St Andrews too. We are now going to be busy next week going from Exeter to Manchester to Durham and St Andrews. Kid is super excited here. Any other suggestions while we are there?

One travel suggestion; forgive me for being plain spoken. The UK weather is often damp - everything from "London fog" to hard rain. On other days it might be lovely and warm. So I'd pack layers of clothing, with the outermost a Gore-Tex shell.

Anonymous wrote:PP….Pleasant surprise as we are traveling later today to the UK during spring break. Kid was accepted to St Andrews too. We are now going to be busy next week going from Exeter to Manchester to Durham and St Andrews. Kid is super excited here. Any other suggestions while we are there?

Amazing, congrats on StA. Please post you impressions on their housing options!

You’ll be busy, but Edinburgh is simply an amazing city if you have a day…

Anonymous wrote:people on this board ONLY care about these rankings because they hate St Andews and are annoyed that it's ever near the top.

why do they hate it? who the f knows. I live in the unites states and care very little about this.

rank the best colleges in India or South Africa and I'll also have no option there. China? No opinion.

but here, about the UK, they care. and it's all about one small school. it's BIZARRE behavior

Easy, it's becasue most posters on the colleges forum are from Virginia, so have opinions about their in state schools, UVA, W&M or VTech. Among these three, Virginians tend to have their favorites. It just so happens that one of these, William and Mary, has a joint degree program with St. Andrews. https://www.wm.edu/as/undergraduate/more-pathways/standrews/

So, those who don't go to the state flagship UVA, use the joint degree program as a reason why W&M is "the best" causing the UVA and VTech boosters to poo-poo St. Andrews as a way of poo-pooing W&M.

Are you guys driving? Easiest thing would be train from London to Exeter….there is Logan air direct to Manchester from Exeter. Otherwise it is a 4-5 h train ride. Man to Durham is just a 2 hr train ride. Then less than 2 hour from Durham to Edinburgh….I would then rent a car and drive to st andrews and stay there 2 days or so….