Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 17:58     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid took St Andrews over Kenyon, Hamilton, BC, Vassar, and Middlebury. He would have taken Williams but didn't get in.

We're full pay. After accepted students days, I think he was sold on St Andews, but he asked if he could keep the saved money if he took St Andrews. We said sure. So that made it very easy for him.

He grew up in nyc and wants to live here as an adult. That saved money is a pretty decent down payment on a 1bedroom here, which is what he'd like to do with it. Or maybe grad school.


He chose poorly.


What's the benefit of this comment? Do you want a cookie?

Such a sad life uninformed people coming on this thread to bash a school
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 17:26     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:My kid took St Andrews over Kenyon, Hamilton, BC, Vassar, and Middlebury. He would have taken Williams but didn't get in.

We're full pay. After accepted students days, I think he was sold on St Andews, but he asked if he could keep the saved money if he took St Andrews. We said sure. So that made it very easy for him.

He grew up in nyc and wants to live here as an adult. That saved money is a pretty decent down payment on a 1bedroom here, which is what he'd like to do with it. Or maybe grad school.


He chose poorly.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 17:00     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.


There are a couple of factors here:
-Year: When were the kids accepted to St Andrews? It has become even more competitive in recent years.
-School: Did the children attend a private school? If so they would have a higher chance of gaining acceptance to St Andrews as they target private school to get higher donors
-Acceptance rate & prestige: As addressed numerous times on this thread, you cannot correlate the US acceptance rate with the academic prestige of a school like St Andrews for various reasons.
-Bias: You state that "They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools". As noted on this thread there are countless "superstars" who were also accepted to top schools and decided to attend St Andrews. Your own perception does not capture the full picture. Furthermore, even in the US there are kids who slip through the cracks and attend top schools. There are also multiple people on this thread who have shared the stats of their impressive kids who were not accepted to St Andrews.




DP. Last year was actually the least competitive of the past three years for American students.

There are multiple people on this thread and others whose kids were choosing between it and CU Boulder and the like. The anecdotes on here are worthless.


I went to St Andrews and more of my US classmates were choosing between low ivies/UMich/UCLA/Emory and other top 20 schools vs. a school like CU Boulder/BC/NYU. I don't think you can get more accurate anecdote..
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 16:55     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.


+1. It’s an NYU/BC level school, which is perfectly fine. No need to oversell it.


What makes you say it's an NYU/BC level school? There is no evidence to back this.

People on this thread need a masterclass on perspective vs perception.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 16:39     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My take is this.

No matter how good these schools are in their countries. They admit US students with much higher acceptance rates. There will always be a question mark associated with this individual.


Hiring manager in STEM. Always very happy to hire someone with a STEM degree from either of these schools. They consistently produce capable, knowledgeable graduates. Most tech firms know this and like to hire these students. Can't speak to non-STEM degrees myself because I only hire STEM.

For StA, (a) admission is for a specific degree (so aggregate admissions numbers are meaningless) and (b) academic minimums for acceptance are published online (few unqualified applicants apply at StA, unlike at US colleges).


DP. a) they admit over 60% of Americans, there is no discrepancy across degrees that accounts for this. The acceptance rates are much higher across the board and b) the minimums are As or Bs in honors classes and three 4s on APs, with 1320 SAT/28 ACT but that part is optional. So the minimums don’t really tell you that much.

It’s all fine. But per OP’s question, it isn’t that selective for Americans if they meet the minimum, and presumably OP’s kid meets the minimum or he wouldn’t be asking.


I wouldn't use that 60% to signify standards are lower - but to signify that they probably have a low yield. Compared to a T20 - where they might only be able to accept five kids for a given gpa/rigor and assume three to five will attend - these schools will accept many more kids at a given gpa/rigor and know that most will never really get the courage to study abroad or in Canada and will choose a US school
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:44     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.


There are a couple of factors here:
-Year: When were the kids accepted to St Andrews? It has become even more competitive in recent years.
-School: Did the children attend a private school? If so they would have a higher chance of gaining acceptance to St Andrews as they target private school to get higher donors
-Acceptance rate & prestige: As addressed numerous times on this thread, you cannot correlate the US acceptance rate with the academic prestige of a school like St Andrews for various reasons.
-Bias: You state that "They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools". As noted on this thread there are countless "superstars" who were also accepted to top schools and decided to attend St Andrews. Your own perception does not capture the full picture. Furthermore, even in the US there are kids who slip through the cracks and attend top schools. There are also multiple people on this thread who have shared the stats of their impressive kids who were not accepted to St Andrews.




DP. Last year was actually the least competitive of the past three years for American students.

There are multiple people on this thread and others whose kids were choosing between it and CU Boulder and the like. The anecdotes on here are worthless.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:40     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.


+1. It’s an NYU/BC level school, which is perfectly fine. No need to oversell it.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:33     Subject: Re:McGill, St. Andrew’s
My child was chosing between McGill and St. Andrews. Other admits in the US were: UVa, W&M, Rice, Vassar, Emory, U Mich, and a couple small liberal arts colleges with 3-4% acceptance rates, along with some UK schools that are well-respected there (although how well-respected here they are, I don't know). They likely would have chosen one of small liberal arts colleges could have afforded it. We were surprised they got into those, given the numbers.

I have the impression they always would have been let into St Andrews and McGill, but that may be because the admissions approach is far more transparent. Private boarding school overseas.

It's funny to hear people say it's a rich kids' school. I do, however, have the impression there are many wealthy people from other countries who attend - but compared to a private American school, it's cheap, even for Americans.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:27     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I think more smart kids will be choosing these schools due to US formerly top schools bending over for Trump.


YES!!!!!


It's the exact opposite, students and parents want to avoid the woke nonsense of American admissions and desire strong academics, like my own kids. That's what's pushing overseas interests.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:27     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I posted on the long St Andrew’s thread the patently obviously true fact that it’s not real selective for USA students and is a haven for boarding school and private school kids who can’t get into top USA privates. I apparently offended folks by saying this and my post was reported and deleted.


I also posted in the long UStA thread and agreed with you that a lot of the US kids I know of (mine included) are boarding school & private school kids. She may or may not have gotten into “top USA privates” but didn’t apply as they weren’t compelling to her. UStA was. So, I think it’s also self selective for US kids, at least to a certain degree.

Can’t believe your post was reported, that’s ridiculous.


It helps to come from a certain background - more international, more willing to think outside of the box, as boarding school kids may be -- to not chose what everyone else is doing. That said, St Andrews and McGill are well-known enough eps to more internationally-inclined people, so it's not completely out of the box.But yeah, that background often means financially well off people apply.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:25     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:My kid chose ST Andrews over Emory. It's a fantastic school and 1/2 the cost. It gets more selective every year. It is easier for full pay Americans than for UK students where it is the equivalent in difficulty of getting into Cornell or Dartmouth. The admission rate is not comparable to US schools because as has been mentioned you apply to your major and they have SAT score cutoffs which means kids below a certain level are not applying.


My child also turned down Emory, and their best American friend turned down Cornell for St Andrews (I know this because the parents really were rooting for Cornell).
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:24     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:McGill is in a different league for US recruiters. St Andrew’s has quickly developed a reputation for rich American kids who didn’t get into a top 50 in the US.


Not true at all- on the contrary St Andrews is quickly developing a reputation as an alternative for American kids (usually rich) who were also accepted to top 15-20 schools. How do I know this? I went to St Andrews and was also accepted to a T10 university in the US. My classmates from the US were also accepted to prestigious US schools (Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, etc.) There were also US students who probably didn't get into a T20-30 university, but ended up at St Andrews.

Both McGill and St Andrews are easier to gain acceptance if you are a US student, however, that does not suggest the prestige, graduate prospectus/outcomes, and academic caliber are lower. Both schools need more US students for funding. St Andrews has the highest entry requirements if you are a UK student- as a result the student population is strong.

Competitive firms in east coast cities (DC, NYC, Boston) view St Andrews favorably. How do I know this? Myself and my friends have spoken to countless firms and recruiters when we were looking for a job.


I've heard & experienced similarly
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 15:17     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.


There are a couple of factors here:
-Year: When were the kids accepted to St Andrews? It has become even more competitive in recent years.
-School: Did the children attend a private school? If so they would have a higher chance of gaining acceptance to St Andrews as they target private school to get higher donors
-Acceptance rate & prestige: As addressed numerous times on this thread, you cannot correlate the US acceptance rate with the academic prestige of a school like St Andrews for various reasons.
-Bias: You state that "They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools". As noted on this thread there are countless "superstars" who were also accepted to top schools and decided to attend St Andrews. Your own perception does not capture the full picture. Furthermore, even in the US there are kids who slip through the cracks and attend top schools. There are also multiple people on this thread who have shared the stats of their impressive kids who were not accepted to St Andrews.


Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 08:39     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:I am the poster who said that Saint Andrews wasn’t all that selective and was reported and deleted for daring to say that lol. I don’t want to say too much, but I do know a family where all of the kids went to Saint Andrews from the DMV. They were smart kids but not superstars. None was accepted top schools. Denied in state UVA etc. So I do have more than just the theoretical knowledge about this.
I’m curious to know how they’re doing. Enjoying school? Good jobs? Admission isn’t the endgame.
Anonymous
Post 08/19/2025 08:34     Subject: McGill, St. Andrew’s
Anonymous wrote:My kid took St Andrews over Kenyon, Hamilton, BC, Vassar, and Middlebury. He would have taken Williams but didn't get in.

We're full pay. After accepted students days, I think he was sold on St Andews, but he asked if he could keep the saved money if he took St Andrews. We said sure. So that made it very easy for him.

He grew up in nyc and wants to live here as an adult. That saved money is a pretty decent down payment on a 1bedroom here, which is what he'd like to do with it. Or maybe grad school.


This is awesome.