UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND, Information First and most importantly, thank you to everyone who responded to my request for information about the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I received lots of great detailed information and my family was especially appreciative for your collective wisdom. Again, thank you all for your generosity. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such an awesome community like HECA. See the responses below. Melanie Rome

On April 5, 2016, I posted the following question on the HECA List Serve. Hi All: Have female student that was recently admitted for Fall 2016. Will be seeing the family this weekend to discuss all her options. I confess to knowing very little about this school. I found some stuff on a popular college info website, but not much else. If you have had experience with or knowledge about St. Andrews, I would greatly appreciate it if you would share it with me. I will post results. Thanks in advance for your help! Melanie Rome

RESPONSES: • I visited St. Andrew's two years ago and loved it! The town is lovely, people friendly, and the set up very much like an American university - except the student must be a self starter and disciplined to study on their own. There is a large contingency of American students there and the job placement is good. Founded in 1413, first university in Scotland. NOTES: 1. 45% of students from outside of UK 2. Studies - 4 faculties - arts, science, medicine, and divinity 3. Can only pick from one college - cannot do both biology and English for example. For instance if you want to study psychology - you are in the arts "bucket". In book, the studies are color coded. 4. Choose three areas of concentration. After first year, they ask the students which of the three subjects they like the best, then for second year, you choose 2 second year levels. So then you pick up a new subject for your third year. At the end of second year, you've done these two subjects for two years or you can choose to do one major or a joint major. Third year, you can go on study abroad. In third year, you do a project, worth half a year’s marks - a type of research project. In fourth year, dissertation - worth half a year’s Marks, based on research that you did third year. Third and Fourth year you have a supervisor instead of adviser. The supervisor is a specialist in the area you would like to major in. Fourth year will feel like a different experience. It will feel like a Master’s program. 5. Typical week - 3-5 hours of lectures a week in Psychology a week and the same for the other 2 concentrations. 9 to 15 hours of lectures a week. Then tutorials - "the talking shop" - discuss what was talked about during lecture - 10- 12 students to one tutor. Either professor or 2nd or 3rd year PHD students. Real work is done with your own time - you are on your own with the homework. Reading, 2000 word essays, research, etc. Onus is on the student to do the work. Time management skills are essential. Everything you do goes onto your transcript. Support is available, but you have to ask for it. Go to professor/tutor and ask for feedback/help. Extra time/peer mentoring/buddy system/extra tutorage available. St. Andrews is a 9 - 5 venture, you are studying in the library if you are not in class. 6. Study abroad only if grades are good enough, above average, must write essay about why you want to study abroad. Study abroad is very tied to work that they are doing at St. Andrews. 7. Accommodations - All online - 9 halls of residence. Research the halls of residence, decide if you want Hog Warts type residence or Holiday Inn express. Do you want catered, self-catered, etc. Majority of halls are shared - double rooms. Personality questionnaire to match with your roommate. 54% of students stay on campus all four years. Very good at matching roommates. 11 p.m. noise curfew, every hall has a member of staff living on their hall to look after the students 24/7. 8. 650-700 on each subject test 28 or higher on act, 25 or higher on each section. • I had an admitted student visit the campus several years ago. She was pre-med. St Andrews told her they would not be a good choice if her goal was to attend a US medical school, as their courses are not well-aligned with US med school preparation. She is in her final year at Bryn Mawr and preparing to apply to med schools. Don’t know what your student’s interest are.

• My daughter attends St Andrews and she absolutely loves it. The school is spectacularly beautiful, the professors are outstanding and the town is very safe. However, it is not for everyone (of course, no school is). A student has to be very independent as there is no hand holding; a professor hands out a syllabus and does not mention assignments again. Time management is very important since there are not many assessments throughout the semester and the vast majority of the grade is based on the final. It is extremely international-more than half of the students come from outside the UK. For a UK school, there is a large US contingent-about 10 percent I believe. The student body is quite cosmopolitan in that many students are very well traveled and/or are third culture kids. Students typically live in dorms for the first year and then move to apartments in town. St Andrews is a great town and also very expensive.

• I often have kids apply there who are interested in both US and UK universities. Fantastic school, of course, but the Scottish universities also have the singular advantage over English universities that they offer 4 year degrees. This means that even wit the narrower confines of a British education, there is a bit more elective space in ways that are familiar to American students. Lots of Americans thus attending St. Andrews (and other Scottish universities). Downside, however, is that just as with any other UK institution, a kid really does need to know what she wants to do and have less interest in the broad exploration of a liberal arts education, to appreciate the experience.

• St Andrew's is very popular with students here in the UK. It's one of the prestigious old Scottish universities along with Edinburgh and Glasgow (1st Scottish university). Its location is in a small town but very popular with Americans (15% of students come from US and Canada). My kids from London love it but you have to like the Scottish rain and cold weather.

• My middle daughter was accepted three years ago and I went to visit. 30% American -sort of like eight blocks of Georgetown in DC (quaint small shops cobblestone roads) in the middle of maybe more rural area on the coast. Charming traditions, nice administrators and students. Expensive town housing after the first year but a few possible ways to try to offset this. (maybe money isn't an issue for your family). We were looking at specific programs -my daughter did not end up choosing to attend though she loved many many things about it as did I. We never heard the words career or internship while there. The professor giving the lecture in the area that we were interested in was very interested in my daughter’s connections in Washington DC for the places that she had already worked. This could have changed by now. Social things to do in the village limited (not a lot of nightlife per se) but they do their own thing. Highly recommend a visit to consider it. We Stayed in Edinburg, drove there (to the town of Saint Andrews), stayed there and drove back and flew in and out of Edinburg. The "old course" world's most famous golf course or one of them is right in the same town so plenty of golfing visitors around and nice hotels. Some things to get used to as American student like little things like no refrigerator in your dorm room, the food… darkness there more of the year, climate. We ran into a student we knew and I was able to also talk to parents that I knew here that have kids there to learn about how they adapted to transportation and shipping items etc. The kids do end up traveling around Europe before and after breaks because theyre "already there".

• St. Andrew's is very selective and the admissions staff is always seeking the student who is not only bright but independent. I have sent numerous students there, both boys and girls. They all have raved about their experience and love their alma mater so much that two returned to be married on the campus! They have gone on to work at Google, Microsoft, another a JAG in the Navy and medical school. I was recently on the campus and my time there renewed my feelings that this is a fantastic place with an incredible, supportive staff and faculty. The kids are very bright and international in scope.

• I have been to the campus and have a student there now. She started there as part of the joint program with William & Mary and never left! The campus is interspersed with the lovely medieval town. A sense of history pervades, but there are modern buildings. The town is a little isolated and an hour away from Edinburgh, the nearest international airport. St. Andrews has lots of traditions, as you might imagine, including the famous red robes and over 100 student societies. Gets very cold in the winter. Has a large percentage of US students. I think it provides a safe, amazing international experience.

• Just heard from a student I worked with several years ago who is in his 2nd year now and he loves it. He is a US/UK dual national and had lived in the UK until age 12 when he'd moved to the Bay Area in Northern California. He studied a typical US high school curriculum with a smallish number of AP classes and not very stellar grades. Honestly, I was surprised to hear he received an offer but it is definitely easier for non-EU students to get in. (Sounds like the UC system, doesn't it!) Here's what he says:”I've ended up at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland studying Sustainable Development. I can't rate it highly enough, I love the course and have a great circle of friends. I've joined the sailing society, and next year will be captain of the yachting team.The only adjustment I've found difficult was the lack of academic guidance. It was quite a jump to go from writing 500 word reports with a lot of help to being told '2000 words on topic x due in 2 weeks, go. It's really boiled down to time management, something I still struggle with but work to improve every day!” If your student is adventuresome, emotionally stable, and can handle the lack of hand-holding, she could have an amazing experience.

• We have a student who graduated last year and a transfer student who returned to the U.S. this year. Both mentioned the pub scene, international student body and party life at St. Andrews. For one it was wonderful, the other - well she transferred. I should mention that career services can be an issue if the student wants to return to the U.S. or find a summer internship in the U.S. Without EU citizenship their options can be limited too. This is of course the case at most foreign locales. Our recent graduate went on to Columbia for grad school immediately after graduation. Student services on campus are also limited as with any overseas school. Our transfer also had trouble getting U.S. institutions of a caliber that she was really ready to attend, to accept her coursework. Several mentioned they would take her but as a freshman admit. This is the second time I had experienced this, so I was a bit more prepared. This may not seem like an issue now, but your student should go in with her eyes open.