St Andrews

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DD has received a very good offer from St Andrews. She loves the look of the course and is very keen to go there. Aside from the course she loves the idea of a small town, has no interest in nightlife as part of the "student experience" and loves the quirky traditions.

Does anyone have any experience of being there and the extra expenses that could be involved such as the extra cost of travel, formal dinners and the like?

We are a low income family in an economically deprived area. She is part of a very small 6th form - 12 in the Upper 6th. Her school is not in special measures but is holding on by the skin of its teeth! They are very keen for her to go to St Andrews but she is not going to be their responsibility!

We will support her as much as we possibly can but I am worried that it will be a lot more expensive than a less elite university.

Any thoughts?

Bit long, but here is the e-mail:

Hello,

We know that you will be looking forward to joining us in St Andrews in September: whether that be in person, or by using our bespoke online learning resources, St Andrews is looking forward to welcoming you all! We encourage you to watch this short video explaining how we have adapted with our dual delivery teaching: Dual Delivery Explained.

We also invite you to join us and your fellow incoming students for a series of online bejant* receptions in August and September. These events will provide the opportunity to gather virtually with fellow first year students and families, welcome you to the University community, and share important information before the term begins in September. Students from the US, Canada, Hong Kong and India have joined previous sessions and we now aim to answer your questions about your arrival in St Andrews, and reassure you and your family about how we will take care of you as you set out for Scotland’s first University.

Register now
As part of our programme of engagement, we offer a unique opportunity for families of undergraduate students to become involved. We invite you to pass on the following invitation to your parents/guardians and hope that they will take the time to sign up to our Family Programme, keeping them up to date with the work of the University and giving access to a range of events and opportunities over the course of your study at St Andrews.

By signing up to the Family Programme, detailed below, your parents and guardians will also receive information directly about the bejant events, allowing them to sign up to join as well.

For your Parents/Guardians

The University of St Andrews runs a Family Programme for the parents and guardians of current undergraduate students. This Programme enables families to be part of the St Andrews community, keeps you up to date with developments at the University and provides ways you can contribute to and share in its achievements. This Programme is free of charge to join and ensures you receive information about bejant receptions, events being held during orientation week, ongoing communications about the University’s achievements and future events.

Please find out more and register for the Family Programme. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the St Andrews family very soon.

We've signed up for the family programme. One of my friends was gobsmacked at the idea that a university might involve parents at all, but I think it's quite nice. Even if it is a thinly-veiled fundraising campaign!

DD was disappointed to see that the facility to send your child cake was not currently operating due to Covid19.

I think the number of international students means that parents accompany and hang about nearby for a few days more often than in most uni's, when we dropped DS2 off at St Salvators, they have tea and cake laid on for new arrivals and hangers on, DS3 came with us and was mistaken for a student which he was quite chuffed about as he was only 14!
I think special events for parents are common at American colleges and are expected by overseas parents, not to mention parents who are used that type of event at indeoendent schools. It was an entertaining novelty for us spotting all the different types of parents (in a non judgmental way, we were the scruffs!)

No accom news here yet!

Anyone else?!

@Newgirls No news here either! DS is in an offer holder group and apparently there are quite a few others without accommodation yet too - all had put standard catered down as first preference. I really hope we hear soon - I’m getting a bit twitchy about managing to get an arrival slot that fits in around work and a long journey to Scotland!

Ps - DS tried to ring accommodation services yesterday but no answer - he emailed and was told he should get a reply in 2 days - so by tomorrow fingers crossed.

For what it's worth, when DD booked an arrival slot yesterday (at Andrew Melville Hall), there was still absolutely loads of choice. Hope everyone hears very soon.

Bit twitchy too here dahlia - I keep turning work meetings down!

Chicken - that’s good to hear thank you 🙏

DD heard yesterday that she’d been allocated catered ensuite and not standard catered (which had been her preference).

We spent the first half hour after receipt, hovering over the ‘reject accommodation’ button, as her allocation will cost more than we wanted to pay. But eventually pressed ‘accept’ after thrashing out a budget. We’ll find a way to make it work (fingers crossed) and spread the cost over the academic year.

Thankfully, DD could then select her arrival date/time, which was a relief as we left for our family holiday this morning. We’ve headed to the North East from the South East, so we can continue up to Scotland and drop her off at St A’s at the end of our stay. We chucked all her clobber into the car this morning (I’ve no idea what she has packed or failed to pack...) and travelled up the A1 bulging at the seams. I can envisage my bringing much of it back down the A1 in 2 weeks’ time...

All the best to everyone’s DC and may they flourish at St Andrews.

What is the price dif Samuel? Just to prepare myself...

Am I right in thinking they are not doing shared rooms due to covid? It must be tricky fitting everyone in?

Well done on the fast packing and off!

@Newgirls they are doing shared rooms. I thought they would not be able to, but lots of Americans on the FB parents page have said that their DC have been allocated shared rooms.

Accommodation fees here - www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/accommodation/halls/fees/

Standard catered = £7,009
En suite catered = £8,461 to £9,681 depending on which one. Most en suite catered are ABH at £9,403.

Thanks Monkey - that is quite a difference!

Interesting about the shared rooms. How is that ok with social distancing? I guess it does mean they can fit everyone in though

Some of the Americans have posted pictures or videos of rooms from previous years. One of the DRA ones had a couple of rugs, which looked really nice. That is not something which has hit any list here, but might be nice.

Having flashbacks here! Just came across this thread. I was in this situation four years ago! DD graduated this year.

She had an absolute ball, made some lovely friends for life (even Americans!).

If anyone wants a second hand red gown, pm me!

Hope your DC have a wonderful uni experience.

@PiggyPlumPie that is good to hear, hope she has managed to get a job, it is a terrible time to graduate! Did you see my post earlier that the going rate for gown in good condition is around £80. You might like to note the length/height of DD here.

We need a gown - dd is 5-7.

I'll post measurements when she gets out of bed!

12 days to go - eek!

Hall allocated - tick!
Slot booked - tick!
Pants bought - tick!
Nervous DC - tick!
Even worse mum - tick! Tick! Tick!

Grateful for everyone's input on this thread. It's nice to feel not so alone 💐🌷🌺💐

I suppose the shared room occupants becone a "household". The tip for getting a room in one of the old centrally located halls is to tick the willing to share room box. Americans dont seem to mind sharing and they love the historic buildings, its also a bit cheaper if you share. DS shared in first year as he felt it would help mitigate his hermit tendencies, but moved into a single room in the same hall for the next year. I have a suspicion they give the rooms with the lovely views in the old halls to International students to keep them happy but my only evidence of this is the fact that DS2s first room had a view of the bins and his second had frosted glass!
DS2 had managed to get a room in a flat for £330/m this year which still seems a lot to me because I'm old but is a lot less than some of the scary figures often quoted for St Andrews.

@Heffapotamus I saw the pants discussions on the other thread. Guess I had better encourage him to throw out all the old 12-13 ones and get him some more as he will not have enough laundry to wash every week (even if he thought that was a sensible option!).

£330/m is better than any of the numbers I have seen!

Accom has arrived! University. Catered. Shared. She didn’t ask for shared but says the hall looks nice. Does this seem a good option? Can we query the shared bit or is it tough luck?

Newgirls I don't know if you can query the sharing. But for what it's worth, DD and I spent one night in a shared room in University Hall when we went to visit. The room was enormous and in a part of the building that looked very much like a castle. No idea if they are all like that. Also, the breakfast was awesome.

Thats great info! I wish we’d been able to vist but were due to go round the accom at Easter. I guess the shared rooms are all in the old part? Do they have any shared in the newer anexes do we know? I guess they build them single?

heffapotamus thank you for admitting to nervousness.

All DD's friends seem to be "so excited" and "keen to get going".

She's much more in the "I recognise that I need to do this, but I'm actually really nervous and I don't know how to be an adult" camp.

And I'm doing my best to be upbeat and encouraging, but concerned that I will collapse into a soggy, weeping mess at a very unfortunate moment.

My daughter applied for standard catered last year and got shared catered in Regulus - sharing was the best thing that could have happened - massive room and got on really well with the other girl. Again breakfast was brilliant - not many get up for it