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?

@BubblesBuddy - you’re right! We have been to quite a few open days and my son and I have always had a bit of a giggle at some of the parent’s questions!

@dippycat7 My son is in Loughborough and really loves it. He is doing Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

She wants to do Chemistry as well.

@BubblesBuddy she originally wanted to go to Swansea as she had done a course there and preferred the labs there to Cardiff. Her brother persuaded her that she should look round Huddersfield and she loved the campus/town and the fact that he was reasonably close at hand.

She was told to apply for somewhere "aspirational". She loved the thought of being in a small town instead of a city, not into nightlife at all, and liked the modules of the course. She really had no expectation of getting an offer but the offer, when it came, was the same as Swansea (contextual because of our area/school) so it is definitely achievable.

If St Andrews is achievable I would go for it! I didn’t mean to imply it wasn’t. It’s just that most people see it as a step above Huddersfield and in most instances, Swansea. I’m sure you will find there’s a way to afford this!

St Andrews was DD's first choice (she ended up at her insurance though, Edinburgh, and is having a great time!).

Regarding transport costs, look up prices on trainline and skyscanner for flights. Admittedly it's half term, but costing three of us £425 for to do a return journey to Edinburgh 600 miles away. Worked out more expensive for the plane!

It's a hard one regarding the type of uni experience they want. This time last year DD had no interest in pubs/nightclubs. However, this slowly changed during the summer (before uni). Four years is a long time, so maybe she should just bear that in mind.

I wouldn't worry too much about the gowns, there can be unexpected expenses anywhere depending on what they end up doing. DD belongs to a society where they have to dress up, luckily she kept her leavers dress and a friend gave her a lovely long black dress, but I can see another expensive dress coming along soon.

As mentioned before, St Andrews doesn't have a train station, but there is one four miles away with very regular buses, so that shouldn't be an issue. DD has friends at St Andrews and finds it easy on the train.

Apols for jumping in

Is anyone’s dd/ds still waiting to hear from St. Andrews? Not heard either way here yet.

Still waiting.......

Still waiting too. For DDs subject, Scottish offers started coming out in early March last year and continued right to the end of March according to DD (and TSR).

We're in Wales. My daughter's school friend has had an offer from Cambridge but not heard anything from St Andrews. She is doing Arts rather Science so I don't know if that makes a difference?

We have used the Split Saver app to get the price of train fairs and it is much cheaper than the plane for us.

Offer for a place has arrived!

Teen is excited and wants to go for a visit - I am 😳 at the distance

Fab news! Can I ask what subject?

Excellent news.

There are a few direct trains a day from London to Leuchars and then a 10 minute bus to StA - you could probably do it in 6h or quicker with a flight to edinburgh and couple of buses.

Offer here today for St Andrews - English if that helps.

Congratulations miniSurrey I assume from your name youR dc is not a Scottish applicant . Ds also waiting for English, after an Oxbridge rejection it would be nice if he could have an offer from one of his other top choices , he loved St Andrews at the visit day .

Offer was for neuroscience x

My daughter is one of only 12 in the Upper VI and all three of them who applied have had offers from St Andrews although she is the only one who has put it as first choice.

We are going to the offer day in April. There appears to be engineering work on the west coast train line so the return journey to the North West will take 6+ hours and cost a small fortune! We will be driving up instead!

My husband is an academic at the University. If your daughter can't make an applicant day she can still call the uni and arrange a day to visit and get a tour and meet someone in the department she is applying to.

Have a look on their website, prices for halls are a bit high but students can apply for financial assistance towards costs. Students can stay in halls for all four years.
There is information on the website about various bursaries etc that can be applied for if a low income family. My DS doesn't wear his gown or go to dances/balls, many students don't.
It's a great town, supportive staff at the uni and lots of clubs (sports etc.) to choose from. Apparently they say the town's population doubles when the students are there, lots of international students, especially American. Last time we visited DS the quidditch team were training outside.

Merryhobnobs Dd doing this next week. She hasn’t had an offer yet (Scottish student so we are expecting a long wait). The uni have also arranged for her to speak with someone from the department she is applying to. I think this is a lovely thing for the uni to offer. The email was lovely too as used her first name and said how much the uni was looking forward to welcoming her. I appreciate it is basically a standard email but it made her feel she matters. My Ds is currently studying there and I have to say I think the student support there is phenomenal. As a parent it feels as if they really care about their students. Which is another reason Why I really hope my Dd is is lucky enough to be offered a place.🤞

Ds just got an offer, very chuffed , also for English

Amazing news for your ds Pease! A lovely start to the weekend for your family.🎉

@Alittewornout thank you , I gather you already have a ds there and its really good to hear your feedback. We are still waiting for Durham and Edinburgh but I have a good feeling about St. Andrews ( despite being a Durham alumnus myself ) there’s a lot which I think would really suit him.

Your ds has lots of amazing offers, it’s a lovely position to be in. My Ds is loving his time at St Andrews, he works very hard but plays hard too. We couldn’t have wished for a better University experience for him. I appreciate it may not be for everyone but it has definitely suited him. They were the ones who picked up his dyslexia ( not school despite our own suspicions) and have been very supportive of this. Good luck to your Ds, wherever he chooses I am sure he will thrive.

That’s nice of you to say alittle he is still waiting to hear from the others so we are not going to count chickens but St Andrews is definitely in the mix

Ah, my alma mater!

I adored being at at Andrews - honestly, I think it was the happiest time of my life. Am actually feeling a bit emosh about it all- the beaches, the friends, the wonderful course, all the weddings 10 years later.

Honestly, it was worth its weight in gold. If they can go, then go.

I also studied at Cambridge and that was great too, but my heart is in those three grey streets .

Good luck!