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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

St Andrews into 2021 (new thread)

944 replies

Newgirls · 11/12/2020 15:16

Ok can’t think of a catchier title! If anyone can send the other thread over here pls do!

Prospective and existing parents etc all welcome here. Transport, accom, cloaks, choirs, beaches and more to be discussed. Next year will be better surely!

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Original poster
Newgirls · 05/09/2022 12:58

New underlay and cheap carpet for one room is max £400? I hope landlord gets it sorted fast.

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Stockpot · 05/09/2022 14:58

If it were the US you could write a letter claiming constructive eviction and threaten not to pay the rent.

Not sure what you do in the UK. I wonder if this is one for the counsel on health and safety grounds.

Stockpot · 05/09/2022 15:03

Ah, this looks like a good resource:

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/how_to_report_repairs_to_a_private_landlord

Maybe the landlord will give a reasonable response to a polite request. That would of course be better. But, if not, this looks like good advice.

DoggerelBank · 07/09/2022 21:39

Wave to you all starting your St Andrews adventures. We've just come out the other side and my DD misses it terribly. I moved her into Manchester yesterday for the second half of her medicine degree and she was SO horrified by the gritty-city-ness of it all. I'm sure she'll come to love it there too, but enjoy St A while you can!

ACJane · 07/09/2022 21:51

St Andrews people, any insights into getting a place that I can pass to my dc who is a year 13 keen to go there.

Also, did your children have very impressive predicted grades (3 or 4 A stars), considerably above the official entry requirements for their course?

Monkey2001 · 08/09/2022 00:33

@DoggerelBank it is strange, so many people rave about Manchester, but we did not find it loveable either, we like a bit of green, although most places obviously can't compare with St A for beauty. Will be interested to hear how long it takes to grow on her, hope she embraces the big city opportunities and enjoys the music.

EachandEveryone · 08/09/2022 06:52

ACJane · 07/09/2022 21:51

St Andrews people, any insights into getting a place that I can pass to my dc who is a year 13 keen to go there.

Also, did your children have very impressive predicted grades (3 or 4 A stars), considerably above the official entry requirements for their course?

2 A* and a B as predicted. Geography and environmental studies. Moved in at the weekend. Not heard since except to say they were all going to an Abba night. She’s made friends and is happy.

Original poster
Newgirls · 08/09/2022 07:54

ACJane · 07/09/2022 21:51

St Andrews people, any insights into getting a place that I can pass to my dc who is a year 13 keen to go there.

Also, did your children have very impressive predicted grades (3 or 4 A stars), considerably above the official entry requirements for their course?

My tip would make the UCAS application very focused on the course at St. Andrews.

my dd got good grades from a state school. I think what also swung it was she had unusual work experience very relevant to the course (nothing flash by the way - just a local job that turned out to be relevant)

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Dahliafairy · 08/09/2022 08:34

ACJane · 07/09/2022 21:51

St Andrews people, any insights into getting a place that I can pass to my dc who is a year 13 keen to go there.

Also, did your children have very impressive predicted grades (3 or 4 A stars), considerably above the official entry requirements for their course?

Also check the widening access criteria - my son qualified for a lower potential offer due to his school and postcode. His predicted grades were 3x A’s, his offer was ABB.
When we went for the open day - the advice given was to give your personal statement your ‘own voice’. Make it stand out. Good luck.

Alittewornout · 08/09/2022 08:42

@ACJane I would agree with the other posters above. The personal statement is very important to St Andrews. My DD on a visit prior to starting, was advised by a lecturer that the PS was graded. She applied and was accepted for maths and is now half way through and having a ball.
My DS was also a St A student studying history he had 4As and a B for his highers and a very strong personal statement., he loved his time there.
Grades would appear to be only one aspect of the application they consider.

ACJane · 08/09/2022 09:55

Thank you that's great advice.

Wbeezer · 08/09/2022 10:48

DS spent a lot of time on his personal statement and I had to give him a lot of guidance as he has autism and hates talking about himself.we read lots of PS examples and tried to avoid clichés and tied his school studies, reading, hobbies and even holidays into his subject.

SoilTiller · 08/09/2022 16:39

@ACJane not quite sure what the key is but agree that a strong personal, with the emphasis on personal, statement is important. My DD had 5 A grades at Higher (Scotland) from S5 (year 12 I think?) which got her an unconditional offer. The standard offer was AAAAB. She then went on to get 3 A grades at Advanced Higher, in S6 (Y13) which were immaterial given the unconditional. There is no starring of grades or special papers in Scotland, and 5xA is reasonably widespread. I had very little if anything to do with the personal statement, but if I remember it was focussed on her passion for her subject and not just in a "I've read tons of books" sort of way. She did include her extra curriculars, which had a community/joining in slant rather than being leader of the free world. Interestingly another applicant for the same subject from her school, similar grade profile but with all the leadership positions possible was rejected by St A but given an offer by Cambridge.
Good luck to your DC and to you as the support team! DD absolutely loved St A and I still feel nostalgic for those years.

Whalesong · 08/09/2022 23:38

ACJane · 07/09/2022 21:51

St Andrews people, any insights into getting a place that I can pass to my dc who is a year 13 keen to go there.

Also, did your children have very impressive predicted grades (3 or 4 A stars), considerably above the official entry requirements for their course?

Sorry for butting in - not a St A parent, but it was among my DS's top choices. I think it depends hugely on the course. Mine had 4 predicted A* (which he got), relevant work experience, a PS that his head of Maths said was excellent (no changes at all recommended from what he'd written himself) but didn't get in. Luckily he got offers from his other choices though, including his top choice which is ranked much higher for his particular field.
I think it's all a bit of a lottery to be honest. It's important to manage expectations. The last couple of years have been far from "normal" and the overspill / repercussions will last through next year and beyond.

Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 08:53

I agree. Was it maths? Maths seems to have been the hardest and most popular course to get in anywhere this year. I heard of very talented kids from state schools with 9s and As getting just 1-2 offers. It isn’t helped by the fact they all seem to apply to the same places (Warwick, oxbridge, LSE etc). I wonder if girls have an advantage in that field now though can unis discriminate?! No idea. Anyway well done to him getting a place of choosing.

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Monkey2001 · 09/09/2022 09:25

@Newgirls DS's GF from non-selective state school, postcode which meets Widening Participation, excellent GCSEs, 3xA* predictions (which she got), extra A in AS was rejected by Cambridge and Edinburgh, so not St Andrews, but I think there may be less positive discrimination than there was in the past at top universities.

Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 10:16

What subject was that monkey?

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Wbeezer · 09/09/2022 10:19

İ think we need to change the language from "rejected" to "unlucky in the lottery for a place" when it comes to applications to the most in demand unis, might take a bit of the emotional sting out of it.

Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 10:28

Yes!!

we’ve been looking at drama schools - the stats are terrifying. Such small intakes for the number of applications. There must be a point where the teachers just pick one out of equally suitable candidates

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Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 10:31

St Andrews is tiny - it has the worst acceptance rate of ANY uni including Oxford, Cambridge and LSE due to its size and not needing to take tests/interviews.

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Valleyofthedollymix · 09/09/2022 13:09

I couldn't agree more with comments re. lottery nature and how subject dependent it is at all the top universities. It's mad to think that, say Cambridge, has all the 'top' students when the difference in acceptance rates for different subjects is noted. A recent book about the Oxford chumocracy (Johnson, Cameron, Cummings etc) makes the point that when Boris Johnson got ithey accepted two out of every three for classics so the idea that they were some sort of elite entitled to rule is absurd.

Back to St Andrews. My son doesn't fulfill any widening participation criteria (au contraire) and didn't have stellar (2020) GSCEs. He didn't have amazing things to put on his personal statement but it did have a narrative - you could read it in a minute and it told a story I think students need to think less about cramming in every impressive thing and more about making the PS a good, clear read.

He was also not applying for a super-competitive subject. Far more impressive friends trying for computer science and economics were rejected. Or more accurately unlucky in the lottery for a place!

Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 13:26

For sure

if you compare the acceptance rates for Oxbridge classics say vs English… huge difference

if only BJ hadn’t got in - might have changed years of history

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Whalesong · 09/09/2022 14:08

Newgirls · 09/09/2022 08:53

I agree. Was it maths? Maths seems to have been the hardest and most popular course to get in anywhere this year. I heard of very talented kids from state schools with 9s and As getting just 1-2 offers. It isn’t helped by the fact they all seem to apply to the same places (Warwick, oxbridge, LSE etc). I wonder if girls have an advantage in that field now though can unis discriminate?! No idea. Anyway well done to him getting a place of choosing.

Yes it was Maths. He did come from a top independent but I don’t think that was the reason as others got in, to less competitive subjects. They sat on his application until the very end so I suspect they were hoping to be able to make him an offer. I agree with calling it a lottery.

Monkey2001 · 09/09/2022 14:35

Newgirls · 09/09/2022 10:16

What subject was that monkey?

Maths and Physics

Original poster
Newgirls · 09/09/2022 15:07

I think with the push to STEM, the uni places can’t keep up. Maths etc seems very tricky to get in.

St Andrews is trying to widen access - when you look at the stats of the seemingly high percentage of private school kids a lot of those are USA students. The kids I know who got in were all state school. It’s anecdotal of course but my friend with a son at a local boys private school said no one got St. Andrews tho loads put it down. Prob also mostly maths/economics again

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