St Andrews into 2021 (new thread)

[Newgirls]

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!

@Newgirls DS got Old Wing too, B floor (boys), is your DD on A floor? Maybe not as many applied as we feared, or maybe the 2021 first years will be sent to Dundee! I think a lot of people are not actually planning to stay in hall, but great relief to know that is sorted.

Me too! DD still in AMH, but one floor higher and should have an even nicer view . What a relief.

Accommodation sorted here too. Phew!

Good news all round!!

She’s in C in old wing monkey so surely they will meet next year?!!

Still waiting here.
Congratulations to your DC getting their accommodation sorted - it’ll be such a relief for them (and you)

Which accom are you waiting for id?

DRA. She’s put in with a group, so just have to hope they get it. As sorting out other accommodation looks like a nightmare!

Glad to hear accommodation is sorted for most. Fingers crossed for your dd @idsisatwat.

She’s just heard, not good news. It’s oversubscribed so she’s got a choice of standard single at either university hall/ st regs/John Burnett.
Single en-suite catered at ABH or the same at DRA.
Or go on the waiting list - but they’ve said that very few students have declined their offers.
So I think she’s going to pick DRA.

DRA halls have apartments, don’t they? Weren’t they offered those as a group? If not it’s not the end of the world. My stepson didn’t particularly get on with his flatmates in his first year, but still made lots of friends and hung about with them.

She’s in DRA currently, but self catered. I don’t know what the set up is for the catered students. I’m hoping they’ve got a small kitchen as she’s a bit fussy, so will probably end up making some food anyway.
I can’t see them offering her usual breakfast of pesto & cheese on toast - she spreads the pesto like butter!

Sorry to hear that @idsisatwat, such a pain when everyone else seems to be getting what they want.

Can she accept but stay on waiting list for S/C? I think a lot of students will withdraw as they were encouraged to apply as a safety net.

There is general confidence that private accommodation will be coming up soon.

Sorry to hear that idsisatwat. For what it's worth, DD is about as fussy as they come and has coped absolutely fine with catered halls in semester 1.

And even in AMH (which is very much not self catered) they do have access to kitchen, fridges etc, although they are on the central corridor, rather than within the households.

I feel sure some will now release their places.

She’s very welcome over at uni hall with some of our gang of course!

If she is thinking about University Hall, may be best ask for Old Wing (with us) or Wardlaw rather than Lumsden kitchens are tiny and DS said the rings don't work in his. She would have the kitchen to herself most days!

Menus here - www.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommodation/catering/catered/menu/

They definitely had little kitchens with toasters etc in wardlaw.

I’m sure she’d be fine to go for toast and take pesto with her into dining halls. Hopefully it will work out with the flats though 🙏

There are definitely kitchen/ lounge areas in DRA flats. My DS was catered there in first year and really enjoyed it. There was a good choice of food and he said the breakfasts were fab.

DS was in Regs before he came home for lockdown. They had access to a very small kitchen but the catering was very good with apparently more choice than other halls because Regs caters for students with allergies. Possibly better for a fussy eater?

Dd didn’t get her group accommodation choice either. She is having to go back to catered at ABH. None of her group like the food so wanted self catered.

Thanks everyone. She’s picked the option of catered at DRA, but am not sure when she finds out if she’s actually got a place. As they have until 5pm on Wednesday to decide, I’m going to assume it should be quite quick.
We’ve been looking at other options. Ayton house and east sands accommodation look possible. Though it’s not cheap as they’re 51 week contracts. So it works out a similar cost to the catered option at DRA. One of the flat mates is a bit worried, as even the maximum maintenance loan only just covers those costs.

@idsisatwat isn't the Open in St Andrews next summer? I wonder if they would reduce the contract lengths so they can charge golfers megabucks. Or your DD and friends could get jobs in the summer with the tourist boost from the Open.

@haggisaggis sorry your DD missed out too.

Is there any difference between the catered flats and the S/C flats? I assume they need a certain number of the flats to be catered to keep the kitchens running, but it seems to me like they should make the whole of DRA S/C and the catered people could all go to ABH. I think S/C is more popular than catered in general and, as @idsisatwat said, the cost of catered DRA is prohibitive - could the students lobby the Student Association? Dan has held up affordable housing as one of his "things". People who are struggling can apply for a bursary.

Should 1st years have applied for accommodation already? DD has a provisional place so should she apply now?

No not yet ginger - don’t worry they make it all very painless. First years are guaranteed accom. St a is unusual in that it has a lot of halls etc so students stay in uni accom for years if they like

That’s a really good idea @Monkey2001 DD has both retail and catering experience, so she should be in with a chance of getting work.