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Higher education

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Original poster

Does anyone from down south go to St Andrews university? I didn't realise it was 50 miles away from Edinburgh?

254 replies

UlezSchmulez · 10/09/2023 17:14

Why do they call it At Andrews university Edinburgh when it's nowhere near Edinburgh!

It's 50 miles, 1 hour and 40 minutes by train.
If you're from Southern England do you just accept that you don't return for any weekend during term time.

Just thinking of booking an open day there but wondering if it's just too far?
Which is a shame as it's very highly rated for maths which my son wants to study.
Any thoughts?

OP posts:
DinnaeFashYersel · 10/09/2023 18:26

No one calls it St Andrews University Edinburgh. No one.

And yes loads of students from England go there.

Leuchars train station is a short bus ride from St Andrews. 12 minutes

Regular buses run to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee

Dundee Airport is 30 mins away and Edinburgh Airport 1 hour.

It's Fife, not the Twilight Zone.

RomaniIteDomum · 10/09/2023 18:27

CurlewKate · 10/09/2023 18:25

William went there partly because of the security, but also because royals with dodgy A Levels can't get away with Oxbridge any more, so he went to St As with all the other Oxbridge rejects....

Do I detect a hint of sour grapes?

You do realise StAs is one of the top universities in the country and has actually overtaken Oxbridge this year?

DinnaeFashYersel · 10/09/2023 18:29

Silverdogblue · 10/09/2023 17:36

Out of curiosity, what is the best way to get there by public transport? Or do students drive?

My knowledge of Scottish geography is woeful but doing a road trip to Alness later this year! Probably not via St Andrews…

Train to Leuchars then a short local bus ride

Bus

Fly to Edinburgh or Dundee then bus or train

Baldieheid · 10/09/2023 18:32

RomaniIteDomum · 10/09/2023 18:23

Well we are St Andrews. I mean we're not just Fifers, we are elite Fifers. (Well those of us who arnae incomers)

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Ooooh get you, all posh and that!

It's all a bit post industrial devastation round my bit, alas..

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 10/09/2023 18:32

Completely derailing the thread, but Fisher and Donaldson's coffee towers are sublime.

Baldieheid · 10/09/2023 18:33

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 10/09/2023 18:32

Completely derailing the thread, but Fisher and Donaldson's coffee towers are sublime.

Oh god, did you have to tell me that?

Now I want one.

RomaniIteDomum · 10/09/2023 18:34

It's all about the pies people!

SuperiorM · 10/09/2023 18:36

It’s popular - esp with independent schools. The poshest couple I know and one posh royal couple we all know of met there.

A friend’s husband taught there about 10 years ago. She hated it there, half Italian and a quarter German, she found the weather unbearably cold.

thaegumathteth · 10/09/2023 18:36

@RomaniIteDomum don't be ridiculous. Nobody who lives here has a job as exotic as being a photographer. I think wee Jimmy fae Anstruther does a good drawing on slate though.

hittingtheshelves · 10/09/2023 18:36

Jesus fucking Christ. It's comments like these that make me realise I don't miss living in 'the south' (as if it's one homogenous place) at all. Please stay where you are.

UsingChangeofName · 10/09/2023 18:37

I mean, I have to agree with everyone else.
Who are these "they" that are saying St Andrews University Edinburgh ? Confused
I wouldn't claim Geography is a strong point of mine, I'm not Scottish, and I've never been to St Andrews, but even I was aware they are 2 completely separate places.

Oh, and all of my dc have been much shorter distances than that, but the starting point is that I didn't expect any of them to just pop home for a weekend.

Bideshi · 10/09/2023 18:38

DupontsYellowDressingGown · 10/09/2023 17:41

The geography of Scotland (and Wales and NI probably) seems to be a mystery to a lot of people in the south east of England!

This reminded me of a friend was was a stringer for a national newspaper and lived in Hawick. He had a phone call late one morning saying there was something going on in Fort William and if he was free could he pop up after lunch to check it out.
St Andrews has been in St Andrews since 1410 so not really a surprise that it's not in Edinburgh.

CopperLion · 10/09/2023 18:38

@LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand what’s a coffee tower??

RomaniIteDomum · 10/09/2023 18:40

thaegumathteth · 10/09/2023 18:36

@RomaniIteDomum don't be ridiculous. Nobody who lives here has a job as exotic as being a photographer. I think wee Jimmy fae Anstruther does a good drawing on slate though.

No there's a boy in Crail got a box brownie - latest technology!

ohboohoo · 10/09/2023 18:41

ShellySarah · 10/09/2023 17:24

Oh dear. How do people not know this. It's your sons choice why isn't he deciding if he wants to be there without your input and where to apply to?

How do people not know what? Exactly where St Andrews is? Why would anyone be born with this knowledge? Surely people learn this sort of random info only when they need to

thaegumathteth · 10/09/2023 18:41

CopperLion · 10/09/2023 18:38

@LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand what’s a coffee tower??

Coffee towers

Does anyone from down south go to St Andrews university? I didn't realise it was 50 miles away from Edinburgh?
RomaniIteDomum · 10/09/2023 18:42

CopperLion · 10/09/2023 18:38

@LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand what’s a coffee tower??

www.fisheranddonaldson.com/product-page/box-of-4-coffee-towers-frozen

thaegumathteth · 10/09/2023 18:43

@RomaniIteDomum that is brand new information!

Baldieheid · 10/09/2023 18:45

Bideshi · 10/09/2023 18:38

This reminded me of a friend was was a stringer for a national newspaper and lived in Hawick. He had a phone call late one morning saying there was something going on in Fort William and if he was free could he pop up after lunch to check it out.
St Andrews has been in St Andrews since 1410 so not really a surprise that it's not in Edinburgh.

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I remember seeing a tv show about the cruise ships that dock on Orkney - this ship was going to be there for 5 hours, I believe, before it headed off to other shores.

This american couple got off it and asked a taxi to take them to Edinburgh Castle.

I'm not sure they even realised they were on an island, never mind just how long it would take to get off it and drive down the mainland to Edinburgh.

At least they were from a whole other continent, not just from the other end of a large island.....

Baldieheid · 10/09/2023 18:46

thaegumathteth · 10/09/2023 18:41

Coffee towers

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You rotten sods.

I'm on a diet.....or at least, I WAS...................

AvocadotoastORahouse · 10/09/2023 18:48

Why do they call it At Andrews university Edinburgh when it's nowhere near Edinburgh!

They don't. Confused

They are completely different universities in completely different areas.

God knows what you're reading but it's wrong.

Ps I'm Scottish and went to one of the Unis involved here!

AvocadotoastORahouse · 10/09/2023 18:53

SauvignonBlanche · 10/09/2023 17:45

Thanks goodness it’s Maths not Geography that he wants to study.

St Andrews’s University has been in St Andrews since 1413, I can’t imagine them moving it to Edinburgh any time soon. 😆

Quite!

LetMeEnfoldYou · 10/09/2023 18:55

DupontsYellowDressingGown · 10/09/2023 17:41

The geography of Scotland (and Wales and NI probably) seems to be a mystery to a lot of people in the south east of England!

I live in St Andrews and to be fair the geography of England is mostly a mystery to me.

wordler · 10/09/2023 18:56

Most students don’t come home for weekends during term time - it’s too much fun at the weekend. It’s only ten weeks in a term.

St Andrew’s is a really good university - if your son gets in he’ll have a fantastic time.

Angeldelightful · 10/09/2023 18:58

I’m on a train heading to London after a weekend in Edinburgh

on the way out the train was meant to go have final destination Aberdeen, stopping at Leuchars en route. As soon as we headed off they said actually the train would terminate at Edinburgh because of lack of staff. Rail replacement bus for anyone going further including a lot of SA freshers

on the way home the train that was meant to have started in Aberdeen and gone on via Leuchars was also cancelled for same reason and this time started in Edinburgh- nice for us as we were joining in Edin and train was empty, crap for anyone starting their journey further north

bear in mind these kind of travel nightmares are more and more the norm as well as checking that St Andrew’s is not a suburb of Edin before you apply from the south