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Direct Enrollment: St. Andrews - St. Andrews University

Program Information

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Program Provider:

Direct Enrollment

Location:

St. Andrews, Scotland

Official Website:

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Language Requirement:

None

23 reviews

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Founded in 1413, the University of St Andrews is Scotland’s oldest university, and the third oldest in the English speaking world. The University is located in the mediaeval coastal town of St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland. The town, with its close-knit community, is very much our campus with University buildings interspersed with shops...

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Student Reviews

Administrator

01/19/12

Wellesley to St Andrews

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I'm incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad. That said, I do love Wellesley and studying here has made me realize that. St Andrews was a lot of fun for a semester, but I don't think I could do it for much longer; I really began to miss the small, close-knit, single-sex community at Wellesley. I had great conversations with my international flatmates ... view full review

Administrator

03/21/11

St. Andrews; A Perfect Fit

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1 of 1 people think this review is helpful

Most definitely. It basically fit exactly what I expected, academically, socially, and in all other respects. It's definitely widened my perspective a bit more, made me want to travel, and possibly study/live in the UK in the future. view full review

Claire_2567

01/06/12

St. Andrews - Love at First Sight

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It was so fulfilling to me to be at St. Andrews. I learned so much from the atmosphere there and from the different study style. I feel like I grew as both a student and as a person. I met some incredible people from all over the world and really realized what undergrad is supposed to be about - learning and growing as a person, and having tons of fun along the way! view full review

Averi 1

06/29/11

St Andrews: One of the Best Decisions

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1 of 1 people think this review is helpful

The Scottish educational system and the American educational system are comparable, and St Andrews is a strong institution in the UK. The courses I took were honors courses, and were challenging for the most part. One could really get out as much as one wanted to from each class. Some of the formatting however left a bit to be desired. I found the lectures in my Art Hi... view full review

Sarah Ross

02/06/11

St Andrews: You'll Never Want To Leave the Bubble

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Grades were on a very different scale from William and Mary, but being thrown in with the regular students of St Andrews, you get used to it. The amount of class-time was a fraction of what it is at W&M, whereas the reading list for each class is massive. After a few weeks, however, the change was welcome, and the amount of suggested reading gave opportunities for essay- a... view full review

Katie36

01/04/11

St Andrews: Tea, Biscuits, and So Much Love

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I loved everything about my academic experience at St Andrews. I would be wary about taking first-year (1000) level courses there, though, because I've heard from others that they are much more boring; huge class sizes, lectures...very different from Wellesley. It's really what you make of it, though. view full review

Carolyn1

10/20/10

St Andrews: Not a Place for Vegetarians or People Who Like Spending Time in Class

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1 of 1 people think this review is helpful

I was bored! I only had class two days a week, and felt completely unchallenged and unengaged in the two classes I took. I was also sort of offended by the British conception of American students as lazy and in need of a lot of hand-holding at the university level. British students are no more focused than their American counterparts, as far as I could tell, and as far as ... view full review

Anna Prendella

09/22/10

St Andrews: Academically Rewarding but Isolated

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The papers and final exam period were very intensive at this university and a nice challenge; otherwise there were not many hours of classtime and not as many readings as I'm used to. I really enjoyed classes and meeting with my professors, but St Andrews did not have as many weekly hours of academic involvement as Wellesley, which led me to feel understimulated. view full review

Emily16

09/21/10

St. Andrews, Scotland was best school experience ever! Didn't want to leave.

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Loved it. Made wonderful friends from all over Europe, got to travel on weekends, and had so much fun. Oh, and learned some academics on the side... view full review

Ashley Polasek

09/11/10

Bonny Scotland will Become a Part of You.

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Never miss the chance to have an adventure. You never know what you may find! I went to St. Andrews with high hopes and though the first few weeks were a tough adjustment, I eventually found people who remain dear friends still, four years later. My abroad experience impacted me to such an extent that I am now persuing my doctorate in the UK full time! view full review

Caryn

09/06/10

Spring in St Andrews

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It was very worthwhile. It was great to experience something that was very different from Wellesley. I became much more independent from doing a lot of traveling over spring break and weekends. It hasn't changed my future plans but I am very glad that I did it. view full review

Kim4

08/20/10

University of St. Andrews, Scotland: A Wonderfully and Unique Exerpience

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The University of St. Andrews has a very different grading and teaching style from my home university, with more of a focus on independent study, with little class time. I enjoyed having more free time and small group time to study the subjects on my own and bring my own ideas and opinions to the classroom. Figuring out what letter grade my grades would transfer to from ... view full review

Katie8

08/17/10

St. Andrews: The Gateway to Europe

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Any student who enjoys being a college student and doesn't want to lose a year/semester of that experience should look to do a direct enrollment such as St. Andrews. As well, they offer enough free time that traveling almost every weekend is more than possible. view full review

Victoria Doherty Munro

08/15/10

St Andrews Spring 2010

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As I said above, the instructional style at St Andrews is much more independently focused than it is at Wellesley. In some ways, that makes the workload a lot heavier, because professors expect you to find and keep on top of outside reading. In terms of assigned work, though, the workload is much lighter -- each of my classes had 2 papers and a final exam. The grading syst... view full review

Sarah12

08/10/10

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I met amazing people and was able to learn about and experience parts of the world I had previously only read about. Scotland is beautiful and fascinating and I would certainly do it over again. view full review

turnips

07/27/10

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The biggest shock to me, academically, perhaps had less to do with the international setting and more to do with the differences between a small college (what I had been used to) and a large university (St Andrews). view full review

Victoria Easter

07/08/10

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Looking back, I should have spent more time paging through books or hitting the stacks. Although I didn’t make the dean’s list or honor roll, I would say that studying abroad is the best place I’ve ever taken my academic career, but largely for extracurricular reasons. The freest schedule that I’ve ever had coupled with the most freedom I’ve ever had largely c... view full review

nataliem

06/28/10

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I was able to work very little for a A+ - B+ grade range, this was not the most academically challanging experience. This could be in part due to the British system of education given students were expected to do readings and research on their own. It required a lot of self motivation, which was difficult for me given I wanted to meet new friends and travel. view full review

Eddie

06/21/10

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Absolutely do it, It was one of the best experiences I've had. Definitely get to know the local students, don't just hang out with students you already know. Getting into pub quizzes is very fun, as are all the pubs in town. If you can, make it out to the Highlands, they are fantastic. view full review

nines

06/07/10

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Much was expected of the students. Because they had all been taking geosciences courses for the past 3 years, I felt a little behind and intimidated upon my arrival. However, the students and professors were more than willing to get me up to speed and by the end I was confident in my work and receiving the same grades as my colleagues. Since Wellesley is a liberal arts col... view full review

Debbie

06/01/10

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It was worthwhile as a travel experience, not as an educational experience. But the people are nice and welcoming. view full review

svanderb

05/30/10

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The workload typically consists of 2 essays throughout the semester and then one exam at the end that will count for around 50% of your final grade. Class sizes will tend to be in the hundreds in intro classes, whereas 3rd and 4th year classes will be about the size of Wellesley ones. However, there is certainly less student involvement in terms of asking questions or bein... view full review

CarolineCumings

03/16/10

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I loved my study abroad experience. It was the semester of a lifetime view full review

digitized review by Barnard

At this point I'd say that I can't consciously recognize any significant changes, but seeing as I'm still abroad and have yet to go back to people who knew me before I came over, there might be changes I've yet to realize.

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