St Andrews: Tea, Biscuits, and So Much Love Past Review

By (American/United States Studies/Civilization., Wellesley College) for

University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I would do it again in a heartbeat. I miss parts of it and the people I met everyday and I can't wait to go back and visit sometime in the future.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

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.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

St Andrews seems to do pretty well with helping and being there for its student body. They have a building for Student Services where you can go and ask any sort of question and they'll help you out or give you information on how to proceed. There are also offices in the Student Union as well. Whenever I had questions or concerns, they were very nice and accommodating.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was great. I was in University Hall (Uni Hall love) in the Lumsden wing--it looks really ugly on the outside but it's great on the inside, practically a hotel. Almost all of the rooms here were singles, and someone came and emptied the trash everyday and vacuumed every week. The rooms in all the dorms come with sheets as well, so that was nice. I mostly loved housing, though, because that is how I met my core group of friends. All except for one lived on my floor and we became extremely close.

* Food:

It's dining hall food, so it's not fabulous, but anything is better than AVI Fresh. They always have a meat and vegetarian option, as well as sides, soup, and a dessert (also salad bar). For lunch you can make your own sandwich as well. Scottish people really like their potatoes so be prepared to have it a lot of different ways. The food is on a 3-week rotation, so you get to have variety as well as look forward to some of the good things (mushroom soup ftw). The only big complaint I have was that tea/hot drinks were only available at breakfast, even though the machines were there all the time. Very weird, especially because it gets cold so it would be really nice to have tea later as well.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Travel during Reading Week! I went to London, Bath, and York, and loved (almost) every minute of it. I also went on a day trip to the Scottish Highlands and went to Edinburgh a couple of times. Scotland is beautiful, so definitely try and take advantage of your surroundings. There is also an intense amount of history there, so there are a lot of interesting things to see. Also, go to a ceilideh, drink a pint of cider, take a walk on the West Sands, and have high tea. You can't do those things anywhere else!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

All Americans get assigned a doctor. I never got sick enough to need it, though, so I can't say how the services actually were. There is a small hospital in St Andrews, though, and a larger one in Dundee. There is absolutely no Health Center for the university, though, which I found rather unhelpful.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? The pound is the pound, so be smart. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. As long as you keep track of your expenses, you should be fine. I bought a Student Railcard and that saved me a lot of money--definitely a must if you are traveling on a train at some point. It only costs 30 pounds and you make it back in no time at all. Also, keep up to date with your library books; sounds really dumb but every day late is a pound and that can definitely add up.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? None

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

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  • International Students
  • Local Students
  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

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Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Heavenly Decade: The 1960s

Course Department: MO3513
Instructor: Gerard Degroot
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was possibly the best class I have ever taken, and definitely one of my favorites of all time. Jerry is an incredible professor and person; funny, caring, and immensely knowledgeable about the material. I looked forward to every class and really got into every assignment, especially the blog-option. This class was one of the reasons why I loved my time abroad.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Shakespeare and Film

Course Department: EN4404
Instructor: Andrew Murphy
Instruction Language: English
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: