st andrews generally...

[jeffrey_leow]

following a thread that was in warwick section...

how do students find life at st andrews? are students overloaded with assignments or do they generally have a sociable, active lifestyle engaging in sports/hobbies/music/etc..

hows the school culture like.i know st andrews is hot on gowns. whats that about ? =)

does the whole town just revolve around the university. i.e. amenties and services pertaining to mainly university, eg bookshops, cheap food places, etc..

hows the pollution? is the air good?

is there a lot of scenery? mountains? lakes?

what about the weather? is it a temperate climate? are there summers? or is it freaking cold as i heard frmo my friends. does it rain often like manchester? does it snow?

anyone familiar with st andrews welcome to comment . thanks!!

[ouzo]

not overly heavy workload so should have plenty of time for socialising, but facilities are pretty limited, music venues etc. town is aimed at students in the winter, golf tourists in the summer, the only book shop that sells text books is in the union. good air-but smells sometimes because of the sea. is cold and windy mostly, summer pretty much same as winter, not wet like manchester though. no lakes or mountains, it's by the sea.

[jeffrey_leow]

hows the sporting scene.

[caster]

are students overloaded with assignments

No, there is little specific "marked" written work during termtime, and no PBL, so you can use your time how you wish. You do need to do a certain amount of reading, and it is advisable to do this "as you go along" so that you don't end up with loads to do leading up to exams, however, it is by no means a heavy workload, and you will have plenty of time to do other activities.

do they generally have a sociable, active lifestyle engaging in sports/hobbies/music/etc..

Yes. There are all sorts of different societies and sports clubs, ranging from the standard (football, rugby, orchestra, etc) to the more unusual (ultimate frisbee, Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Appreciation Society). Look at the Students Association website (for societies) and Athletic Union website (for sports clubs) to see the full range.

The music department is very active. St Andrews used to do an honours BMus degree. Around 10-20 years ago they stopped teaching honours music, however they still have an academic music department, and lots of different kinds of choirs, orchestras and ensembles, ranging from the semi-professional to the "just for fun". There are also all kinds of vocal and musical tuition on offer. The advantage of this over other universities with active music departments is that there are no actual music students, meaning that it is easy for students from other disciplines to become actively involved in the music department. More information on the Music Department website.

In a similar way, drama is not taught as such at the university, but there are lots of opportunities for students from all disciplines to be involved in amateur dramatics of all types, from small modern one-act plays, through Shakespeare, and classical drama to musicals and panto. The drama department of the Students' Association (which is called Mermaids) provides funding for various small groups to produce plays. There are therefore numerous productions every term, and plenty of chance to get involved. Even if you don't like performing or being involved backstage, it provides for a wide-ranging and inexpensive cultural scene for the audiences who watch these plays - many of which are of a very high standard. More info from Mermaids website.

hows the school culture like.

The word "school" is never used to describe the university in St Andrews. The university culture is fairly traditional and conservative. Most students tend to be interested in preserving the traditional university culture, including gowns, Raisin weekend, academic parents, the May Dip, the university chapel, the pier walk, the traditional residential system, etc. It tends to be fairly inward-looking and once you are here, it is a world of its own - there is little contact with the "outside world".

There are lots of cultural activities, including the theatre, musical recitations in the Younger Hall, and the cinema (which is an independent cinema, showing a range of some current releases mixed with some foreign-language, art and classic films).

People tend to be very friendly. Everyone walks everywhere (it is easier than finding somewhere to park), meaning you bump into people on the street unexpectedly very often. It is a very sociable town where everyone knows everyone else and their business... though some people find this too much and it is maybe not so good if you are quite a reclusive person.

i know st andrews is hot on gowns. whats that about

The undergraduate United College gowns are bright red, differing from other universities. Unlike other universities, where the undergraduate gown is rarely, if ever, worn, St Andrews students wear their gowns regularly for formal dinners in Hall, chapel services, debates, and exams (though the practice of wearing gowns for exams is dying out these days). The students tend to be keen to wear them because, as I said above, they tend to be keen on tradition and preserving historic customs... The wearing of a gown is also used as proof of your student status, and gown wearers can therefore take advantage of various local special offers and bye-laws, eg admission to some golf tournaments and the Castle. Gown-wearing students also have priority over vehicular traffic in the town.

The undergraduate United College gowns are historically red to stand out, so as to prevent students from entering public houses and "houses of ill-repute" without being spotted as an undergraduate gown and thrown out.

There are also black gowns with hoods which are worn by graduates of the university (this is what you will wear to your graduation ceremony). Students of St Mary's College wear black gowns with purple crosses on them. If you don't understand the collegiate system and difference between St Mary's College and the United College, see this previous thread.

does the whole town just revolve around the university. i.e. amenties and services pertaining to mainly university, eg bookshops, cheap food places, etc..

The three main client groups to whom the town amenities cater are students, golfers (or golfers' wives) and tourists. This means that, yes, the town does (during termtime) basically revolve around students. This means there are a lot of pubs/bars, cafés and restaurants - not all of them particularly cheap as they are also trying to serve the tourist/golfing market who tend to have a lot of money. Also, many St Andrews students are quite affluent. There are also a large number of (very good quality) charity shops (selling second-hand goods to raise money for charity). Two of these sell only second-hand books. There is also a Tesco Metro (supermarket) in the centre of town, which is well stocked for things which students might want.

hows the pollution? is the air good?

St Andrews is on the sea. There is no industry, smoke or any other source of air pollution locally. The air is very clean and fresh.

is there a lot of scenery? mountains? lakes?

There is lots of sea. There are several clean beaches which are about a minute's walk from the centre of the town. Lots of historic buildings (ruined cathedral and castle, old city walls, cobbled streets and wynds, gothic university architecture, etc). There are mountains which you can see in the distance, but Fife itself is quite flat. St Andrews is mainly surrounded by flat farmland, which is pleasant but not breath-taking.

what about the weather?

St Andrews itself is very dry. It is rarely cloudy, and there is a lot of direct sunlight, however it is fairly windy and doesn't get terribly hot. It doesn't rain much, and doesn't snow very heavily in winter. Central Fife (nearby) is much colder and gets lots of snow in winter, but St Andrews itself is kept temperate in winter by its proximity to the sea. It is dry, clear, crisp, cold and breezy.

does it rain often like manchester?

Yes. Manchester has the average total rainfall for the UK, however, it is spread out over the whole year, meaning that it never rains very heavily, but it rains a bit most days. It is fairly cloudy and grey. It is warmer than St Andrews, but gets little direct sunlight. Manchester is a very different place from St Andrews - almost the complete opposite!

[jeffrey_leow]

maybe u can help post in the manchester forum. on "manchester generally..."

[jigger]

gown wearers can therefore take advantage of various local special offers and bye-laws, eg admission to some golf tournaments and the Castle. Gown-wearing students also have priority over vehicular traffic in the town.

I strongly recommend you don't push your luck with this bye-law. It might be the same sort of thing as for example being allowed to kill Scottish People in York as long as you use bow and arrow and they are riding on your pigs etc. These laws aren't really in use anymore so, if you walk onto a road with a gown on and a car is coming, fully expect to be run-over.
Also, don't wear gowns for golf tournaments, just take your student card, because they are not practical for swinging golf clubs.

The undergraduate United College gowns are historically red to stand out, so as to prevent students from entering public houses and "houses of ill-repute" without being spotted as an undergraduate gown and thrown out.

- is this with reference to the Stables?

The three main client groups to whom the town amenities cater are students, golfers (or golfers' wives) and tourists.

- what would Michelle Wie think of this horribly old-fashioned view point?

There are mountains which you can see in the distance, but Fife itself is quite flat. St Andrews is mainly surrounded by flat farmland, which is pleasant but not breath-taking.

2 lakes in St.Andrews-the duck pond and the one on the 15th of the Eden Golf course, oh and one in the new hall/ andrew melville fields I believe.
1 mountain-Hallowhill, also the extinct volcano-Law Hill located in nearby Dundee.


Hope this quote thing comes out appropriately I am very poor at this sort of thing.

[caster]

Also, don't wear gowns for golf tournaments, just take your student card, because they are not practical for swinging golf clubs.

I meant for watching golf, rather than playing... You get in free if you wear your gown, and also have your photograph taken by lots of tourists.

[kwatt26]

I wonder... Is it true that St. Andrew's students are so affluent that people feel miserable when they don't have enough money? All speculation though, which is why I've ignored it up to now

[X]

christ caster - ur a guru

[caster]

Is it true that St. Andrew's students are so affluent that people feel miserable when they don't have enough money?

There are some very affluent St Andrews students. However, there are also plenty of less affluent students - it isn't like everyone has masses of money. St Andrews is not a particularly expensive place to live - the main expenses are accommodation (which can be very pricey) and travel to St Andrews (depends where you are travelling from).

You don't have to pay any transport costs within the town (eg bus, taxi, petrol for car, etc) because it is so small there is no real point - meaning it is cheaper in this respect than other places. There is a free late-night bus from the Students' Association to the outlying Halls if you are worried about walking back on your own. There are no large shops, so "going shopping" isn't really a leisure activity amongst St Andrews students.

If you live in Hall, then all your food is provided (including lunches) except for an evening meal on Saturday/Sunday. If you will miss a lunch, you can order a packed lunch in advance in most Halls. Therefore you do not need to spend much on food.

The library is fairly well stocked if you are prepared to work in the library. Alternatively, there are several second-hand book shops, where you can purchase many course texts at reduced prices. There are also a lot of (good quality) charity shops where many students do most of their clothes shopping.

Many students socialise within the various societies and/or sports clubs. Often there will be parties and other social events held by the society, as well as the main activities that they run. This is also a good way to meet people with similar interests to yourself who you might not meet otherwise. There is a large range of different societies - there will probably be several which interest you. These usually have an annual subscription of £2-3, which is quite reasonable considering that this can provide most of your social life for the rest of the year. Some sports clubs cost more due to equipment costs, etc.

If you live in Hall there will also be various social activities run by the Hall, the cost of which is covered in your Hall Subs.

Pubs and cafés vary in their prices - but most of them charge similar prices to other parts of the UK (though some are expensive). Several cafés and restaurants have special deals for students if you go at certain times of the day. Obviously this is not a compulsory expense, and you can choose which ones you go to, and how much you spend. The lack of any nightclubs means you will not spend anything on nightclub admission charges.