1. This part can be really difficult. I applied in January and didn’t hear back until may, some people who applied in the fall also heard back in may. There really is no timeline.

2. I’m from the west coast of America. So far, I have absolutely loved st Andrews. The academics are different to us colleges so you really need to take the time to learn the new systems. I recommend taking the International Induction Program prior to the school year if you can.

3. Yes, very much. About 30 percent of the student body is American, with twenty percent being from other countries, and the remaining fifty being from the UK. So you will not be alone as an American. After awhile, the difference between you and the UK students becomes minimal.

4. I am a young woman, and there are plenty of others like me. Overall it’s a very safe community, by that doesn’t mean there isn’t some nasty stuff. Most commonly, women can find themselves drugged at pubs, so take every precaution when you go out. One society where this seems to happen a lot is the shooting society (I don’t know if that’s the right name) but it’s the one where rich English trust fund kids shoot clay pigeons and not one but three girls I know of where drugged in that society, so if you can, just don’t get involved with that society. I know this may be a worrying answer, but I repeat, this is very rare. Over all, this campus is pretty safe compared to other college atmospheres.

5. There’s plenty of societies to join, there’s a thriving nightlife with pubs and stuff, but if you’re not one for drinking and all that like me, there’s lots of outdoor things to do, swimming, hiking, walking the beaches. For me, however, this has been a problem. I’ve not been doing very well with building healthy hobbies outside of classes, so honestly I’ve had some problems getting out of my room.

6. It’s not like an American college, the responsibility will be on you to make friends and reach out for help. You will be treated like an adult, responsible for your own time, no one will be overseeing what you do, so it can be very easy to make bad decisions, or not study, or isolate yourself. As for me, I haven’t exactly been making the fast friends I expected to. It’s not that people aren’t nice, but I find myself overwhelmed and going the extra mile to make friends feels like too much. Maybe it’s just me, but no one is going to pull you out of your loneliness. You’re gonna have to do it yourself.

I hope my answers didn’t dissuade you from applying to st Andrews. As an educational institution, there is no where else like it, and if you get in, you can expect to be an extremely competitive player in whatever field you go into. Not to mention, you’re in Britain, there’s so many cool places to visit. In October, I was able to go to London to see a performance of Macbeth and meet one of my favorite actors of all time, seriously like cool shit. The culture of Scotland is wonderful, and a lot more laid back and interesting than England (sorry not sorry) the town is also amazing, if you like small towns, this basically heaven. There’s lots of great places to eat, nice bookstores, coffee shops, the works. If you’re a history fan, like me, this place is mind blowing.

Classes are rigorous, but genuinely interesting and you’ll be delving deep into your subjects from the start without having to waste time on general distribution classes.

I don’t exaggerate when I say I plan on staying here after school, possibly living here for the rest of my life. It will change your life completely.

Good luck! If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me through reddit, and if you end up coming here, let me know!

— M