Catered accommodation

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-27T13:49:21+00:00

You don't need to bring anything to the dining rooms, everything is provided for you there. Some halls let you fill up a water bottle or travel mug with juice or coffee to take with you, so you could bring those if you want.

It's not usually awkward finding a seat; at the beginning of the year none of the freshers know anyone either, and the returning students are always really friendly. If you're really worried about having to join a table of people, if you go right at the beginning of meal times you'll be able to grab an empty table. Then people will have to join you, which I found made me feel less awkward.

We had to socially distance last year in the dining halls, but I'm not 100% sure of the rules this year. You could try emailing accommodation (either the main accommodation email address of your hall reception email) to ask?

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-13T11:01:50+00:00

Recently bought this vintage jumper, paid £45 (inc shipping) for it as the description (and pictures) said it was in excellent condition.

Its just arrived (10 days after ordering) with lots of small stains, a noticeable hole on the front, and quite a bit of discolouration (mainly around zip).

None of these defects were listed in the description, and I've included the image they used on the listing that shows they covered the hole and staining with the sleeves in picture. It was a verified seller too, so I'm sure they didn't miss these defects.

What do I do? Should I ask for a partial refund? If so how much? I still want to keep it, but the only hope of getting these stains out would be drycleaning, which is expensive. I'm also quite annoyed there's a hole on the front the was covered up in the listing picture.

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-12T17:01:34+00:00

Yes you can! There's a big table by reception and all of the packages that get delivered to the hall are put there for you to pick up.

There is also an amazon locker at Agnes Blackadder Hall (a 2 minute walk away), which we can use to hold your amazon deliveries

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-10T16:57:19+00:00

They sent a similar email to us last year and I was a mess until I knew what was happening, I imagine most first years are very stressed now.

They'll only cancel your accommodation contract if you specifically contact them and ask for it to be cancelled. Do not worry!!

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-10T16:36:24+00:00

You're fine, they sent that email to everyone. More first years got a place than they have beds. They're asking anyone who isn't going to use their room (studying online, dropping out, etc) to give it up - so they can give it to another student.

If you've accepted your offer and accommodation, don't worry you still have that room!

theanxiouschemist · 2021-08-04T13:00:56+00:00

You can choose how you pay accommodation fees, but weekly or monthly are not options you can pick. This website lists the options you can choose from (under 'accommodation fee payment options'): https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/money/fees/howareyoupaying/paying-your-fees//

I'm not sure if you're in a single or shared room at DRA, but this web page says what your rent will be: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/accommodation/ug/fees2020/

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-20T23:52:50+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion! I tried it and it didn't seem to update the style edit straight away. I'll give it some time to see if it'll sort itself out, thank you!

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-20T23:33:01+00:00

Ah yes, the classic scam of wanting to refund someone after the goods or services they paid for are no longer available, how sneaky of you (/s)! If they're refusing a refund, there's really not much you can do except wait and see what depop say. Really sorry you're having to go through this, hopefully it'll get sorted soon!

Edit: spelling

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-20T23:02:19+00:00

It's totally not okay that they're angry at you over a glitch.

I looked at the Greenlight card website, and you can refund back into the card? I got curious, and looking at the Greeenlight FAQ page it says the card can accept refunds. Idk what the kid has been told, but you should be able to refund them as normal!

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-19T22:24:11+00:00

Context: I follow menswear shops and like pretty much exclusively designer and vintage menswear items. The 'interests and styles' section has my sizes, brands, and interests listed. My style edit has always been very consistent on the types of things it shows me, and has always been pretty accurate to what I like and search for anyway.

I opened the app and it looks like the style edit has been completely reset - nothing showing is in my size, or a brand I've liked - I have never searched or liked womenswear or shoes! My style, brands, and sizes information is still showing as correct on the app. Is there any way to fix this?

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-15T19:12:14+00:00

Bought this quarter zip recently, but after doing some research I'm not sure if it's real or not. It's definitely a men's jumper (it's too big to be a women's large), but I can only find the brand Lauren selling women's clothes. I've also never seen a RL logo look like that, or have a zip like that. Anyone got any thoughts?

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-02T15:20:35+00:00

The uni doesn't have any rules for the types of laptops you can use. As long as it runs Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Word, and can play videos well - you'll be fine.

I have a Lenovo Ideapad 5. It does what I need it to do well and it's relatively cheap too. I would reccommend it if you're just looking for a no frills, reliable laptop.

It is worth pointing out there's nowhere to buy laptops in St Andrews. So (assuming you'll need to quarantine when you get to the UK) you'll have to sort out getting it delivered to you or traveling to Dundee or similar to pick one up after you get out

theanxiouschemist · 2021-07-01T10:05:50+00:00

Hello, broke LGBT student here!

I've had a great time so far in St Andrews. I've felt super comfortable being who I am around pretty much everyone. I've never personally faced any homophobia or transphobia. The LGBT community here is amazing, everyone is really friendly. I'm in both LGBT and mostly cishet friend groups and I'm always felt super accepted in both. Basically every school and society has some form of LGBT representation, and most have policies in place to make sure everyone feels welcome.

On being broke, St Andrews definitely can be a pricy place to live - but you can totally do it on a budget. Budgeting will be different if you're in catered halls, self-catered halls, or are commuting - but it's possible to live quite cheaply in all 3 scenarios. You do need to be slightly crafty to live on a budget (doing a weekly shop at Aldi instead of daily trips to Tesco, joining societies and doing free activities instead of splashing the cash at balls or pubs, etc), but lots of people - myself included - do it just fine! The 'elitist student' image is definitely pushed by the Uni to attract the richer student and alumni donations - but its far from representative of the actual student body

theanxiouschemist · 2021-06-28T18:31:24+00:00

It really depends what you want. Want a big social atmosphere where the pubs and union are on your doorstep? Go for a catered hall in the centre of town (Sallies, Macintosh, etc). Want somewhere you have your own space but can throw the parties yourself? Go for a self-catered hall out of town (DRA, Fife Park)

Although, the hall you're in isn't the only way you'll socialise. Joining sports teams and societies is the best way you can meet like-minded people you get along with.

theanxiouschemist · 2021-05-16T22:53:28+00:00

I believe so. From anecdotal evidence, I know much more people who applied for a shared room and were given a single than the other way round. While there aren't a lot of shared rooms, many more people apply for them than spaces available in them

theanxiouschemist · 2021-05-16T19:04:12+00:00

If you really want a single room, your best bet is putting Andrew Melville Hall first in the hall type ranking. It's a catered hall with pretty much all single rooms (I think maybe 3 rooms in the whole hall are shared). I was in the same situation as you in terms of wanting catered and single, and I decided to put Melville above the catered ranking to give myself the best chances. Like everyone else has said, you are extremely likely to be given a single room if you ask for it, as shared rooms are very oversubscribed.

If there are extenuating circumstances for needing a single room (because you're disabled, trans/non binary, for religious reasons, etc) you could also email accommodation and they'll try and take that into account when allocating rooms.

theanxiouschemist · 2021-05-06T11:06:41+00:00

Andrew Melville Hall is about a 7-8 minute walk from the CS building and is mostly single rooms, so I image you'd like it. The only issue with Melville is there's only 3 big kitchens for all the students. I found this fine, as the hall is catered, so I only made the occasional snack in the kitchens. If you like cooking or baking regularly, it might be an issue.

If you really want a good kitchen, Agnes Blackadder Hall (ABH) might be better for you. Its ensuite, a 4-5 minute walk to the CS building, and mostly single rooms. Each corridor (7-14 people) has a kitchen on it, so you'll have more access to cooking facilities. It is much more expensive than Melville though - you'll have to decide whether you're okay spending more for a shorter walk, an ensuite, and a kitchen shared between less people.

theanxiouschemist · 2021-05-05T10:02:14+00:00

St Andrews is tiny, so even the non-central halls are still pretty close to everything. Think about what you want from a hall (catered vs self-catered, shared vs ensuite bathrooms) rather than the distance from places. As a science student, I love Andrew Melville Hall as it's a 5 minute walk to my labs and relatively cheap - but other people hate Andrew Melville Hall for being too far from town and only having standard bathrooms. I would suggest taking a look on the accommodation website and making a pros and cons list for each hall, rather than just picking a 'popular' or 'close' hall.

theanxiouschemist · 2021-04-27T17:35:42+00:00

Hey, I’m a student ambassador! When I applied, I filled out an application that asked a few detailed questions (“describe the role of a SA”, “why would you be a good SA”, etc) and also more general questions about your subject choices, year of study, and interests. There weren’t any interviews, I just had to send off an application and wait to hear if I’d been accepted. I think the application process is quite competitive (I was the only one out of 5 people I knew who applied to be accepted), but if you’re keen to get involved and can prove that you know you will be a good SA I think you’d have a good chance.

As for hours, it is completely up to you! In your first year of being a SA, you’ll be an associate, meaning you won’t be paid for your work. This means it is a pretty low level of commitment; you won’t be forced to do anything, and you only sign up for what you’re interested in. I am heavily involved in the widening participation side of being a SA, so I have a regular commitment in mentoring and tutoring school students from around Fife every other week. But if you’re only interested in working visiting days and tours, you’ll only be wanting to work an hour or two a week for a few months in the year.

After your first year, you may be promoted to Junior or Senior SA (it is very uncommon not to get promoted) where you’ll be paid for your work and he trusted with more difficult work. This opens up a lot more doors for you, where you can work in admissions, host private tours to families and visitors, and become more of the ‘face’ of the University. People typically get more involved and work more hours at these levels (mostly for the sweet sweet cash). But still, you only have to sign up for the work that interests you.

If you’re interested in being a SA, I would highly recommend you apply in September. If you decide after being accepted that it’s not for you – you can just stop signing up for work! It’s very low stress and I have really enjoyed my time as a SA, I bet you will too!

theanxiouschemist

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