University of St Andrews

Questions on St. Andrews - Prospective Study Abroad Student

Hello! Please bear with me. I've got a lot of questions!

I've posted in the other general university forum, but I've finally narrowed down my choices to St. Andrews and University of Sussex. So...I wanted to post in here to get a better sense of the school. I'm really drawn to the small size of the school, the classes offered, and the traditions that the school has.

I'm just having a hard time getting a grasp on the type of people that go to the school (because of what I've seen on some of the threads) and whether or not there are things to do at or near the school.

Just a little about me.
I go to UCLA which is a really large school and I now know that I prefer smaller schools.
I am going to be a 5th year, so I will be 22 when I go and I don't know if this will make things difficult for me? in terms of meeting people and such?
I am also Asian, and I've been reading some threads here and there about the stereotyping, so I was wondering if that is really that big of a problem.

Sorry if these sound like dumb questions, but I've never been to UK or even Europe before so I don't know much about the university culture over there. I'm just trying to get the best understanding of it as I can before I make my decision!

Thanks so much!! I appreciate any of the advice I can get!

Reply 1

Oxy

Uni of Sussex is good, if you want a good night life then Sussex wins. Coming from LA you might be used to a big city, there are regular buses from Uni of Sussex campus into Brighton town centre (30 min bus ride) which is an awesome place to go out!

St. Andrews is more prestigious then Uni of Sussex (being a Plate glass uni) vs. St. Andrews (Ancient uni) but Sussex is still good. It will really depend about what you want out of it.

You might find St. Andrews a bit small...

The Asian and age thing is not a problem.

University of St Andrews

Reply 2

shellyholmes

Original post by rrrrjjjj

I've posted in the other general university forum, but I've finally narrowed down my choices to St. Andrews and University of Sussex. So...I wanted to post in here to get a better sense of the school. I'm really drawn to the small size of the school, the classes offered, and the traditions that the school has.

Hi! I studied abroad *from* st andrews in my third year, visiting a university in virginia, and since then I've been very involved in the study abroad infrastructure here (some receptions, buddy system etc). This is still pretty new, but it's growing! I would predict absolutely zero problems with stereotyping based on your race or age (Stereotypes cling more to wardrobe- i.e. if you tend to wander around in hunter wellies and a barbour with backcombed hair the entire time, that will be stereotyped.) I'm 22 now, and many of my peers in fourth year are 23.

St Andrews is great fun for americans [to generalize based on my friends from there] because it's so historic, safe, and easy to get around in. While I have serious complaints about my academic department, chances are you're not a geographer, and in general you're unlikely to encounter problems in that area.

Overall, I'd encourage you to apply to St Andrews over Sussex :smile:

edit: if you have other questions about a comparison between teaching styles or anything, feel free to ask 'em.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

brownbear88

Definitely go for St Andrews. I'm also a former study abroad student (from St A's, studied abroad for a year at UC Berkeley), and there are good connections between Scottish and American universities, with long traditions and a similar teaching style. You'll certainly find more fellow Americans at St A's too.

I actually visited UCLA in 2010 and can safely say it is vastly different from St A's in almost every way! But I'd say within our respective countries, both have a similarly high reputation (top-10 ranking), which I can't say is true of Sussex..

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

rrrrjjjj

Hey @shelleyholmes and brownbear88
How is it traveling to other countries from St. Andrews?
I wanted to see other countries in Europe and I was wondering if it is possible to go on the weekends or if it would be too much of a hassle?
I am looking at my prospective classes and I can have a four day weekend if I get into the ones that I want.

Thanks so much you guys! I've been holding off on the decision, but St. Andrews sounds like a dream and I will probably choose it.