This is not a reply but a new discussion.
As a parent of a 1st year, I have a few questions at the University which maybe someone can address:
(1)The university has been in the news because of the two sex attacks in one academic year. It is good to see that there is a free bus running between 22.00-02.00 am every evening to DRA furing exam time. Will this be a permanent feature due to the poor public tranport links and the significant distance once the Scottish winter returns? Will there be a regular update on attempts to find the attackers, and if so why not? This is a small town and these things do not go away unless solved. I am a very worried parent. It was rather disappointing to see yet another banal article in the foreign press (NY Times) in the same time frame about the wow factor and draw of Will/Kate and nothing about this.
(2) The semester dates (when did we stop having terms?) seem geared up to the large US student population and ill fitted to the home market e.g. students elsewhere in the UK/EU who get an Easter break to study or be with their families. Why no holiday over Easter just before exams but two revision weeks later? I might be wrong but it seems a bit of out of sync with other Scottish universities as well.It is also fairly ill suited to late August or September internships for home students.
(3) St Andrews and the graduate employment market especially the home market-how much does the university do to push this? It seems that many students return to their respective countries which may skew statistics. That is fine but where do they end up at home? Now with a child at St Andrews and not having had to think about it before, I have become concerned by their absence in the circles in which we and others we know work where most people come from certain Cambrdige colleges, certain Oxford colleges, LSE, UCL, Nottingham, Manchester, Warwick, Leeds, Kings, Imperial, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the order is very interchangeable. Do not assume that the first unis listed here will pip gradautes from any of the others and that includes amongst my peers and new graduates.So where are they? I need to know where their employment strengths lie so I can help. Which employers like St Andrews? They are often not in the drop down list for internships etc. Everyone says great, your child is at St Andrews but I am worried that that means great for reasons not connected to the job market.
(4) Accommodation outside hall -why is it so poor (scarce and not brilliant) even by London student standards which might be the worst? A walk round the town and it all looks rather damp with many a building in need of a good overall-so best to stay in hall if on ecan but that is not the univeristy experience. Comments?