The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Literary Studies: Edinburgh, Glasgow or St. Andrews?

Hello there,

I'm an Italian 19 year-old, who's just been accepted by the above-mentioned Scottish Universities. I've read a lot of articles and threads about them, especially on this website, but I still have difficulties to understand what's real and what's just prejudice or unfounded ideas.
I'm a very quiet person, so things like night life etc. don't really appeal to me. I'm much more interested in
1) the academical kind of life the uni would offer, its opennes and its care for its students,
2) the kind of people I'd meet (basically, social life apart from clubs and parties),
3) accomodation,
4) course's quality and future prospects.

When I talk about Literary Studies, I actually mean "Comparative Literature and English" at Glasgow and St Andrews universities, and "English" at Edinburgh.
As far as I can tell upon looking up some information on the web, I think St Andrews would be a good choice (very high-ranked, quiet and I'd have the chance to study both Comparative and English literature). But... I've heard people there can be quite posh and the place is rather elitist. And finding an accomodation that suits your needs without being too pricy is a real odyssey. Is that true? From what I've heard, the vibe of both Edinburgh and Glasgow would be more like me, even though I would do just fine in a smaller city. However, Edinburgh would not allow me to take Comparative Literature studies, and Glasgow is a little lower-ranked. But again, I've never actually been there, though I visited Edinburgh a couple of years ago and the city surely is beautiful.

I won't study music but I'm very keen to continue my classical vocal training wherever I decided to go. Do you reckon I'd find a suitable teacher in St Andrews or is it more likely to find one in Edinburgh/Glasgow?

If you're a student from one of these three universities, what would you say about them and about my worries?

Thank you all for reading this and, hopefully, answering :smile:

Filippo.
Well St Andrews is a bit posh, but everyone runs in their own circles so i'm sure you can find one that would fit you. I know that English Lit is very well known at Edinburgh. I would recommend either Edinburgh or St Andrews but i'm not too sure, it depends on how badly you want to study comparative literature. I think you would be able to find a classical vocal teacher easier in Edinburgh or Glasgow over St Andrews as St Andrews is still a small town of only 18,000 students.

I've attended St Andrews and the only thing I would ask you to make sure is that you really don't mind living in a small town for 4 years. It can get to some people being so isolated. Yes, people will tell you that there is always Dundee/Edinburgh a bus ride away but the truth is you won't be taking the bus to Dundee/Edinburgh more than a few times a semester.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the universities really.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 2
Avatar for Filippo T
Filippo T
OP
1
Original post by Okorange
Well St Andrews is a bit posh, but everyone runs in their own circles so i'm sure you can find one that would fit you. I know that English Lit is very well known at Edinburgh. I would recommend either Edinburgh or St Andrews but i'm not too sure, it depends on how badly you want to study comparative literature. I think you would be able to find a classical vocal teacher easier in Edinburgh or Glasgow over St Andrews as St Andrews is still a small town of only 18,000 students.

I've attended St Andrews and the only thing I would ask you to make sure is that you really don't mind living in a small town for 4 years. It can get to some people being so isolated. Yes, people will tell you that there is always Dundee/Edinburgh a bus ride away but the truth is you won't be taking the bus to Dundee/Edinburgh more than a few times a semester.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the universities really.


Thank you so much for your answer, it's really helpful :smile:
Could I ask you another couple of questions? This time, about accomodation at St Andrews:

1) I've looked up on the website the different accomodations provided by the University, and I actually find them all pretty expensive, apart from Albany Park. Being from Italy, I couldn't have a loan to pay for them, and that'd be incredibly difficult if I didn't get Albany Park. However, I've also noticed that the applying process starts on April 1, but since I've never been there I was waiting until April 15 (the open day at the Uni) to accept (or not) the offer. How quickly do the rooms of that accomodation go? Am I likely to get it after the visiting day?
2) How is Albany Park? Is it cheap because it's horrible or just because it would be quite normal for students to have money issues?
3) How easy is it to get a part-time job in St. Andrews? Anything would be okay, but I don't have much working experience (if we do not count volunteering at Oxfam).
Thank you again
Original post by Filippo T
Thank you so much for your answer, it's really helpful :smile:
Could I ask you another couple of questions? This time, about accomodation at St Andrews:

1) I've looked up on the website the different accomodations provided by the University, and I actually find them all pretty expensive, apart from Albany Park. Being from Italy, I couldn't have a loan to pay for them, and that'd be incredibly difficult if I didn't get Albany Park. However, I've also noticed that the applying process starts on April 1, but since I've never been there I was waiting until April 15 (the open day at the Uni) to accept (or not) the offer. How quickly do the rooms of that accomodation go? Am I likely to get it after the visiting day?
2) How is Albany Park? Is it cheap because it's horrible or just because it would be quite normal for students to have money issues?
3) How easy is it to get a part-time job in St. Andrews? Anything would be okay, but I don't have much working experience (if we do not count volunteering at Oxfam).
Thank you again


Well, all 1st years are guaranteed accommodation, in your application I would put Albany Park and then mention in the email you send them you really want Albany Park for financial reasons. I think they will secretly help you with that.

I've never lived in Albany Park but I can assume its reasonably good accommodation. I have plenty of friends who have part time jobs so I believe it shouldn't be too difficult to find something.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you