UCL or St Andrews for History? (Pros/Cons?)

I'm really stuck on which university to firm! Could any current/graduate students from either university or people considering going there pitch in their opinions / pros and cons? In terms of offers there's not much between them, I really like the flexibility of the St A's course but I love History so although the extra subjects there would be nice I would also be more than happy to take the UCL course.
However to be honest I am concerned that UCL is out of my reach financially, my parents can't support me hardly at all outside of government loans and I'm worried that I won't be able to enjoy the university experience because I'll be struggling to get by let alone go out, particularly in second and third year when I'd have to move out of UCL housing. Is it really worth all that debt? It's true that you earn more on average in London but accommodation costs are astronomical. London Universities also seem very lonely, I live around 20 minutes away from London by train but I've never lived inside and I'm concerned I could be romanticising the experience, I've heard that the atmosphere is significantly different to a campus as everything is less centralised and travel is so expensive. So I wouldn't be in danger of getting bored but at the same time making lasting friends might be harder?

On the other hand, up north everything is a lot cheaper but the location of St Andrews is significantly less convenient, the university is very small and so far away. It would also be easier for me to find a part-time job in London, and the location could be great for work after the degree. Would going to a London university set me up better for life when I haven't decided what I want to do yet? I could probably get used to the size of St Andrews as I don't live in a big city currently or go out more than once a week, but I am used to being right on the doorstep of London if needed and to be so far removed when I'm still trying to figure out what I want to pursue as a career seems like it could be a bad idea.

Reply 1

Capricancer

10

Original post by c234

I'm really stuck on which university to firm! Could any current/graduate students from either university or people considering going there pitch in their opinions / pros and cons? In terms of offers there's not much between them, I really like the flexibility of the St A's course but I love History so although the extra subjects there would be nice I would also be more than happy to take the UCL course.
However to be honest I am concerned that UCL is out of my reach financially, my parents can't support me hardly at all outside of government loans and I'm worried that I won't be able to enjoy the university experience because I'll be struggling to get by let alone go out, particularly in second and third year when I'd have to move out of UCL housing. Is it really worth all that debt? It's true that you earn more on average in London but accommodation costs are astronomical. London Universities also seem very lonely, I live around 20 minutes away from London by train but I've never lived inside and I'm concerned I could be romanticising the experience, I've heard that the atmosphere is significantly different to a campus as everything is less centralised and travel is so expensive. So I wouldn't be in danger of getting bored but at the same time making lasting friends might be harder?

On the other hand, up north everything is a lot cheaper but the location of St Andrews is significantly less convenient, the university is very small and so far away. It would also be easier for me to find a part-time job in London, and the location could be great for work after the degree. Would going to a London university set me up better for life when I haven't decided what I want to do yet? I could probably get used to the size of St Andrews as I don't live in a big city currently or go out more than once a week, but I am used to being right on the doorstep of London if needed and to be so far removed when I'm still trying to figure out what I want to pursue as a career seems like it could be a bad idea.

Hey! I'm currently a St Andrews student.

If you're really into history, you could take all history modules in your first year! There's Ancient History, Modern History, Medieval History, Scottish History and (Art History, if that counts :tongue:

- but a lot of people i know combine history with IR/modern languages/english). Although imo if you're unsure about what career you want to pursue, it's a good idea to take some other modules so you can see if you like something else.

I can't comment much about the living cost in London although I'd like to note that rent in St Andrews is relatively expensive. Student halls can range from about £3500 to £7500 and outside of 1st year, students have to be really prepared to find affordable accommodation/may have to live further out of town.
Student jobs aren't that hard to come by imo, there's a lot of restaurants/bars in the town looking for employees and the university also employs students for catering services. One of my friends also tutors some of the high school students and gets payed relatively well for a student.

If you're worried about campus feel, the town of St Andrews is like a whole campus university. It's really easy to meet up with people or bump into them on the streets and everything is in walking distance so there's no travel expenses (unless you get a bus to dundee/edinburgh) and drinks are pretty cheap. Although if you're really looking for a nightlife experience then St Andrews doesn't offer much in that respect. It makes up for it with the number of balls/fashion shows/society events on offer.

I'd recommend you visit St Andrews and UCL so that you can get a better feel of both universities and see which one is more appealing to you personally :smile:

Some people don't like how small St Andrews actually is so consider that aspect.

Reply 2

RBow

1

Hi, three years on from the dilemma described in your post, I am wondering the exact same thing. I'd love to know which you chose in the end, and your thoughts now.

Reply 3

A Rolling Stone

20

Original post by RBow

Hi, three years on from the dilemma described in your post, I am wondering the exact same thing. I'd love to know which you chose in the end, and your thoughts now.

i doubt the OP is still active.

UCL if you want to live in a city where there's infinite amounts to do if you're prepared to pay through the nose and feel isolated as a student in a non-student city, but also occasionally get stabbed

St Andrews if you want an intimate, close-knight 'bubble' type isolation full of beaches, celebs and posh dos but with a limited nightlife - loads of student bars but no full clubs except the union and Dundee which is 25 mins away

can't speak for the course which is obviously going to be good at either uni, look at the student satisfaction ratings

UCL or St Andrews for History? (Pros/Cons?)

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