Postgraduate Housing at St. Andrews?

Original post by taylor9888

Hello,

I am very excited to have been accepted to St. Andrews to begin a postgraduate degree in Sept. 2020. I am moving by myself from the U.S. and I am curious what is the best accommodation for postgrads? Since I am moving by myself, I want to connect with people but I also value my privacy. I was considering applying for Powell Hall or 2 St. Gregory's place. Does anyone have experience living in these facilities? What would you suggest?

what degree are you studying?

honestly, Powell Hall will be lovely and i recommend it despite not having visited myself. Gregory place will be closer to the proper 'uni' experience in a privately rented flat in the centre of town, but i thought only a handful of people could live there anyway.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by A Rolling Stone

what degree are you studying?

honestly, Powell Hall will be lovely and i recommend it despite not having visited myself. Gregory place will be closer to the proper 'uni' experience in a privately rented flat in the centre of town, but i thought only a handful of people could live there anyway.

I’m studying for an MLitt in art history. Honestly, I haven’t applied for housing yet but just wanted to put some feelers out there because I’m a little uncertain where each is located and which would be best. What do you mean by proper ‘uni’ experience? I thought that would be more in alignment to Powell than Gregory?

Reply 3

Original post by taylor9888

I’m studying for an MLitt in art history. Honestly, I haven’t applied for housing yet but just wanted to put some feelers out there because I’m a little uncertain where each is located and which would be best. What do you mean by proper ‘uni’ experience? I thought that would be more in alignment to Powell than Gregory?

i know you're PG so it's a bit different but, the standard US college experience is shared dorms etc. whereas the typical uni experience (at least beyond first year) is sharing a slightly grimey flat with a few mates lol like the show Fresh Meat :smile:

i think Powell hall will suit you better as you seem to really like your own space. Powell hall is ridiculously close to the town (3 min walk; 6-7 mins walk to Sallies Quad), but is technically in the science area, whereas Gregory place i believe is where all the ruins are etc. i personally really care about that sort of thing but most people don't

Powell is going to be uber comfortable and i think you'll really like it

Reply 4

OP

Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m grateful. Did you study at St. Andrews? Mind sharing the pros and cons of going there...biggest thing I’m worried about is the size, I’m not a big party person but I want to be able to travel and explore while living abroad. Is that a possibility with St. Andrews it is it too difficult?

Reply 5

Original post by taylor9888

Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m grateful. Did you study at St. Andrews? Mind sharing the pros and cons of going there...biggest thing I’m worried about is the size, I’m not a big party person but I want to be able to travel and explore while living abroad. Is that a possibility with St. Andrews it is it too difficult?

i did indeed.

Pros - it's much bigger than you expect - the US idea of a 'small town' is a gas station and town hall with maybe a strip mall on the outskirts, whereas st andrews has a thriving town centre with roughly 100 shops and eateries (and a really good mix of independent and chain stores). helped by the 9000 students and tourism from being the home of golf (which i couldn't care less for but A list/hollywood celebs every year adds to the buzz of the town). it's also nowhere near as cold as you expect it to be (no Boston-style snowstorms), especially when you're wrapped up & walking around or in your warm bedroom. it's only 1.15 mins train to Edinburgh (full duration of the journey - the train from Leuchars to Edinburgh is only 45 mins) and a 1 hour flight from Edinburgh to London - there are also plenty of really cheap, short-haul flights to the Continent from Edinburgh. Needless to say it's one of the most beautiful, idyllic places to study in the world. https://www.facebook.com/stFessdrews/posts/1150414778497871 i thought the reference to 'leaders in their field' was a bit trite and cliche, but the rest of this anon post is how a lot of students feel. it also happens to possibly be the safest uni town possibly in the world (no exaggeration) not to say there's never been an incident, but it's the one place you could walk around by yourself in the middle of the night and feel totally safe

Cons - it is still a small town. if you don't take regular trips to Edinburgh or elsewhere it can feel claustrophobic (not isolated like London) if you never get out. if you want to do proper clothes shopping you've got to go to at least Dundee (30 min bus ride) or further, as fashion options are quite limited. it is cold for most months of the year: September and May are lovely and warmish, but you start the year in September when heading towards winter and you leave in May before summer starts. it's also an expensive place to live, not Monaco expensive or anything like that, but don't come to St Andrews if you are on a tight budget, there is a premium to be in such a place unfortunately.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 6

OP

Wow! Thank you so much for your incredible response. I am so grateful and I have to admit, a lot of the descriptions you have given will help me make my ultimate decision! Compared to university of Edinburgh for postgrad, how would you compare? I believe St. Andrews is the better school?

Reply 7

OP

I should also not you addressed my fear of getting trapped in a one spotlight town perfectly...haha, som cliches are true!

Reply 8

Original post by taylor9888

Wow! Thank you so much for your incredible response. I am so grateful and I have to admit, a lot of the descriptions you have given will help me make my ultimate decision! Compared to university of Edinburgh for postgrad, how would you compare? I believe St. Andrews is the better school?

i'd say the most important thing in postgrad is to look for what fields your supervisor specialises in and how well that aligns with your interests - what does their research focus on? what and where have they published?

for example if you study Social Psychology and you are interested in 'group theory', you will be taught by Steve Reicher who really is a leader in his field and is known worldwide by social psychologists. However if you are keen on Oncology, St Andrews has really competent lecturers in the subject (the teaching here is great), but they may have only published in some obscure journal and you may find the topic of their research is really dry, inconsequential and not of interest to you

Reply 9

OP

Ok! Thanks so much. Are there any additional resources you would suggest I look at/organizations to reach out to for insight on life in St. Andrews? Im trying to collect all my info - but an genuinely excited to attend!

Reply 10

Original post by taylor9888

Ok! Thanks so much. Are there any additional resources you would suggest I look at/organizations to reach out to for insight on life in St. Andrews? Im trying to collect all my info - but an genuinely excited to attend!

virtually all of the resources out there are geared more towards undergrad tbh.

i try to be as objective and non-biased as possible but it just so happens St Andrews is this year's university of the year in the Times Good University Guide, giving it an extended bio. If it allows you to go through previous years there is a mini bio each year

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/good-university-guide-in-full-tp6dzs7wn

Also league tables mostly relevant to undergrads but might be of some use

https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2019/jun/07/university-league-tables-2020

https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings/history-of-art-architecture-and-design

and a couple of youtubers:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW7tIMGYXIZQafkxhYWpH1w/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QcQOwbKlZ471JVlGNBSbg

Reply 11

OP