enough to do in st andrews?
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enough to do in st andrews?i know st andrews is a small place and yes, edinburgh and dundee are not too far away, but is there really enough to do there for 4 years?
how much time do ppl study on average to do an arts degree per day/ week for example, what else can u do other than sports and music (besides drinking too) - and how often do ppl do sports/ music - i would like to cox for the mens squad in rowing, and i play the piano too
after an 'x' amount of time do ppl not get bored at st andrews? i mean, do u not find it annoying not being able jst to pop into town to get a new top from topshop or something? also, can it get annoying seeing ppl u know everywhere or is it ok?
thanks for any help
im trying to decide between durham and st andrews asap -
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I live in Glasgow and I am going to Glasgow Uni.
However, Ive been enough to give my opinion. St Andrew's is a lovely town. But, thats what it is - a town.
I think that when the winds are battering and the rain is falling in the Winter, it could be rather depressing.
In terms of social side - it hasn't got any clubs and I think the cinema is tiny, so your choice of what to do could be quite limited, unless you are a keen golfer. You could say you could go to Dundee (which is really rough) or Edinburgh, but how are you going to get home at 3 am when your pissed as a fart? A taxi probably won't stretch your student budget and I don't think trains run at 3am. Plus, the station is in Leuchars which is a bus run from St Andys.
As you said, there isnt a Topshop, Gap or H and M and if you want to go to the shops you'll have to go to Dundee/Edinburgh or take a 2 hr train journey to Glasgow - but how long can you afford to keep that up?
I don't know about Durham's night life, but is that not a wee town like St Andys?
Anyway, St Andy's - lovely place to be a student - ample pubs but thats all there is - no shops or clubs. -
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Just to say Dundee is not really rough at all!!!. And transport links bewteen dundee-st andrews, st-andrews- Edinburgh is really good, even at night. Dundee, is only about 15mins away from st andrews. Edinburgh 25mins.
There are bigger towns around the area of St andrews which have topshop etc. St. andrews fab beaches, great student community, loadsa pubs, cafes, restaurants etc. -
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I've been in St Andrews for a year now so can't promise to be entirely subjective cos I've fallen in love with the place.
I would say there is more than enough to do- I find I rarely have any spare moments what with cafes, bars, studying and spending time with my friends. There are plenty of good societies. Obviously some are better than others but there is something for almost everyone. If you are really in to clubbing St Andrews may not be your ideal location but there is plenty of atmosphere and no lack of social life.
One of the cool things about St A's is that it's unique and individual and that includes the shops. We have a few of the main chains which are convenient. I get occasional longings for H+M sales and so on but it's really not hard to get to Dundee- only 20 mins on the bus.
The student community in St Andrew's is great. I've not known anyone be bored with the place. I know quite a few ppl decide to stay on to do phD's.
On the down side it can be wet, windy and cold but probably not much more than durham.
Good luck with your decision. I hear Durham is lovely too but I'm v. happy at St A's so guess u cld be too. -
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No it doesn't take an hour and 25mins from st.andrews to get to edinburgh. I made a typo and meant 45-60mins it takes and by car.(Original post by foxo)
More like an hour and 25 minutes.
St Andrews is a nice little place. I wouldn't want to be stuck there for 4 years, though.
It depends on what type of university experience you want, if you want a unique one then go to st andrews
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I'd like to see how fast you drive.(Original post by niamhster)
Edinburgh 25mins.
If your idea of a social life revolves around how many clubs there are, then yes, you'll run into snags. There's enough of a nightlife, loads of pubs, and it's always busy and fun. Plus it's got that nice effect that you can go out anytime and probably find someone you know out drinking...
Dundee is so close it's effectively the same city. You could live in Bristol, go to uni there, and still be a 20 min bus ride from the city centre; in St Andrews you get all the benefits of an awesome town, and you're still only 20 minutes from another city's centre!
The town is fantastic, and I'm one of a long list of alumni who love it and love going back. If you're crazy about clubbing, either go to Birmingham (and realise that 4 nights a week clubbing probably doesn't equal a first) or go to St Andrews and realise it's great; Edinburgh's about an hour and ten on the train. -
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Couldn't have put it better myself; have you just graduated too? I'm afraid St and stole my heart and pulled me in hook, line and sinker. Having just graduated this week myself, I feel very emotional towards the place. Even more so than usual.
I haven't made a lot of right decisions in my time. But deciding on St Andrews was the best damn thing I ever did. -
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Oh the dear, sweet irony.(Original post by Davie_Moyes)
You could say you could go to Dundee (which is really rough)
First night out since I get back to Glasgow and I get threatened with a stabbing from some probable-junkie in S'hall St for not giving him any money.
Oh I belong tae Glasgow... -
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It's lovely. I graduated a few years ago, but still go back alot.(Original post by katebush)
Couldn't have put it better myself; have you just graduated too? I'm afraid St and stole my heart and pulled me in hook, line and sinker. Having just graduated this week myself, I feel very emotional towards the place. Even more so than usual.
I haven't made a lot of right decisions in my time. But deciding on St Andrews was the best damn thing I ever did. -
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I went to an open day in April and spent 3 days there (sort of). It is freezing definitely, but so beautiful and from what I could see there were lots of balls happening but for me that isn't really interesting. However, there are lots of pubs, plenty that look ok or nice, restaurants, the union and there is always Dundee which is not that far for the odd cheesy club. According to one of my teachers you will only end up going to Dundee to one of two cheesy clubs once a fortnight and might get a kind policeman to drive you home! Although since she went (10 years ago) Dundee now has all the shops you would expect like Topshop etc (which it did not have) so hopefully there are more places to go. She also said you make your own entertainment, have house parties, fancy dress etc and that seems more like what I would like to do. In short, of course St Andrews is not good if you want to go clubbing every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday but if you like the things I mentioned above there is plenty to do!
There is also a cinema, admittedly with only three screens but it is cheap (£4) and does have quite a good choice for its size. -
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There's a huge amount to do in St.Andrews. It looks like a sleepy town, but scratch the surface and there's so much going on! All night parties, raves in the Secret Bunker, lock-in's (Get to know the staff at the Raisin- they're fond of that trick, esp around New Year). And that's just the party side! Long morning or night walks and swimming on the West sands, soaking up the centuries of history, checking out the latest movies in a cool independent cinema... Basicall wahtever you wantto do, you'll find other people who want to do it to, and you'll find a way!
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my tuppence worthive had the (some mite say misfortune) luck to live in st andrews ALL MY LIFE(!) and im going to durham for uni so heres a few of my thoughts-
st andrews is absolutely beautiful, its got three beaches, loads of old buildings, a ruined cathedral...it honestly is one of the prettiest places ive ever seen. but asthetic beauty can only go a little way,right?! what about the partying to be had.......
there are absolutely LOADS of pubs in st.andrews, around every corner,up every alleyway,(hehe), n theyre all completely different in atmosphere n hence the people they attract.....as for clubs, that is where st.as tends to start loosing points, there really isnt anything u cld classify as a club, however, in dundee there r some(quality to be debated, but thats another story) n theres a bus that goes from one of the pubs in st.as to dundee every week...as other peeps have said the unis chock a block with socities, n there r great sports facilities..
st.as does have a lot, one of my friends who moved here from london liked to call it 'a perfect minature town', n thats actually what can be its downfall.....sometimes it can all seem a bit twee n too good to be true, n there r also a heck of a lot of old ladies around the place! bUt all in all if u want to spend four years in a beautiful, history-filled town with its own unique nightlife(lots of balls as well) go for it...i dont think ud regret it!
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