What do St Andrews look for in applicants??

Yes grades are important but they want applications to be unique - they need to see what type of person you are. Uni departments strongly look for experiences or personal stories that back up your interest for that subject. Applications should only mention extracurriculars that are relevant to your desired subject, otherswise it’s a waste of words.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to show your personality through your application; be authentic and really use this opportunity to show who you are. Admission tutors will read umpteen amount of personal statements, most of whom have really good grades and many skills/qualities. Yes it is important to mention skills you believe you have devloped but it‘s the extra events, personal experiences and potentially key school clubs that will represent if you’re a suitable cantidate (through your committment and passion for that subject) or not.

Hope this helps.

Ah yes, I’d recommend mentioning books that have inspired you to do further research in that subject. Some people say it’s a waste of characters but I did it in my personal statement and it didn’t seem to be detrimental, as long as you can link it to your subject and how it strengthened your interest to study that course at a further level then it’s worth mentioning it!

As for your summer school, it may not be related to philosophy but you will develop a range of skills and memorable experiences which could benefit you in wider university life. By mentioning something like that it would show you’re a keen student that will be able to cope with your studies & uni societies/clubs that you wish to participate in.

You’ve got quite a while to go so just do what you can. All the best!

Hi all, I’m thinking of applying to St Andrews this autumn. I love the uni and I feel like it’ll be a near perfect fit for me.
Unlike other unis I can’t seem to suss out what St Andrews look for....do they focus on GCSE grades and A-level predictions the most or your personal statement and references? Or is it an equal mix of both? Do they fairly take into consideration extenuating circumstances? My GCSEs are good but not amazing, I also narrowly failed maths but passed in the November resit - I know it’s easy for me to say but I know and my secondary teacher knew that me failing wouldn’t have happened if my education wasn’t so severely impacted throughout secondary school. I also have a 3 (in music) but surely as it’s not an “important” subject that wouldn’t impact my application too much?
I’ll be applying for philosophy, if that helps, as I do know it’s not the most competitive subject compared to history, computer science or international relations (to name a few) for example.
I only ask as St Andrews is apparently one of the hardest unis to get into (harder than Cambridge and Oxford apparently as said by The Tab) but philosophy requires AAB and I know I can get that and even exceed that.
Thanks

St Andrews is one of the most prestigious uni in world to study Philosophy. It is currently ranked 6th in the world. Their philosophy department is actually much better than Cambridge or Harvard (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/philosophy). Insanely influential philosophers around the world are currently teaching in St Andrews. One of the logicians managed to secure multi-million pounds worth of funding from the EU.

Also, getting AAB doesn't guarantee you being offered a place. People I know had to achieve A*AA to get in.

Start reading some books such as Descartes' Meditations, or Plato's Republic. Also, get your head around some of the most classic metaphysical arguments such as the mind-body problem (read Descartes' works), time continuum (watching videos on youtube is best for this), and causality (read Hume's books for this).

I always knew that it was an amazing place to study Philosophy...I guess I underestimated HOW amazing it was in terms of prestige. I suppose that does reduce my chances significantly, I get the vibe you feel the same.
Fully aware that AAB doesn’t guarantee me being offered a place, I figured for the standard of Philosophy offered at St Andrews an requirement of AAB is actually quite decent and as I know I can get that and am very likely to get AAA, I figured I may as well give it a go.
Thanks for the book recommendations, I’ve actually got the majority of the ones you mentioned in my Amazon basket right now! Just waiting on a voucher to lower the overall cost a bit ahahah.
Would you say I have more of a “chance” of getting an offer from Edinburgh for philosophy as opposed to St Andrews?
Thank you for your insight and help

Also try reading elementary formal logic textbooks. The one I highly recommend is 'The Languages of Logic' by Guttenplan. He makes it so easy to understands and there are exercise you can do to improve your skills. After all, all arguments in philosophy are analysed using tools learnt from your logic classes.

Just give it a go and apply to St Andrews. If you have a brilliant PS, which one of my friends did, then your chances of getting accepted is actually quite high. They want students who are enthusiastic about their subjects.

If I had to be totally honest, getting an offer from Edinburgh is way easier. Apply to both, if you want!

Wish you all the best.

Yes grades are important but they want applications to be unique - they need to see what type of person you are. Uni departments strongly look for experiences or personal stories that back up your interest for that subject. Applications should only mention extracurriculars that are relevant to your desired subject, otherswise it’s a waste of words.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to show your personality through your application; be authentic and really use this opportunity to show who you are. Admission tutors will read umpteen amount of personal statements, most of whom have really good grades and many skills/qualities. Yes it is important to mention skills you believe you have devloped but it‘s the extra events, personal experiences and potentially key school clubs that will represent if you’re a suitable cantidate (through your committment and passion for that subject) or not.

Hope this helps.