The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Reply 20
Original post by Sososnake
Exact same situation with Kings, although St A was my 4th choice going into the application cycle and now it's joint 1st

Ha, I seem to remember advising you to look at St A - glad it has worked out for you, it is a great course. My son is a current first year, it has been a rubbish year socially thanks to Covid, but he is loving the course and the place.
Original post by TCL
Ha, I seem to remember advising you to look at St A - glad it has worked out for you, it is a great course. My son is a current first year, it has been a rubbish year socially thanks to Covid, but he is loving the course and the place.

Yeah you did, thankyou so much for that! I put it down as a 4th choice and as time has gone on it's worked its way up to being my favourite!!!
Really struggling to choose between StAs and Bristol and not sure how to go about choosing. I’d appreciate any tips as I love them both equally even tho they’re so different haha :smile:
Reply 23
Original post by purpleflamingo
Really struggling to choose between StAs and Bristol and not sure how to go about choosing. I’d appreciate any tips as I love them both equally even tho they’re so different haha :smile:

Well done for getting the offers. The offer holder days should help you. Apart from being very different places to live, there are big differences in the courses:

The St Andrews 3+3 year structure feels a bit like doing an undergraduate degree and then moving to a 3 year grad scheme. You get academic intensity but long holidays for the full 3 years like all the other undergraduates. I don't know whether Bristol publish term dates, but after the first year in most medical schools you start to lose holidays.

Dissection is a big thing at St Andrews.

Bristol gives you the opportunity to choose whether to intercalate and you don't have to do it in Bristol, so you have a lot of choice about what to do.

St Andrews is integrated, but you only have 1 day in a GP practice in the first year. At Bristol there are regular sessions from the start.

It is a difficult decision, but a nice one to have!
Original post by purpleflamingo
Really struggling to choose between StAs and Bristol and not sure how to go about choosing. I’d appreciate any tips as I love them both equally even tho they’re so different haha :smile:

Cons
Very small town - may get bored of it after a while
Limited amenities e.g nearest Mcdonalds is in Dundee
Isolated, buses is the only form of public transport. Nearest train station probably Dundee or Luchers which would require a bus
Touristy especially in the summer
No clubs or bars

Pros
Amazing beaches
The uni has a community feeling as it is quite small
Great course
Lovely walks along the costal path to smaller towns
Nice food places (especially fish and chips)
Golf course (if you like golf)

I don't know much about Bristol, but here are some of the pros/cons of living in St. Andrews, in my opinion. I guess no one can make the decision for you, so it is just about weighing up both options and going with your heart. St Andrews is really lovely, but it's a particular taste and I wouldn't recommend it over Bristol if you want a great nightlife. Very nice to have the choice though, congrats! Also remember you have a while to decide. :smile:
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 25
Original post by purpleflamingo
Really struggling to choose between StAs and Bristol and not sure how to go about choosing. I’d appreciate any tips as I love them both equally even tho they’re so different haha :smile:


Have you read this thread started by @A Rolling Stone? First post has loads of info about St Andrews student life https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6431074
Original post by TCL
Well done for getting the offers. The offer holder days should help you. Apart from being very different places to live, there are big differences in the courses:

The St Andrews 3+3 year structure feels a bit like doing an undergraduate degree and then moving to a 3 year grad scheme. You get academic intensity but long holidays for the full 3 years like all the other undergraduates. I don't know whether Bristol publish term dates, but after the first year in most medical schools you start to lose holidays.

Dissection is a big thing at St Andrews.

Bristol gives you the opportunity to choose whether to intercalate and you don't have to do it in Bristol, so you have a lot of choice about what to do.

St Andrews is integrated, but you only have 1 day in a GP practice in the first year. At Bristol there are regular sessions from the start.

It is a difficult decision, but a nice one to have!


Thank you so much for taking your time to write this :smile: I love them both for different reasons, the only main thing that’s putting me off about StAs is the fact that I’ve heard it’s quite exam + academic heavy, similar to oxbridge in a sense? Do you know to what extent that’s true?
Original post by TCL
Have you read this thread started by @A Rolling Stone? First post has loads of info about St Andrews student life https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6431074


I haven’t, I’ll do that now thank you once again
Original post by bananas44
Cons
Very small town - may get bored of it after a while
Limited amenities e.g nearest Mcdonalds is in Dundee
Isolated, buses is the only form of public transport. Nearest train station probably Dundee or Luchers which would require a bus
Touristy especially in the summer
No clubs or bars

Pros
Amazing beaches
The uni has a community feeling as it is quite small
Great course
Lovely walks along the costal path to smaller towns
Nice food places (especially fish and chips)
Golf course (if you like golf)

I don't know much about Bristol, but here are some of the pros/cons of living in St. Andrews, in my opinion. I guess no one can make the decision for you, so it is just about weighing up both options and going with your heart. St Andrews is really lovely, but it's a particular taste and I wouldn't recommend it over Bristol if you want a great nightlife. Very nice to have the choice though, congrats! Also remember you have a while to decide. :smile:


Very very true, thank you for this. Are you a current medic at st Andrews?
Original post by purpleflamingo
I haven’t, I’ll do that now thank you once again

Very very true, thank you for this. Are you a current medic at st Andrews?

No, applied for 2021 entry:crossedf: But I spend every summer there and other parts of the East Neuk so I know it quite well.
Reply 29
Original post by purpleflamingo
Thank you so much for taking your time to write this :smile: I love them both for different reasons, the only main thing that’s putting me off about StAs is the fact that I’ve heard it’s quite exam + academic heavy, similar to oxbridge in a sense? Do you know to what extent that’s true?

It does have an Oxbridge feel and my son is working harder than he ever did for A levels even though he was an A* student, but then with Covid there is not much else to do! They don't have essays every week like some Cambridge colleges. In the first year there are 6 written exams, 3 each semester, 4 multiple choice and 2 short answer papers and also an OSCE at the end of the year. The website might tell you more about exams in other years. There are FOI responses which show that some people don't pass the year, several end up re-doing a year, but that also happens at most medical schools.

I am sure others can give you better answers, but my understanding is that in medicine there is a huge volume of learning whenever you go.
Reply 30
I got an offer today (RUK English route), I'm so happy because St Andrews is my first choice and it's the first offer I've received so far. I'm waiting to hear back (post-interview) from Manchester, Keele and KMMS - is anyone else waiting to hear back from any of those too?
is there many other Scottish applicants with offers ?
Original post by OG2002
I got an offer today (RUK English route), I'm so happy because St Andrews is my first choice and it's the first offer I've received so far. I'm waiting to hear back (post-interview) from Manchester, Keele and KMMS - is anyone else waiting to hear back from any of those too?

congrats ! when was your interview? (and what band did u get for sjt heheh)
Reply 33
Original post by Sushmhitah
congrats ! when was your interview? (and what band did u get for sjt heheh)

Thank you :smile: My interview was on the 13th of January and I got Band 2 for SJT
Original post by purpleflamingo
Really struggling to choose between StAs and Bristol and not sure how to go about choosing. I’d appreciate any tips as I love them both equally even tho they’re so different haha :smile:

I'm in the exact same situation lol, I'm leaning to St Andrews because of rep and academic intensity but also Bristol because of nightlife+ less isolated. I feel like their courses are pretty equal in how good they are.

Am I being overly critical in thinking St Andrews has a dead social side? I just don't want to feel like I'm in a uni where I'm wasting my youth lmfao
Original post by sometimeslight
I'm in the exact same situation lol, I'm leaning to St Andrews because of rep and academic intensity but also Bristol because of nightlife+ less isolated. I feel like their courses are pretty equal in how good they are.

Am I being overly critical in thinking St Andrews has a dead social side? I just don't want to feel like I'm in a uni where I'm wasting my youth lmfao

Did you read the post that @TCL linked a couple of posts up? Here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6431074 ...the first post of this thread.
If you want nightclubs then St. Andrews isn't for you, but there's plenty of house parties, student bars, events etc. from what I've heard.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by bananas44
Did you read the post that @TCL linked a couple of posts up? Here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6431074 ...the first post of this thread.
If you want nightclubs then St. Andrews isn't for you, but there's plenty of house parties, student bars, events etc. from what I've heard.

I didn't pay attention, thank you very much for that :smile:

Honestly it almost sounds better than having actual clubs lol idk if I'm easily influenced or if St Andrews is that good
Original post by studenttwo
is there many other Scottish applicants with offers ?

Hey I have an offer! Haven’t seen many others with an offer do you also have one?I expect they will release them soon.
Original post by Alex_!xox
Hey I have an offer! Haven’t seen many others with an offer do you also have one?I expect they will release them soon.


yeah I do :smile: I finished 6th year last year so my offers unconditional idk if that's why it was earlier ? how about you ? :smile: congrats btw
Reply 39
hey, does anyone know which hall is the best to live in?