Help my ass settle on a uni: St Andrews or Uni of York

The question is probably more about what you want to study, than where. Do you actually want to study economics and philosophy as well as politics, or just politics/IR? Employment prospects from both are about the same probably, except perhaps if you wanted to go into IBanking in which case one or the other might be a target vs semi-target uni.

As far as PhD prospects go they will be the same. Funding bodies don't normally pay much attention to which uni you went to compared to your degree classification (a 2:1 at minimum is necessary for most funding, and to be competitive a 1st would usually be preferred). Otherwise they will be more interested in what research experience you have, both within your course (e.g. dissertation, independent study projects etc) and outside of it (e.g. summer research projects), and your research proposal. To be fair, research opportunities can vary between unis, but I would be surprised if there is much difference between those two in that regard. It's worth noting also that outside of STEM fields it's usually necessary to get a masters in a relevant subject before applying to a PhD (but this isn't always required, but do check).

Consider also the nature of where you will be studying for each. My understanding is that St Andrews is a very small city and is relatively far from most other major hubs (I think the nearest is Edinburgh which is a couple hours away by train?), while York is a campus uni on the outskirts of a larger city, and is closer to several big cities in the North as well.

It won’t matter ultimately where you go in terms of employment. York is amazing for PPE and it’s a wonderful place to live and study. I know less about St Andrew’s for IR than I do York for PPE in terms of reputation, which may be something to think about. But you’ve ultimately got to think about this decision in terms of whether you’ll be happy living in the place you choose for 3 years. If you can try to visit them as places, maybe try that. It’s an option now.

If you would be happy with either choice then flip a coin - there’s no wrong choice.

If you do that and feel unhappy with the “choice” of the coin then pick the other one.

I’ll try this out, actually. Knowing me, I don’t know if it’ll work though because I oftentimes regret not making the other choice and start ruminating :P . Thank you, though!

Hey! I’m literally torn between my top two choices, both of which I have unconditional offers for (IR for SA, PPE for York). I know St. Andrews has more name recognition worldwide, and my dad is saying I’d be silly to give up this opportunity, which I agree with. My mum says York is just as good, and I also agree with her especially since I’m doing PPE. But SA’s IR program is really prestigious too. I really like the setting, academics, and student life of both, but this decision has been plaguing me because I’m indecisive.

btw I’m from the U.S., but also an English citizen. I was thinking about living in the U.K. since my parents are going to move back in a few years. What would my employability prospects look like in the U.K.? I also plan on doing a PhD, so would going to St. Andrews, rather than York, improve my chances getting funding from a prestigious uni (e.g. UCL, Oxford, etc.) ?

Hi @Lepath21!

First of all, congratulations on receiving unconditional offers, that's an incredible achievement! Both universities are very well-regarded and amazing choices, so regardless of where you go, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful experience.

I would agree with @Turning_A_Corner and say that if you really can't decide, try to imagine yourself living in St Andrews and in York for the next several years. Do some research on societies and check out the ones that match your interests. Have a think about what the city life is like in both places and which one would suit your lifestyle more. Creating a compare and contrast document may help you with this.

You have the option of doing a placement or taking a year abroad if you do PPE at York, so hypothetically you may even do your studies at a different university for some time if you want to expand your horizons (I'm not sure if you could go to St Andrews, but you could always get in touch with the Centre for Global Programmes team and find out).

We have some blog posts and vlogs made by students that can give you an idea of what living and studying in York is like (I'm not sure if you've had the chance to visit):

- FAQs: City of York (Vlog)
- Life on campus – what’s it really like? (Blog post)

There are also some videos on YouTube (not affiliated with the University) made by our students.

- Campus tour of Uni of York
- Guide to Colleges University of York - YSTV (was filmed pre-covid and shows around some of the social spaces)

And finally, here is some PPE-specific content that may interest you:

- A week in the life of a PPE student
- Three things to look forward to about PPE at York (by Cerys)
- Three things to look forward to about PPE at York (by Alexander)

There are plenty of other blog posts and vlogs made by students that cover all aspects of student life at York, so have a look if you feel that can help you see if York is the right choice for you. Ultimately, you can always chat to current students to hear about their experiences first-hand I'm sure St Andrews have something similar, so I would recommend you check that out too.

Best of luck with making your choice! And keep an eye out for what the St Andrews reps say, as they can also provide you with useful resources to help you make your choice.

If you have any more questions, feel free to give me a shout.



Anastasia
Graduate Ambassador (BSc Film and Television Production Graduate)

Hello! I firmed my offer for York last Saturday The youtube videos were very helpful, I watched student vlogs from St. Andrews and talked with people who went there. I ultimately loved the atmosphere at York more, and PPE was more up my street when it came to subject material. I don’t know if you can answer this, but is York transitioning back to a pre-pandemic type learning for next year (e.g. in person classes)? Or are they doing a hybrid model with a mix of online and in-person classes? I’m fine with either, but I’m curious as to what I can expect in September.