UK Universities as an International Student

Hey guys!
I'm a US student from San Diego. I applied to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, both for History and Economics. I received unconditional offers from both a few weeks ago, and I'd love to know more about both as I make my decision. What is the student life, academics, location, and faculty like? Rumors and facts are welcome!
Thanks!

Wow thats so cool! I applied for St Andrews too waiting to see if I get an offer, im so curious how did you apply as in the submission of grades and personal statement? Thanks!

Hey guys!
I'm a US student from San Diego. I applied to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, both for History and Economics. I received unconditional offers from both a few weeks ago, and I'd love to know more about both as I make my decision. What is the student life, academics, location, and faculty like? Rumors and facts are welcome!
Thanks!

Hey guys!
I'm a US student from San Diego. I applied to Edinburgh and St. Andrews, both for History and Economics. I received unconditional offers from both a few weeks ago, and I'd love to know more about both as I make my decision. What is the student life, academics, location, and faculty like? Rumors and facts are welcome!
Thanks!

congrats!! how long did your offer from edinburgh take to arrive?

I was born and spent the first half of primary school growing up in Edinburgh before moving away to a town just outside so I'm probably biased, but Edinburgh is an amazing city! I can't speak for St Andrews but Edinburgh has lots to do and see, especially if you're into history (and ghosts). Edinburgh also has an amazing (and free if you are under 22!) public transport system, so getting around the city is super easy once you get used to it. If you're doing history then you'll be studying at the George square campus which is super central, right by the student union, the national museum and the meadows which are lovely on a nice day. Be prepared to be walking uphill 90% of the time in Edinburgh!! The city was literally built on a ridge around the castle so theres a lot of uphill around the royal mile especially! Theres Arthur's seat as well which is a great walk and gives a beautiful view out over the city which you can walk to from central campus in about 20 minutes. If you want to know about student life I'd defiantly check out the EUSA website, especially the page which lists all the societies (its a page I end up browsing a lot when I'm bored in class if I'm being honest).
I've got an unconditional there for biology so I'm not sure about the humanities side of things, but all the academics I've met at open days for biology there are really great!
In the end I'd probably go with Edinburgh, but like I said I'm a bit biased as its both where I'm from and the university I've wanted to go to since basically the start of secondary school. I'm sure both would be amazing though!
Sorry about such a long post, but I could really go on and on about how much I love Edinburgh!

This is so helpful, thank you so much! I've heard a lot of great things about Edinburgh, both the city and the school, so I'm excited to visit!

I applied on the UCAS portal with my AP and ACT scores, but I had to upload my transcript and school profile to my St. Andrews portal. I also wrote my personal statement on UCAS. I hope that answers your question!

If you've got anymore questions I'd be happy to help answer them! I know that sometime in January/February the university is running some online introduction sessions which could be useful? I hope you enjoy your visit to Edinburgh!

Oh thats so nice and well done for getting offers! Thanks!

Thank you so mcuh!

Sorry this is a really random question, but I've never really understood how high school qualifications work in America, do you do separate exams for each subject or is it more like one big qualification? Here in Scotland we have the SQA which issues all the qualification is there something like that for you guys as well? Sorry for the weird question, I'm just really curious!

Haha, it's definitely a confusing system. American high school basically requires you to graduate with a certain number of credits, taking a few in each subject to get a general base, but then there are electives and honors courses to explore a subject further. Each class has quizzes, tests, and projects throughout the year. Students often get assessed on their GPA. GPA means grade point average, and basically, each letter grade you get (A, B, C, D, or F--A being the best) is weighted a certain number (usually out of 4.0). Over your four years, depending on how well you do in each class, your GPA goes up and down (because it averages). America also has AP (Advanced Placement) classes, which I took. These boost your GPA because they are graded on a 5.0 scale, so each grade is worth a point more. AP tests have an exam in May to test your knowledge on each subject, but it doesn't affect your grade in the class. You don't need to take APs to graduate, but some students like to.
So no, our graduation isn't dependent on passing a specific exam, it's more focused on graduating with a certain GPA, good attendance, and with all the necessary credits. Sorry that's a lot to take in, so if you have any more questions, let me know!

Haha, it's definitely stressful, but it does get offset by standardized tests and extracurriculars!

Wow, that's all super cool! Yes, sports are huge in America. I think most students play at least one.