Saint Andrews is a unique place. The way that the ancient town has grown up with and around the university has created a beautifully scenic environment to live and study in. Three beaches, seven golf courses (including the famous Old Course), two major ancient ruins and many, many pubs. Undergraduate students can occasionally be seen around the various quadrangles or going to events wearing their distinctive red gowns, one element of the traditions of student life. It is certainly a weird, varied and, for many, wonderful place to be.
Students are very self-sufficient in St. Andrews, more than making up for the small size of the town by hosting parties, dinners, and balls, and putting on theater productions, parades, and fashion shows. These events are an important piece of St. Andrews life, which is reflected in consistently high levels of student satisfaction. Student organizations are very active, including the debate society, the International Politics Society, and the Global Investment Group. Other student groups range from the Real Ale Society to a radio station and an award winning newspaper. Traditions include “academic families” in which freshmen are adopted by older students to integrate them into university life, the pier walk on Sundays after church or while hungover, and the May Dip which involves swimming in the North Sea at dawn after a torch lit parade.
While the sports facilities are modest, the ease of access to the ocean and to the Scottish Highlands allows many students to take advantage of the great outdoors. The university’s golf, hockey, and lacrosse teams are highly ranked. The Department for Sport and Exercise is co-leading Project Zambia in which talented athletes and other student leaders participate in community building projects in Zambia.
The academic year at St Andrews is split into two American style semesters, with exams in January and in May. In the first two years students may take courses in multiple departments, before specializing in their third and fourth years. Students in the Faculty of Arts graduate with a Master of Arts degree after four years. Teaching comprises lectures and compulsory smaller study groups (known as tutorials or labs) with academic staff. The first year is generally not too taxing on students. The recent independent academic research review ranked the following departments highly: Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, German, Film Studies, Chemistry, Mathematics, French, Psychology, and English. The university does not provide for all academic disciplines, most notably it does not offer degrees in engineering, law, or clinical medicine.
The feel is distinctly international (if not socially and racially diverse), with a high percentage of European and North American students, not to mention the other tourists and golfers in town.
