Learned a lot about British culture while making some great friends! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Because I was taking large, first-year lecture classes, I felt minimally challenged. I had little coursework and a large exam at the end of the semester for each of my courses.

On-site administration of your program

I applied for direct enrollment at St. Andrews so there was no on-site administration of my program. Even though I was only there for a semester, I was treated as if I was a 4-year student.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was really lucky that I loved the people that I lived with but my living arrangement at St. Andrews could have been very difficult. I, as well as the other Middlebury students studying there, were placed into the David Russell Apartments, which is not very conducive to meeting people. Each individual hall has a key card so the people that you live with (5 people on the hall) are the ones that you see most.

I think it was different at other halls at St. Andrews, but the DRA dining hall had a very minimal selection. The salad bar was limited and there was usually only 3 meal options: a meat, a fish, and a vegetarian option. In addition, each student was only allowed one piece of fruit and one drink. I felt like I did not get the nutritional food value that I needed while I was there.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

St. Andrews is an interesting place because it is very international. Because of this, I felt like I was in an American/British enclave in the middle of rural Scotland. I did not come across many student organizations on campus that worked in the community or with community members. I traveled to Edinburgh a few times, but I think that I would have benefited from leaving St. Andrews more to visit other parts of Scotland.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I never needed to visit the hospital, but I know from the experience of some of my American friends that they found the healthcare in Scotland to be pretty good. Unfortunately, St. Andrews typically refers students to the hospital in town, which is far and also requires an appointment that might not be at a convenient time. There was an STD clinic open once a week provided by the University and I think that this was a really efficient and safe option for a lot of people.

I found St. Andrews to be a very safe place. It is small and I never heard of an instance in which someone felt as if they were in danger. I lived about 15 minutes away from town by foot and I felt that I could walk myself home at night without feeling unsafe.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I ended up being able to budget myself to around 50 pounds a week but it was very difficult. There is a large nightlife at St. Andrews and it is very expensive to go out. Because I spent a lot of money on going out with friends, I had little money to go out to dinner or take trips to Edinburgh or other places. Also, the exchange rate was a lot more difficult to manage than I thought. Things are already expensive in St. Andrews and with the exchange rate they were even more expensive. There were some months where I had to ask for some extra money from my dad.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• My friends
• The landscape
• Reading week

• More on-site support for exchange students
• Different living arrangements for exchange students
• The food

The Outright Urbanite