It fets dark at 2 pm but lots of rainbows in the day March 30, 2026
By Lilly C (Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/01/2026 to 12/22/2025 with
University of St. Andrews: St. Andrews - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot more about the UK and their social and class structure which is surprisingly quite different to the US
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The academics were mediocre in my opinion. I took an Art History class there that I really enjoyed but did not enjoy the Biology class or Mathematics class I took as much. Coming from Wellesley, I felt that the quality of the classes was not as good but they were not difficult either. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The advising process is confusing and was a bit difficult and scheduling was not easy--I would recommend trying to reach out for guidance the summer before even though registration happens the week before classes start. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Everyone has a single if they want. Bathrooms are kept clean and dorm events are great. There is also an all Women's dorm that is really cute if that is something you want while abroad. |
| * Food: |
The quality of the food was good and the dessert was really nice every night. The one thing that wasn't great was that you could only eat in your dorm building. Restaurants aren't amazing but produce is quite cheap and cooking was super fun. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved the school itself. The culture was generally great and the town is beautiful. The traditions are really unique and making friends was not difficult. I loved being in Scotland--Edinburgh and Glasgow are not far and a weekend in London is definitely doable. They do public debates every Thursday that are really fun with really interesting topics I would definitely recommend checking that out specifically. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have health issues so my experience isn't relevant. I have heard people have had issues with NHS but private practices are better. |
| * Safety: |
I felt very comfortable and would often walk at night by myself. Of course you should always be vigilant while going out, stick with your friends and don't leave people behind in pubs alone. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 40 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | The advising is quite bad and you really have to advocate for yourself |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Modernity, Empire, and Revolution: Art from 1789-1900 |
| Course Department: | Art History |
| Instructor: | Alistair Rider |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | LOVED this course. Reading was super interesting and so were the lectures. Definitely recommend. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Molecular Biology |
| Course Department: | Biology |
| Instructor: | Helder Ferreira |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The assessments often did not pertain to the material taught in class. The labs were fine but there weren't many of them. I didn't find the coursework overly difficult but the feedback I got on assessments was minimal and not helpful. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | You can't get lab credit transfer |
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Probability & Combinatorics |
| Course Department: | Mathematics |
| Instructor: | Colva Roney-Dougal/Michail Papathomas |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Somewhat challenge final was difficult. The lectures were really engaging and the tutorials and practices were very helpful. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
