I am choosing between Colby College and the University of St. Andrews to begin in Fall 2023. I am hoping to study something along the lines of economics, management, and accounting.
Basically, I really want to attend St. Andrews because of the international aspect, but I am worried that the kids are too grown up and I will be behind socially. I hear many students come from NYC, US boarding schools, and Europe in general, all scenarios in which children grow up very quickly and are treated like adults. Not coming from any of those backgrounds, it would be a large jump from my cushy prep school to the independence needed at St. Andrews. However, I hope to be the kind of person who attends St. Andrews: confident, globally orientated, worldly, and independent, when I grow up. Do I take the jump now or use Colby as a stepping stone?
At Colby, I would be one of the top students as I was admitted into the Presidential Scholars program. I believe it would be a lot easier for me to excel, both academically and socially. They have a better career services program which would help me get a lot of internships, abroad even. I would receive a liberal arts education, which may be more beneficial to a future career in business. However, I would not meet the kinds of people I would at St. Andrews. I feel I would miss out on connections and networking. I would be able to study abroad at St. A during my junior year, but I worry I will not be well integrated into the school in such a short amount of time.
I hope to work in Hong Kong or London when I am older, and St. As would allow me to get a 7-year visa so I could work in London after I graduate. I could do the same with Colby, but it would take longer as I would most likely have to begin in the US and transfer offices to the UK. I worry that I will never make it out of New England.
There are a lot of red flags about St. Andrews, but I am not sure if Colby will be culturally fulfilling for me. If anyone has any experiences at either school that will help me with my decision, I would greatly appreciate it!
I don’t know much about Colby but I can give you some insight on life at St. Andrews.
My D19 attended Saint Andrews to study a double course in economics and psychology. Her studies were cut short due to COVID. She decided to transfer back to the US for a variety of reasons but the main one was the rigidity of the academic curriculum and lack of interaction between professors and their students.
As far as the students at Saint Andrews, I don’t think you will find them all that different than the students at American schools. What is different is how the school treats the students. You are an adult. There is very little hand holding, orientation or mentoring. Students are expected to be mature and self motivating. There is much less interaction between professors and students. There is much less classroom time, much more emphasis placed on independent learning and very few assessments (think midterm and dial where the final maybe 60-70% of your grade). You can study up to 2 subjects (provided you’ve been accepted to read that subject) and you can’t change your field of study in year 3 without basically starting over. I’d also check if accounting is offered. The closest subjects I remember being offered were financial Econ and management.
My daughter was also interested in attending due to the international aspect of Saint Andrews and the availability of travel and interacting with students from many countries. That being said there is a large American contingent at Saint Andrews. And she found that often international students weren’t as interested in interacting with Americans. Saint Andrews is a charming but very small town which both a positive and negative. By year 3 or 4 it can feel a bit claustrophobic. It is also at least an hour plus from the closest international airport. So getting in and out to visit other countries on a weekend takes a bit more planning. They do have some unique traditions like raisin weekend, pier walks and May dip. They also have a society (their term for clubs) for almost anything you can think of. They have quite a few themed balls each year but the town has no clubs other than the student union. Probably not all that different than Colby.
I don’t know much about Colby but it is a liberal arts college which will allow you to study from a wide array of subjects and change your major with ease.
If you have any other questions I’m happy to try and answer them either here or you can PM.
I’m not sure this is a bad thing. But if you want a little more handholding, Colby sounds better for you.
Don’t be lured into thinking that Colby will be easy. All bets are off at a college like that. Yes, you got a scholarship, but everyone there is pretty much a top student. It’s going to be very rigorous and you will be surrounded by hardworking and intelligent peers.
Seems to me that your red flags are mostly about Colby, but it has a very high freshman retention rate. Students stay because they are happy. St. Andrews appears to have a much lower first year retention rate. The biggest difference will be in learning styles. If the LAC experience of collaborative learning and getting to know fellow students and professors in class appeals to you, you won’t get that at St. Andrews.
The vast majority of students at both colleges do not stay in those areas. Assume the same will be true for you.
You can do what you plan to do by attending either school. I think you should choose based on the environment you see yourself in for four years. You are a long way off from your career. Part of your success will be due to personal happiness while at college. So, in a nutshell, it’s independence and maturity, both good things, versus nurturing and engaged learning, also good.
Agree that Colby has a very high first year retention rate (94%), but the University of St Andrews’ (in Scotland) first year retention rate is actually higher (96%). Any possibility you were looking at the retention numbers for St Andrews University in North Carolina? Despite having similar sounding names, the schools are not at all related. Per the national student survey, the University of St Andrews has the highest student satisfaction of any university in the UK.
This seems like a decisive factor. Both are fine schools, with different strengths and characteristics. But you want to work abroad, and St. Andrews would clearly jump start that in a way that Colby wouldn’t.
Colby has very active and loyal alumni; you can get a job anywhere in the world post Colby.
Given you can study abroad junior year, and that your CV will include the Presidential Scholarship, Colby seems like the better option. Where did you choose?
OP: Your writing reveals that you are a mature young adult.
You have two great options, but for one targeting a career in Hong Kong and London, St. Andrews is the better option.
When applying to college, were you aware of the joint degree program offered by the College of William & Mary and St. Andrews ? Almost certainly, Wm. & Mary would have been an outstanding option for you.
If you elect to attend Colby College, then you might want to consider earning a masters degree in economics from LSE–the London School of Economics.
P.S. The advantage of a 7 year work visa for the UK is significant.