**St Andrews in Scotland Acceptance/Rejection Class of 2021**

Student Lounge International Students
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Well, the Scottish system does allow you to switch major and even if you do not have as high marks that does not mean you will drop out. Also, this may be an argument that test scores are not everything (especially in non-STEM non-quantitative fields).

The only thing missed is that entrance requirements may not be the same for everyone. We’re use to that in the States where we have holistic admissions (as well as in-state/OOS differentials; it’s much harder to get in to UNC as a freshman if you are OOS than if you are an NC resident, for instance).

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As a chem major my kid will (if she goes to St. Andrews) take math/physics/chem her first year as a chem major. It’s not like you can then switch to English.

She got a 5 in SL IB math. She has not taken physics. She is currently in HL IB chem and expects to get a 6. I was expecting her to get a conditional based on chem score, but she got an unconditional.

As far as can she handle the work- we looked very carefully at the math class she will take her first year and even discussed it with her IB SL Math teach (who was also her pre-calc teach). While she will never be an outstanding math student, I (with a MS in CHem and a minor in math), my kid, and her math teacher all feel she can pass the math class.

The first year chem course will be an absolute breeze after HL chem.

Lab is where she shines. Her IB EE adviser, who is a PhD forensics chemist and her IB Chem teacher both wrote her a glowing reference focusing on that.

123

@Sybylla I think that across all universities in the UK, it is generally easier for international students to gain admission than British students. I just think that for St Andrews, given how competitive it is for UK students, the difference is exacerbated. For example for Maths at St Andrews (not even one of the most competitive courses), meeting the AAA minimum requirements will give you less than a 10% chance of receiving an offer. I am sure that for Internationals who meet the minimum requirements, the offer rate will be much higher.

(p.s. for anyone interested about offer rates, Google “UCAS: Likelihood of Getting an Offer to study Maths with Predicted AAA-AAA*” and you will find a thread on the UK’s TSR with stats from various unis)

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@Capricancer1, true for the most part (especially the Scottish ones, where places for Scots/EU are limited because they pay no tuition but in return, the Scottish unis may take as many full-pay Internationals as they want), but not at the very top. Oxbridge and LSE do not make it easier for full-pay Internationals (at least to undergrad programs). Then again, that may simply be due to their huge popularity (and thus greater number of applicants) from the International crowd.

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Got my unconditional offer yesterday for History, still waiting on life sciences
Act- 29
Weighted GPA- 3.95

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@emilycollege Do you mind sharing your AP results.

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^

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@emilycollege when did you apply? I applied in October for Econ and am still anxiously waiting to hear back!!

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DD (American) received unconditional offer for Sustainable Development today! Applied via Common App in October to Geography/IR and SD. Last week, they emailed that they were going to consider her application for SD “due to the competitive nature of IR”. Portal was updated next day to the different course and that is where offer appeared today. Her stats – 31 ACT; 4.0/4.0 UW GPA; a real passion for the environment (extensive remote wilderness tripping, including 45 days kayaking in Alaska last summer). Her brother just graduated from St. A’s this Spring with an MA in IR/Modern History, so not sure if the sibling connection helped? Good luck to everyone waiting!

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I believe I applied on November 24th

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I had a 4 in AP US Gov, 4 in AP US History, and 3 in Art History

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Anyone who applied for psychology hear back yet?

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Just got an unconditional for IR and Arabic!

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Congrats @user251567!!

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Unconditional from IR and Modern Languages (Persian and Arabic)!

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Hi @collegemom3717 , you seem to know a lot about St Andrews, and I was just curious, do you know someone who goes there? If so (or in any case), what is your opinion of the town and the university, especially when it comes to IR? Do you find the exchange rate difficult? How did you learn about St Andrews, and what’she you’d opinion about St A’s societies?

I’ve been accepted to Edinburgh as well, so even though I’m absolutely in love with St A’s (from what I can see on the internet) and money isn’t a huge concern, i am practical, and Edinburgh’s slightly lower price tag is appealing, even though I feel I might like the environment of St Andrews better than the city. I’d really appreciate it if you would give me your opinion. (I’m going to visit both in the spring by the way)

137

@AceofallTrades, I know a number of current and recent students at both places, and they are both great schools. The exchange rate right this minute is quite favorable, but of course that can change, and there is no telling what it will be like in a year or two or three.

You may know pretty quickly if one of them is a poor fit for you, but it may not be as easy to tell which is the better fit- mostly b/c most people change a lot during the first year of uni. So, StAs may feel cosy/safe/easy this year- and in two years it may feel the same way, or feel small, claustrophobic and isolated. Edinburgh may feel big/urban/hard this year - and in two years may the same way, or feel comfortable and easy. In both places try and push past the excitement/challenge of the new and imagine daily life. Swishy red robes are great- but it’s only a tiny part of the overall experience, so don’t fall in love with the glamour of it!

Some random similarities & differences:

There are Americans at both places, but they are a bigger proportion of the student body at StAs (~20+%/forgetting the exact # this year), and as importantly, they work hard to make it easy/easier of the US students. Edinburgh will not hand-hold as much.

Most students live out (ie, not in university housing) after the first year at both places, so look at the kinds of places you may be living after first year. You are more likely to be sure of getting on-campus housing after first year (if you want it) at Edinburgh than StAs.

Both places have really, really short days in the winter (basically, it is dark from 3:30ish in the afternoon until 8:30/9ish in the morning). Try walking between areas that you are likely to spend time in (classrooms/on and off campus student housing, for example).

Student societies are an important part of social life in both places. Take a look at the notice boards for what’s going on. Both will have a ‘freshers week’, where all the societies pitch their wares. If you have some particular interests, look at those spaces/activities.

Finally, look closely at the course list for each year of the program at both places- that will matter more than you might realize.

Good luck- and remember that you are deciding between two good choices- there isn’t a ‘wrong’ choice!

138

Hey! I submitted my app november 1st to both the William + Mary program and IR/econ. I heard back from WM on december 15th, and got in, but I still haven’t heard back from IR/econ and it’s been 11 weeks now. Should I be worried? Is the WM program harder to get into than the IR/econ? I’m American if it makes a difference.

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the offer was unconditional btw, do you think if I got into the IR program it might be conditional?

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Well @ibpanicked it depends on what your stats are. Do you just meet the requirements? Are you above them? That sort of thing. I got an unconditional for IR two weeks ago, but I was a bit above the requirements. St Andrews told me, when I emailed about the lack of response in December, that they got a huge amount of applicants this year for IR so IR decisions are only starting to be given out in January. I think @collegemom3717 talks about it in another thread.