St. Andrews vs. University of Edinburgh vs. University College London vs. King's College London

Student Lounge International Students
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Hey everyone!

So I am hoping to attend one of these four universities. Which do you think has the best overall reputation for (1) International Relations, (2) History, and (3) English?

I plan on studying in one of these areas, and would like to know which University is the most prestigious in each category. I have heard that St. Andrews has a very good IR program, and that King’s and UCL have good English and History programs. (Edinburgh seems good in all areas.)

I like the idea of St. Andrews being in the countryside, and it seems absolutely beautiful. I am, however, worried that it will get boring fast. I am also not a huuuuge fan of being smack dab in the middle of London, but it would be cool to an extent. An important thing to me is a sense of community, and I am afraid that because UCL and King’s lack a solid “campus” that feeling of “home” is not present. The costs are pretty much the same, so that isn’t a factor, but I know living in London would be much more expensive than say St. A’s…

Also, which school has the friendliest students? I am not looking for narcissistic, stuck up, self-absorbed students, but rather a place where everyone is welcoming and friendly to each other.

I am not able to visit until the summer, and I hope to have made a decision by then.

If you have any other comments they would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

Thank you all so much!

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  1. You can get reputation from the international rankings, but all of them are reputable. Edinburgh significantly outranks St. As for IR, but otherwise I don't think that there's enough of a difference between them to make that the deciding factor. However, The Scottish degrees are 4 years, so you have a little (though not a lot) more room for variety in your course than the English programs, which are 3 years. I trust you know that you can only study one of those 3 subjects.
  2. I have yet to hear of a university in the US or the UK that is full of "narcissistic, stuck up, self-absorbed students". Including HYP & Oxbridge.
  3. There really isn't anybody who can tell you which has the 'freindliest' students, b/c very very few people would know enough people at all of the universities mentioned to make that judgement. Most students, at most universities, are friendly. Some students, at all universities, are not.
  4. The London unis, as you point out, have less of a center, which can slow down the process of getting to know people and feeling at 'home'.
  5. Take a look at Durham, which is not on many American's radar, but has a collegiate system like Oxbridge, so you belong to a college within the university. It compares well to all the schools that you are looking at.
  6. STRONGLY suggest not making a decision until you go this summer. I can't think what the benefit would be to you, and the differences are striking.
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Just went back & looked at your other posts. First it was that you had places at both Texas A&M v UMinn and couldn’t decide which. Then you had housing questions for A&M, which implies that you had chosen that. Then it was scholarship info for UAlabama. Now it’s which UK university…what’s up with this?