Hi all, my daughter is studying at St. Andrews in Scotland starting in the end of January. She will be in a dorm. Dumb questions: how do you handle bedding and towels? Just buy when you get there? Have shipped?
How do you deal with prescriptions over there? We are sending her with 90 day supplies for the ones we can, but not all are 90 day eligible
How about doctors if she needs one? She has a few medical issues, not really serious but has Hashimotos, ADHD, takes a low dose of celexa I will make sure all of her bloodwork is up to date and she has it handy
Any other tips?
My other daughter studied in Spain, but lived in someone’s home, and it was part of a larger, highly coordinated program. it’s been 7 years since I’ve done this and I’ve got amnesia.
This daughter is doing an exchange so we coordinate all travel, and I assume, some dorm stuff?
I’ve gotten no information from her or the school so far
Look on St Andrews website. There’s a " Study abroad" tab that answers many of your questions
Thanks. Facepalm.
My D spent the spring semester studying at St. Andrews several years ago. She managed to inherit a set of bedding/towels from another student from her US university who had spent the fall semester at St. Andrews. That student left the bedding with another student and my D was able to pick it up when she arrived for orientation. If you have an amazon prime membership, you can order items on the amazon UK site very easily.
My daughter studied abroad for nearly a year. She had her doctor write to our health insurance co that she needed six months worth of her medication. She brought it with her, along with another note in case TSA gave her a hard time. She refilled when she came home for Christmas.
My DD studied at a different school in London. Amazon UK was a life saver. DD got a student account–free. Also, she donated some items she couldn’t bring home to the Study Abroad office and some to a homeless shelter. Her twin went to visit for spring break and I ordered an air mattress with bedding. She donated them when she left, but it still was much, much less than a hotel room or ever 8 days at a hostel.
My D will be abroad next semester as well. With her home insurance she’d have to pay for service then wait to be reimbursed.
I purchased travel insurance that includes medical coverage - it is primary and there is no out of pocket payment required (I know this because we had to use it once, years ago, and that was indeed how it worked). It also covers the travel stuff - lost luggage and so on, but I mainly got it so she’d have instant medical if needed.
You might look into it - it’s Travelex - and if you buy within a certain period of time of flight booking, there are no pre-existing condition exclusions. Not sure if they’d help you with pharmacy or whatever, but you might check.
The study abroad org, if she is going through one, probably has coverage as well.
My daughter did a semester at St Andrews - you can rent linens but let me tell you - they were awful! Like cardboard. We ended up going to a tiny little store in town and got a blanket and some towels and the next time they went to Edinburgh she got some better sheets. We also got her an extra month of meds for her travels which worked fine.
If you order from Marks and Spencer you can deliver to the local store for free and they will hold there for up to 10 days. It’s walking distance from most dorms. At a minimum she will need duvet, pillow, sheet, pillowcase and duvet cover. Also recommend a mug, plate, fork and spoon and bowl to keep in her room. Most dorms do not serve dinner on Sat/Sun and the kids tend to bring in takeout or prepare joint meals in shared dorm kitchens. Most dorms have twin beds, a very few have doubles. So don’t order bedding until you have her assignment.
Some of the dorms do include meal plans, designated as catered in UK speak, non catered will mean that no meals are included, so plan/budget accordingly.
St Andrews has a beautiful campus, and a very friendly community. We visited while on vacation, and several people asked DD if she was a student.
I will recommend that you order 2 pillows and an extra set of cases - the pillows were very thin.
Thanks everyone. Really helpful to hear which linens to buy and not to rent!
We are planning on visiting in April. If anyone has accommodation recommendations, I am all ears. Was thinking of Airbnb’ing.
We stayed at the Fairmont when we dropped off, which is lovely. Be sure to visit KingsBarn and do the distillery and the gardens walk. Also the Fife Coastal walk is gorgeous.
Does she have spring break plans? Mine is hoping to go to Prague.
My advice for visiting St A is pretty simple. Stay in town if you can (this would eliminate the Fairmont that was mentioned above). If you are truly there to visit the school and get a feel for the environment then you need to stay and walk the city. Find a place as close as you can get to Scores, North, Market, South Streets.
We did an air bnb on South Street when my daughter graduated from St. A this past June and it was perfect. We have also stayed at a nice little B&B on Murray Park a few times (The Bell Craig). There are about six or seven B&B’s on Murray Park, which is between Scores and North Streets. If you really want to stay in a hotel then I would recommend The Old Course Hotel or McDonald’s Russacks. Staying too far out means either longer walks or the pain of finding parking.
We were able to find parking easily, but possibly that was due to time of year. We were trying to give her a bit of space for the first couple of days Freshers week that we were there.
agreed that Fairmont is a nice place and for Freshers might be ideal… I just meant that if you’re going to check out StA, probably best to stay in town.
The following information is provided by the University of St Andrews:
Exchange and Study Abroad students who are here for one semester and do not have a Tier 4 visa will be charged for any NHS medical treatment received, so it is important that you ensure you obtain medical insurance before travelling to the UK.
Although you will be unable to register with a GP practice on arrival, you will be able to request consultations with a GP as required. The current charge is £95 for the initial consultation and any prescription which is issued. Thereafter, further consultations will be £45-50 depending on the practice.
Alternatively, students may wish to consult the private GP in St Andrews, whose charges are currently £60 per consultation.
The following treatment provided by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is free for absolutely everyone, there are no fees:
accident and emergency services (but not follow-up treatment, or admission as an in-patient to hospital)
family planning services
diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections
diagnosis and treatment of certain infectious diseases
compulsory psychiatric treatment or treatment that has been ordered by a court