<p>I would not classify StA as a “party school” because the culture is so essentially different. Yes, there is a lot of drinking with the drinking age being 18, but according to my daughter it is a much more sophisticated culture compared to US schools. Because it is not illegal, the students tend to drink like adults, rather than frat kids. They do their work and meet at the pub after for a pint or two. Good practice for real life.<br>
Re. diversity: yes, there are a lot of Americans but compared to any American University it is very diverse. The Scots go for free and receive a living stipend so they are rather economically diverse, but the entrance standards are quite high so they do generally come from educated families. Yes, there are lots of US Prep School kids but your child doesn’t need to hang out with them. Friend groups are often composed of 5 or 10 different nationalities.<br>
The students are smart, mature and motivated. Social groups often cluster around society involvement and their is a society for EVERYTHING.<br>
Any student who can go to StA is in for an unbelievable experience. The satisfaction rating is highest in the UK.
That said, if you have problems with lack of daylight/sunlight, not sure what you want to study, need lots of structure or a big city do not consider StA. You need to know what you want to study (or down to at least 2 options) in order to attend. You apply to your degree program (aka “major” in US) and if you do not start a subject in first year you may have to start over if you wish to change. Also, like other UK universities there is much less class time and much more unstructured time spent “reading” your subject. There is very limited continual assessment-usually one or two papers and a final. This requires a student with significant self-motivation and time management skills.
I disagree with comparisons to Grinnell. It is a 50 minute drive/train to Edinburgh, a world class city. It is also significantly larger in terms of student population.</p>
<p>Hi Whiteclouds - Your daughter may have made up her mind at this point but I am just now reading this thread so I’ll add my 2 cents. My d is a ‘fresher’ at St. Andrews. She was not one to party in high school and was not looking for a party school. I will say that when she first arrived for what is called Freshers Week she was taken aback by the level of partying going on. She didn’t feel like she had connected and felt like she wouldn’t be able to. BUT… she met some people in her dorm who invited her to have tea in their room one evening and they’ve all been great friends ever since. The university is diverse and there is a group for everyone whether you are a big partier or more into tea. We live in a large city and it was a bit of an adjustment initially for my daughter. She went from driving everywhere to only walking and it is a small (but beautiful) town. As time passed and my d adjusted she has made a wonderful group of friends (from England, Scotland, Norway and USA) who like wcrcmom said enjoy a pint or glass or two of wine but they are not drinking trashcan punch in red solos to excess. Also, SA is in the countryside but it is a very easy, one hour trip into Edinburgh and the city of Dundee is even closer. My d has been several times to Edinburgh and it is a fantastic city so it provides the best of both world. There are concerts, shops, museums etc.only a short train/bus ride away yet she lives in a beautiful seaside village that is SAFE! (Edinburgh is a safe city as well.) And, to be honest St. Andrews has all of those things as well. As someone advised my daughter when she was considering universities: (for my d) you live in a large city and when you graduate you will most likely live and work in a large city - this is the time to have the opportunity to live in a beautiful seaside village while receiving a world class education. I can not speak highly enough of the experience she has had so far at SA. When I see her pictures and hear of her unique experiences I have never questioned her attending school in Scotland. She is very happy - just wish I could be a student there too!!
If your daughter is at all interested in SA I highly encourage you to visit if possible. It is wonderful, welcoming university. </p>
<p>Does anybody know if St. Andrews superscores?</p>
<p>My daughter just applied last year so you’d think I’d remember but I don’t. I think she did put her best individual SAT scores. She applied using the UCAS. Check with your SA college admissions counselor.</p>
<p>Yes</p>
<p>I was accepted unconditional to St. A’s so I figured I’d post my scores here for reference for applicants since during my application process I spent a lot of time comparing myself with other posts. So here goes:</p>
<p>SAT I 2170 superscored, 2120 non superscored
SAT II 770 World History (self-studied), 740 US History
APs US History 5, English Lang 5, US Govt 4 (self-studied), Comparative Govt 5
GPA 3.3
I have a lot of extracurriculars and volunteer hours which I submitted on my Common App form, so I’d definitely take those into consideration for future applicants.</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.3/3.8 unweighted fyi :)</p>
<p>So I know this is totally dead, but I’m freaking out about my chances for St Andrews right now (which is my top choice and absolute favorite school on my list)</p>
<p>I have a 3.89 GPA
M640 R640 W640 (1920)
5’s on both my APs (I’m at a small school so not many APs are offered)
I come from a top ranking private all girls school on the east coast, I’m editor of my school’s yearbook, I’ve rowed for 4 years in high school, girl scout, into community service, lived abroad for four years</p>
<p>I sent in my application Dec. 9th and I’m super nervous about what response I’m going to get back. Any thoughts? </p>
<p>What course did you apply for and what were your APs in? any SATIIs? </p>
<p>I too am panicking a little about my chances. I know it’s a reach, but… ack! I applied for Russian, Spanish, and International Relations as my first choice and Spanish and International Relations as my second choice. </p>
<p>White female from large public high school in WA
2140 SAT (800 R 670 M 670 W)
35 ACT (36 R 36 E 35 S 31 M)
3 AP Chem
4 AP World History (self study)
5 AP Language
5 APUSH
This year I’m taking Spanish 3 accelerated through my local university, Journalism, AP US Government and Politics, AP Comparative Government, APES, AP Calc AB, and AP Lit.</p>
<p>I feel like all of that is up to their standards, but my GPA is a 3.58. Mostly because I’m terrible at math and science in a classroom setting (uncorrectably legally blind), but it still looks pretty bad. </p>
<p>I’m editor-in-chief of the paper, host my own radio show (3 years), intern with local NPR affiliate (2 years), varsity Knowledge Bowl team, etc. but I know extracurriculars don’t matter so much for UK schools.
Do I have a decent chance?</p>
<p>Update: I was accepted unconditionally this morning! They responded in a little under two weeks. Good luck everybody!</p>
<p>Congrats. I am in WA state too. Let me know if you need more info. My d. is 3rd year IR and Classics.</p>
<p>So I have:
AP Spanish: 5
AP English Language: 5
Spanish SATII: 770
English SATII: 690
I’m taking AP Environmental Science and AP Psychology this year<br>
I applied for Psychology
I really don’t know if I have a chance or not </p>
<p>Woah, are you a native Spanish speaker? Impressive! I don’t see why you wouldn’t have a good chance. Your GPA is better than mine, you have international experience, similar extracurriculars, and similar test scores.
Good luck!!</p>
<p>I applied 12/7 and am wondering if it will actually take 4 weeks-May get more complicated because of the upcoming holidays. Can anyone guess when ill hear back? Also how do I pay the fee that I received an email about?
Thanks and congrats to everyone who has been admitted!</p>
<p>Ahhhhhhhelp, nobody can really tell you when you will hear back- probably not even admissions @ StAs! But, I wouldn’t bet on hearing anything before the new year- most of the colleges will be off for the holidays now and the UK takes it’s holidays seriously! </p>
<p>Ways of paying are here: </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/money/tuitionfees/howareyoupaying/payingtheuniversity/payingtuitionfees/overseasstudent-fullyearoronesemester/tuitionfeesoverseasstudent/tuitionfeesoverseasstudentinstalments/#d.en.85886”>http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/money/tuitionfees/howareyoupaying/payingtheuniversity/payingtuitionfees/overseasstudent-fullyearoronesemester/tuitionfeesoverseasstudent/tuitionfeesoverseasstudentinstalments/#d.en.85886</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the link @collegemom3717! Thats what I was thinking but I though maybe because @kfiddle was just accepted and we applied within a few days of one another I thought perhaps I’d hear before break. Thanks again. </p>
I was accepted Unconditionally today! Congrats to everyone and godlike!
Congrats!! have a wonderful time
Yeah, I’m a native Spanish speaker. 
I got an unconditional offer on Thursday!! I’m so excited!! 