University of St. Andrews in Scotland

<p>I think it could very well be true, because like you said yourself, there’s quite a huge gap between Oxbridge and the other UK unis. While a professor might’ve been prepared to see great facilities for HYPSM, he probably wasn’t so ready to see great facilities for a public (and lesser-known) uni.</p>

<p>Well, yes, that could be true. Although I think that professors in the UK are fully aware that many top US public schools have an enormous endowment; and for example, the Univ. Texas system is one of the -or The- ones with the biggest endowment at all.
However I don’t think money is everything. It’s undoubtedly a key factor, still, there are more than a handful of US private universities with enormous endowment, while they aren’t ranked so high on the rankings. They’re good, but not exceptionally good, and many-many uni’s with less endowment are ranked much higher then them. But there’s no way I want to deny the importance of money. Brains are usually addicted to it, so they keep coming if you have it:)</p>

<p>In terms of endowment size, U.S. schools are leagues ahead of the UK – and those of us who are parents of students at UK schools are starting to hear more about this as the schools approach both us and their alumni with hat in hand. (Louise Richardson, the recently appointed head of St. Andrews has stated that growing the endowment is a top priority.)</p>

<p>You can see the Nacubo ranked top university endowments here:</p>

<p>[List</a> of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment]List”>List of colleges and universities in the United States by endowment - Wikipedia)</p>

<p>There are 50 U.S. schools with endowments over $1 billion and Harvard leads with $25 billion. Oxford has reported its endowment at under 3 billion pounds, Cambridge is a bit higher I believe. </p>

<p>[FAQ</a> - University of Oxford](<a href=“http://www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/campaign/the_campaign/faq.html]FAQ”>http://www.campaign.ox.ac.uk/campaign/the_campaign/faq.html)</p>

<p>Fact is Harvard lost more money in the recent economic downturn than both Oxford and Cambridge currently have in combined assets. On a per student basis, schools like Williams, Rice, Smith, Tufts all outpace Oxbridge.</p>

<p>But endowment is most certainly not everything and not a benchmark for educational quality. Nor is it a proxy for cash flow as the spending rate is rarely more than 4-5% – so a billion endowment provides maybe $45 million a year in income - some of it restricted in where it can be spent by the original donors. A mid-sized school like Tufts has a $600 million operating budget, and the endowment contributes maybe a bit more than 10%. </p>

<p>A bigger issue for UK schools is the risk of increasing cutbacks in government funding, which is where a great deal of the operating budget comes from. This is likely I think with impacts that will be felt by students. We have been told that St. Andrews has postponed building a new 45 million pound library, for example. </p>

<p>Cutbacks and belt-tightening are being felt on this side of the pond as well, of course. Harvard included. While endowment size is an interesting point of comparison, I don’t think it should factor very high in an American student’s decision in whether or not to go overseas vs. the U.S. There are numerous other factors to consider ahead of that.</p>

<p>really? you have to pay 25000 out of the pocket? i thought you could do LOANS!!! theres a lot of international loans.are you trying to be a negative for people who wants to study at st. andrews!</p>

<p>Is it true that Cambridge only accepts students from incredibly affluent families? What do the rest of us have at acceptance?</p>

<p>Oh my. I think some American students are sorely misled about how endowments translate into facilities. The only place I taught where the board - yes a CHALK board- fell while I was writing on it was at Yale. I could go on and on and on but please do not assume that if you go to even a private uni in the US, let alone many publics, that the facilities are necessarily fabulous and staffers are lining up to hand out treats to pursue great ideas. Ask my colleagues at Florida, Arizona, Calif why they have chosen to go on the job market recently. Looking at Canada. Furlough anyone? And be assured facilities have little to do with actual education. It’s all about ‘putting back’ into marketing and justifying outrageous tuitions.</p>

<p>Endowments have little to do with facilities. Research at the top universities for example is not normally funded by endowments, but rather mostly by federal grants. Several universities have low endowments, but very strong research funding.</p>

<p>Endowment matters though as far as the ability of a school to recruit the best students and faculty is concerned. Financial aid for undergraduate students for example is largely funded by endowment revenues. In the UK, that is not a major concern though because tuition fees are capped for all domestic applicants and are actually fairly low by U.S standards. In other words, if you are a British citizen or a citizen of another EU country who is a permanent resident of the UK, you will pay no more than 3,500 pounds/year (adjusted annually for inflation) whether you go to Oxbridge, or, let’s say, Imperial College or LSE. In Scotland, which has a separate regional government (somewhat independent of the rest of the UK), fees are even lower (between 1,200 and 1,800 pounds). UK universities do not ordinarily compete with each other then on basis of which one can offer a better “financial aid package”.</p>

<p>Hello everyone,<br>
I recently discovered this thread and figured I might be able to help answer anyone’s questions. Im an American third year studying at St Andrews full time. </p>

<pre><code> I’m not as studied on the University polls etc… that come out rather frequently, but I will say, St Andrews is an amazing place to be. Most everyone I talk to find that they adore it here, whether they study Biochemistry, Medieval History (such as myself), Sustainable development, or any of the other departments. The town atmosphere is quaint, and perhaps a bit claustrophobic for those accustomed to big city life, but it is one of the friendliest places I’ve ever visited.
</code></pre>

<p>As for class, Obviously lectures and modules vary based on lecturer, topic etc… but in General, im very satisfied with what i’ve been able to learn and accomplish. In general the pace is rather quick, the teaching style relatively hands-off, and the grading scale relatively rigorous (esp. by American standards). That being said, most people get along just fine, and end up becoming a viable member of an academic community. I don’t feel at all uncomfortable going to visit a lecturer in their office hours and asking for advice, clarification, or on occasion going to discuss a particular book over tea. </p>

<pre><code> Anyway, I’ve rambled quite enough I think, I’d be happy to answer anything more specific to the best of my ability.
</code></pre>

<p>Does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer in for Spring 2011? I’m a freshman at Occidental College, and I’m looking to transfer, but the only information seems to be for next fall. Thanks!</p>

<p>Students interested in St. Andrews should know that William & Mary has recently established a joint degree program with St. Andrews. It begins next fall (2011). Students will spend 2 years at each institution, and receive a BA under the names of both schools. There are 4 possible majors: econ, English, history, and international relations (which is an especially strong program at W & M).</p>

<p>The admissions info is a bit confusing. Students must apply for this specific program either through W & M or St. Andrews, and each school honors the admissions decisions of the other. No ED available, and students cannot transfer into the program later. The cost is $30K/year for tuition and fees; room and board is extra. Here’s a link: [William</a> & Mary -*St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/sites/standrews/index.php]William”>St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme | William & Mary)</p>

<p>Read about that a few months ago. It doesn’t sound very appealing and I can’t see many British people applying considering the cost.</p>

<p>This thread hasn’t been posted in for about a week, but I want to revive it!
I was given an offer a few days ago to St Andrews! I applied directly. I AM SO EXCITED! :DD</p>

<p>Congrats, En guarde. My son is in the process of applying and St. Andrews in at the top of his list. </p>

<p>Do you mind sharing your GPA, test scores, degree you will be pursueing, etc.? I am curious how he stacks up against accepted seniors. Also, how long did it take St. Andrews to evaluate your application? If I am not mistaken, they adverstise about four weeks.</p>

<p>Congrats, again. You should be very proud.</p>

<p>I don’t mind at all! I was frantically search for accepted stats as well, haha.</p>

<p>GPA (out of 100): 93.something unweighted, 94.18 weighted.
SAT: 1360/2050 (690 CR, 690 W, 670 M)
ACT: 31 (35 E, 35, R, 25 M (hahaha), and 30 S)
AP: 4 English Lang, 4 USH, 3 Euro
Courses relevant to St Andrews that I’m taking this year: AP English Lit, AP US Gov’t, Spanish CLEP (we don’t do AP), and two university courses (calculus).
I applied for English-Spanish. </p>

<p>My stats aren’t the freakishly amazing stats always posted on CC, so I hope I can calm some people’s nerves! :)</p>

<p>As far as time, with a direct application it took about 2 weeks for me (acknowledged Oct 13, offer made Oct 26), though they advertise 4 weeks. </p>

<p>Thanks again, and best of luck to your son! Hopefully we will see each other come September!</p>

<p>A few questions from an American who DESPERATELY wants to go to the University of St Andrews.
Does the University offer scholarships for need-based aid, or simply for merit?
Can American students find jobs while at the University?
What is campus diversity like?
Is it hard for public school students to get in? I’ve heard mainly Americans from private schools are accepted…</p>

<p>Please and thank you =].</p>

<p>

No; St Andrews is not generous with aid or scholarship at the undergrad level. St Andrews, like UC Berkeley or UVa, is a government funded school, so tuition is favorable only to their own local citizens. </p>

<p>

Yes; and there are a lot of jobs for students if you’re not quite picky about it. You can also remain in the UK for 2 years after graduation with an option to extend your visa until such time that you are eligible to apply for dual citizenship. </p>

<p>

Quite diverse. to give you an idea, there are far more students at St Andrews from outside Scotland than there are Scottish. There are quite a lot of Americans too, as well as, students from the European Union and Asia. </p>

<p>

I don’t think so. About 60% of St Andrews students come from public schools. So, as long as you have the stats and the money to study and live there, you are off to go.</p>

<p>Hi All!</p>

<p>I am in a peculiar situation at the moment. I’ve been given double offers from St. Andrews for International Relations and History. I am ecstatic as I know they are very well regarded for IR. Additionally, they have replied to me even before theyve received all their applications, both courses consecutively and with very achievable offers. (I’m predicted IB 43, IR requirements are 38 and I’ve been given 35 as an offer).</p>

<p>The thing is, my parents obviously don’t recognize how good this university is. Conversely, they want me to go to the US. To be honest, I don’t think they’ll let me choose St. Andrews over Wellesley or the likes of UCLA. It’s their dream for me to attend a uni in America, and with my recent SAT score of 2180 they are pretty much set on sending me to the US. </p>

<p>I’ve tried to explain to them that IR at St. Andrews is very well regarded but they honestly dont give a crap. They refuse to even look at the prospectus because they have “higher aims”. I’m annoyed that they are a) completely disregarding my achievement and b) pressuring me to choose a uni that THEY want me to go to. They dont think St. A has a good intl. rep at all. I don’t know how to prove them wrong…I really want to go to St. A…</p>

<p>please help :(</p>

<p>Tell your parents that the new law in Scotland would allow you to remain there for 2 years after graduation and you can extend your stay there until you are qualified to become a resident or citizen. That is not something that you can do if you graduate from say, Wellesley or UCLA, unless you get an employer who’s willing to sponsor your visa. </p>

<p>I’d pick St Andrews over Wellesley not only because I’m male (lol) but also because I believe St Andrews offer better opportunities after graduation. But I’d pick UCLA over St Andrews. I don’t know. That’s a pretty tough decision to make.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.centralcollege.ac.uk/cont/international/PDF/FTWS.pdf[/url]”>http://www.centralcollege.ac.uk/cont/international/PDF/FTWS.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Wellesley>>>>>>>>>St Andrews in terms of opportunity after graduation on a country comparative basis for everything graduate school, top consultancy and IBs, fellowships. But since you are likely not a US citizen, it is better for you to pick a school that is recognized in your country.</p>

<p>Also the immigration law in the UK is becoming more stringent, with the conservatives riding on promises to curb immigration. Employers are quite unwilling to hire those who can work on a post-study visa. The post-study work vis ain the UK is similar to the OPT in teh US which is for one year so you are not getting anything different except that there is no wrok visa cap in the UK as opposed to the US where there is an 80,000 H1B cap</p>

<p>safago oh sefago, my friend. please keep you facts straight. tsk-tsk-tsk … this is really frustrating already.</p>