A conducive study setting often combines resources like libraries, supportive faculty, modern facilities, and a welcoming atmosphere—qualities that the University of St Andrews excels in. University of St Andrews stands out for its diverse course offerings and supportive teaching staff. My course’s strengths lie in its extensive subject coverage, engaging materials, and the opportunity to explore various topics.

The living room was great. I stayed in the University Hall (I love Uni Hall) in the Lumsden building. Most of the rooms here were private rooms, and someone came in every day and threw out the trash and vacuumed every week. All dormitory rooms also come with nice bedding. But most of all, I loved living. All but one lived on my floor, and we became very close.

To pursue a career in History, Middle Eastern, and especially Iranian, Studies, the University of St Andrews is one of the best places possible. High-profile and highly knowledgeable lecturers, a great program, and the splendid amount of relevant books in the library easily help you to have a firm grip on previous scholarship, ideas, and of course, debates.
The best feature in sessions is the ability of instructors to prevent distraction from the discussion-based flow without manipulating how the students think. This demands good knowledge and presence of mind, which most instructors possess. They are also always there for help and ready to have a conversation with you, in which you will get good advice, and enjoy a part of their contagious keenness to their research interests.
Managers see diversity as an opportunity and are quite supportive of women, international students (from more than 140 countries), and of course, all gender, sexuality, race, and ability minorities. The university itself has a respectful, high-spirit atmosphere, with mostly helpful staff. It is on an eco-friendly pathway, going ahead fast (which means could still be improved).
However, there is not exclusively good news; the accommodation in the town is expensive with mediocre quality (one of the reasons some people prefer to live in Dundee);
St Andrews is not the most exciting place to live (the second reason!);
Sometimes you receive a response from your department or other authorities way slower than what you would expect (to be hoped to change after the pandemic);
and finally, you might be overwhelmed by emails (almost all of them are necessary, but indeed could be quite shorter if political correctness does not bother the writers that much).

Finally, I assume St Andrews graduates will have pretty good chances based on their advantages in terms of CV, knowledge, and integrity. With fewer positions available for historians and Middle-Eastern specialists, this might become even more important in the future.

I’ve loved my time at St Andrews. The town is absolutely beautiful and the tuition is amazing. I personally really liked that you can study different subjects in your first and second year, though I know some people can find this tedious if they know exactly what they want to do. The Professors that I’ve been lucky enough to have had have always been so supportive and dedicated to helping me progress. Accommodation and living-wise, it’s quite expensive for both uni owned halls and for renting in the town so a lot of people live further away from the town centre because it’s cheaper. However, it’s rarely ever more than a 30/40 minute walk. In terms of the social side, the town is small so people who want a massive club scene may not find what they’re looking for; it’s more a pub/house party kind of vibe or ‘ironic’ clubbing in our one and only club (basically a glorified room with a bar), so I would definitely suggest visiting beforehand to check that it’s your cup of tea. If it is, you’re sure to find likeminded people. All in all, it’s been perfect for me and I couldn’t imagine anywhere else I would have wanted to go to university.

I would highly recommend anyone considering it to apply to St Andrews. The university has a fantastic academic reputation and tutors genuinely seem to care about students’ personal development. You have to work hard at times, but never too much and its all worth it in the end! Student life is also fantastic, given St Andrews is a generally a very safe place with tight-knit communities and incredible traditions. There are so many societies on offer, while amazing surroundings including world-class golf courses and beaches mean you can never be bored.

Your opinion on St Andrews will vary depending on what you want. If you’re looking for a bustling city environment, don’t come here. The town can frequently feel sleepy and lacks the wide variety of shops you would get somewhere bigger. Nightlife is also often described as an issue, given there is no nightclub in the town. This is somewhat counteracted by an abundance of top-quality events, although these can often be very expensive. It can also feel rather secluded, with the nearest large-ish city (Dundee) about a 30-minute drive away. Prices can also be expensive (usually around £3.80 for a pint by one measure) but are certainly cheaper than somewhere like London. This is particularly noted in terms of accommodation. The university fails to provide any affordable halls accommodation to students while securing a lease on a flat usually relies on nepotism and can be a notorious headache and distraction for many students.

St Andrews is an amazing university and I have had a fantastic experience in the 2 years I have been here so far. The student population is very international, although not necessarily the most diverse, and very friendly and open on the whole.

The history department is large and offers a wide range of units, with a particular specialism in medieval history, and the professors are engaging, friendly, and willing to help you learn! An added bonus (especially to studying history here) is that the university was founded in 1413 (my American friends often remark that they feel like they are studying either at Hogwarts or in a castle!), and the town and university were central in Scottish History particularly during the Reformation period. One of the best things about studying here is closely linked to how old the university is, namely the unusual traditions – academic families, academic gowns, the curse of the PH, pier walks, Raisin, the largest foam fight in the world and May Dip! These traditions, whilst they may seem strange to outsiders or first years, are great for fostering community spirit and a sense of pride in the university, and really help in settling into life at St Andrews when you throw yourself into them.

Some minor drawbacks that I would highlight – St Andrews is often referred to as “the bubble” and for good reason! It is relatively isolated (completely cut off during the 2018 snowstorm) and difficult to get to since the nearest train station is 15 minutes drive away in Leuchars, and the closest international airport is in Edinburgh. It is a very small town with only 3 main streets and a small enough student population that everyone knows everyone. For people who enjoy shopping, a very active nightlife, and easy travel, this may not be the ideal university for you. The small size also means that accommodation can be more competitive and expensive than at the average university. However, it is relatively easy to travel to Dundee (only 30 mins on the bus), Edinburgh or Glasgow for gigs, shopping and nightlife, and the benefit of St Andrews being so small is that when you do go on a night out, you run into lots of people you know and have a better time!