Application journey

[Music]

>>JULIE RAMSAY (Director of Admissions): Hello, and a very warm welcome to the University of St Andrews. My name is Julie Ramsay. I'm the University's Director of Admissions.

What a beautiful place you're visiting. The University was founded in 1413. We're surrounded by medieval history steeped in traditions, with a medieval church castle, kilometres of unspoiled coastline and beaches, golf courses, and within a minute's notice you can get out to the hills and mountains in Scotland.

St Andrews is a wonderful place for you to consider studying. So many people ask me what are we looking for in our prospective students. We're looking for students that are motivated, curious and want to learn more about the world around them. We're welcoming, we're diverse, and we offer an unparalleled student experience.

St Andrews has amazing connectivity with the rest of the world. We're located on the east coast of Scotland. It's a beautiful environment. We're a one-hour drive or by rail from Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city; an hour's flight from London; and very well connected to the rest of Europe and the world.

The University of St Andrews is safe, supported and Scottish.

It's safe. You feel that the minute you step inside the town and the University of St Andrews. Accommodation is guaranteed for our first-year undergraduates, and that safe environment is what students call home.

It's supported. We have a vibrant community of scholars, staff and students that quickly allows you to realise your full potential.

And we're Scottish. We've got huge amounts of traditions from the past, but we're also very much looking forward. We're pioneering and creative in everything that we do.

For our students, the teaching is exhilarating. We offer a four-year Scottish undergraduate degree which allows students - you - to take modules in arts, divinity, social sciences and, science. You've got breadth in the first two years and then depth of study in the final two years of your degree.

Our teaching is small group with seminars, tutorials, laboratories, language and other classes. It allows you to access lecturers and professors live, ask questions and contribute to lively debate. We also have larger lectures which allow you to learn a lot more about the subject at hand. Very small class teaching allows you to be very much known to the lecturer and professor and contribute hugely to your learning and interaction.

At the University of St Andrews, we offer an unrivalled student experience. You'll find that we're really warm and welcoming, and you quickly settle in and make new friends, whether that's through your halls of residence, your teaching - small group teaching - where it's easy to meet and get to know people quickly, or your interests outwith the classroom. That could be through sports, music, drama or any of the other numerous clubs and societies that we offer through our active Students' Union.

The University of St Andrews has an incredible track record of its graduates leaving and going on to illustrious careers in all walks of life. St Andrews connections are all over the world, and we encourage you through our careers and alumni teams at the University to make the most of them.

Thank you very much for visiting us and please do not hesitate to get in touch with us should you have any further questions.

[TEXT]:

• Admissions staff - admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk 
• Current students - askastudent@st-andrews.ac.uk 

>>PROFESSOR CLARE PEDDIE: The University degree at St Andrews reflects the Scottish degree system in that students coming into first and second year can take subjects outside their intended degree specialisation.

>>DR STEPHEN TYRE: The ability to change subject choices and to put together combinations allows students really to put together quite an individual programme of study.

>> MARKUS: It really helped me to just explore different things.

>>PROFESSOR CLARE PEDDIE: Our students get to widen their education at first and second year and then specialise in their degree subjects in their Honours years.

>> AABIYAH: One of the best things about studying in St Andrews is the small class sizes. So you really get to know everyone really well. Everyone is so friendly and so understanding.

>>DR STEPHEN TYRE: It's important to think of the St Andrews education as something which teaches students to become experts in a subject, but also it teaches lots of really important transferable skills which are vital for employability.

>>PROFESSOR JUDITH WOLFE: We hand-pick our students. We pick the students that we think will flourish here. And we pick few enough students that we can make sure that they do flourish here when they come.

>>FORREST: Hi, my name is Forrest.

>>ZAINA: And I'm Zaina. We're students at the University of St Andrews.

>>FORREST: Together, we created this talking tour video in collaboration with the University. We hope you enjoy.

>>ZAINA: Thanks!

>>KATE: Founded in 1413, St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland. St Andrews doesn't have a campus, instead we have a university that's intertwined with the town. 

My name's Kate, and I'm a fourth year studying international relations here at St Andrews. On top of my studies, I'm also principal ambassador, which means I work with the Admissions team to run the student ambassador scheme. 

Most of St Andrews can be found on three parallel streets: North Street, Market Street and South Street. Our student ambassadors will now show you each street of the town. 

>>ELLA: Hi, my name is Ella, and I'm a fourth-year biology student. We are currently standing in St Salvatore's Quad. This is one of the oldest and most central parts of the University. During term time, the quad is bustling with students sat out studying or eating lunch on the lawn behind me.

Just behind the College Hall to the right of the quad is Lower College Lawn. This is the site of our infamous Raisin Monday foam fight where the students get dressed up in fancy costumes and are let loose on the back lawn with cans of shaving foam. 

On the ground in front of me are the initials PH marked in stone. This marks the spot where Protestant reformer Patrick Hamilton was burnt at the stake during the Reformation. There is a legend tied in with the PH that says that if any student stands on it, they're cursed to fail their degree. 

Right behind me is the Old Union Coffee Shop which, as the name suggests, used to be the old student union before it was moved to Market Street. Now, it's a cute little coffee shop, and
you'll often find me in there catching up with friends over a coffee in between classes.

Right next door to the Old Union is the Advice and Support Centre or the ASC. They're there to help you find your way as a student and to answer any questions you might have during your time here at St Andrews.

Tucked in just off of North Street is our Main Library. The University actually has a number of different libraries, some of which are subject-specific, but this is the biggest, and this is where all of the texts you'll need for your degree are held.

I myself spend a lot of time in this library, particularly on the bottom floor. This is a loud floor, and you're also allowed hot drinks and food down here, and it's a great way to socialise with friends to do group work, and if you're like me and just like a bit of background noise when you're studying.

If you like silence, then the top two floors are both silent study areas. The Library is also home to a number of different study rooms and booths that you can book out, which make them perfect for group study.

Just behind the library is the Arts Building. This is home to the School of International Relations and has a number of different lecture theatres and seminar rooms. On the top floor, you get amazing views all over St Andrews. 

We're now stood on the North Haugh, which is only a short walk from the town centre. The North Haugh is where all the science buildings are based, so if you're a scientist like me, you'll spend a lot of time down here.

Right behind me is the Gateway building. This is home to the School of Management. The basement floor is managed by the Library and is a really big study space where you'll find me during revision weeks.

>>CALLUM: My name's Callum, and I'm a third year studying English with modern history, and we're standing in Market Street next to the Melville Memorial Fountain. 

Market Street's home to a lot of student life in St Andrews. It's where you'll find lots of the cafes that students like to study in, pubs to hang out in the evenings, our Student Union, lecture theatres and of course lots of shops to do your shopping. 

We're standing outside the Buchanan Building which is home to the School of Modern Languages
and also one of the largest lecture theatres in St Andrews. As a first year, you can expect lots of your lectures to be in this building.

We're standing outside the Student Union at the bottom of Market Street which is a real hub for student life at the University of St Andrews. The Union's home to a number of different venues for students to hang out in like:

• Rectors, a cafe that's really popular for students to study in
• Main Bar, which turns into a cafe during the day and again is a great place to study
• 601, which is behind me and is the main club of the University
• as well as Beacon Bar that's on the top floor of the Union.

My favourite, though, is Sandy's, the karaoke bar. That's where you can find me singing Kate Bush really badly on Friday nights to my heart's content.

The Union is also a hub for over 140 different societies that we have at the University of St Andrews. They range on everything from the weird to the wonderful. There's a club for everyone.

Right across from the Union is the Careers Center where you can drop in for an appointment with one of the University's career advisors, get some feedback on your CV, or set up a mock interview in preparation for an internship or a job interview.

At the end of Market Street you'll find the bus stop which provides loads of great transport links from St Andrews to Glasgow, Edinburgh and all over Scotland, as well as a rail connection to Leuchars, which is our nearest railway station.

>>SOPHIA: Hi, I'm Sophia, and I'm a postgraduate student at the University of St Andrews. I study Romantic and Victorian Literature, and today I'm here to show you around South Street.

Before we get to South Street itself though, I wanted to show you Martyr's Kirk, which is a postgraduate research library located on North Street just across the St Salvator's Quad. The library itself is a great quiet study space for postgrad students across the University from any School.

Right now, I'm standing in front of the Byre Theatre, which was originally founded in 1933 and was built in a derelict cow byre, which is where the building gets its name. During the term, it hosts a number of seminars, classes, and screenings as well as hosting travelling performers and artists.

We're standing in the Byre garden right now, which is where I love to come and do my coursework on sunny days.

We're currently in St Mary's Quadrangle, which houses a number of academic Schools and institutions. St Leonard's College provides a networking space for postgraduates across the University. Overall, St Mary's is one of my favourite places in the University. It is a great place to come and just hang out in the sun. I love to bring a book and read on the quad. It's an amazing little oasis just off of South Street.

Apart from the academic buildings and School offices which line the street, South Street is also full of pubs and cafes. These are great places to hang out with your friends between classes, wonderful to study in, and many societies end up having dinners and functions in the multitude of great little hangouts here.

South Street ends in the historic West Port behind me, which was completed originally during the 16th century and refurbished during the 19th century and is still standing today.

>>KATE: A short walk from North Haugh and the bus station, and you find yourselves on West
Sands. This is one of three beaches in St Andrews where students come to relax and reflect on their studies. The view that you can see behind me is one of the most breathtaking views in St
Andrews. 

Thank you so much for coming on our tour. I hope to see you around town soon.

[MUSIC]

>> RACHEL: Living in halls has such a wonderful atmosphere and it really gives a great sense of community.

>> JONATHON: There are various student accommodation options here at St Andrews.

>> HENRY: I chose to be self-catered. I shared a flat with four other people from across the UK. It's just been an amazing experience so far. So, my flat mates are my best friends.

>> SHUTONG: Nearly everybody knows each other, so it is a really tight community.

>> JONATHON: I've stayed in a standard catered hall. These kind of halls is where students will get catered meals.

>> THOMAS: Three communal meals a day. That was a good way in which to meet people and just talk with people. It was just very easy to mix and mingle.

>> RACHEL: You're able to make so many great friends and it really does feel like a home away from home.

[MUSIC]