St. Andrews University, UK

The oldest university in the United Kingdom after Oxford and Cambridge, over the past six centuries the University of St. Andrews (estb. 1413) has acquired an enviable reputation for teaching and research. Spread across the eponymous medieval town sited on the east coast of Scotland, this institution is consistently ranked among the top ten universities in the UK in surveys conducted by the Times and Guardian. Moreover St. Andrews, as it’s popularly known, was ranked 14th in the UK and second in Scotland for its high-quality research in science and the arts in the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) of the education ministry.

The university offers flexible undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in four schools — arts, science, divinity and medicine — to 7,258 students, including 1,000 from 75 countries around the world.

“St. Andrews is one of the most popular universities in the UK and is consistently ranked among the top five for research, teaching and student experience. Perhaps our most distinguishing feature is the strong sense of community reinforced by the size and location of the town, and the many cultural and social activities in the university,” says Dr. Louise Richardson, principal and vice-chancellor of the university.

A non-campus instit-ution, the university is closely integrated with the town, with the main library and many academic schools located centrally. The physical and mathe-matical sciences faculties are situated in the North Haugh on the edge of St. Andrews. A modern sports centre with adjacent playing fields and halls of residence are also located in this area. With the gown population (staff and students) nearly 9,000, on average one in three people any visitor will meet in town is likely to be connected with the university.

St. Andrews. Situated on the east coast of Scotland, St. Andrews (pop. 17,000) is a charming medieval beach-side town fronting the North Sea. St. Andrews derives its name from the disciple whose relics, according to legend, were brought here in antiquity by St. Rule. Scotland later adopted St. Andrew as its patron saint and incorporated his saltire cross into its national flag. Before the Reformation, the town was the centre of religious discourse in Scotland, with its bishops wielding great influence over church and state. Several renaissance buildings and churches still dot the town, with the medieval layout having survived almost intacta. Though a small town, St. Andrews has more pubs per sq. ft. than any other habitation in the UK, much to the delight of the student and native population.

Its medieval charms apart, most visitors are drawn to this 14th century town by a globally popular sport. St. Andrews is the home of golf, the game having been played here for over 600 years. The Old Course is arguably the most famous in the world, and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club still devises and adjudicates the rules of this universally popular game.

The weather in Scotland is notoriously unpredictable, with a high wind chill factor between November and March. Daytime temperatures in winter can drop below freezing point and average around 4°C. Night-time frosts are common, though snowfall is rare. Summer temperatures tend to be moderate, with daily upper maxima rarely exceeding 20°C. Situated on the coast, the town is often enveloped by a fog locally known as the haar, which rolls in from the North Sea and can tarry for several days. However university buildings, including halls of residence, are well heated.

Much of Scotland can be conve-niently accessed from St. Andrews. Edinburgh airport is an hour’s drive and London is 440 miles in the distance.

Campus facilities. St. Andrews University is spread across the eponymous town with the architecture ranging from medieval, Victorian to modern classrooms and laboratories. The main University Library, a modern four storey building sited in the heart of town, is within easy walking distance of schools/departments and halls of residence. It houses a collection of over 800,000 books, 11,000 print and electronic journals and an extensive collection of DVD and video material. In addition, there are substantial libraries in the North Haugh for physics/mathematics and chemistry, and separate satellite libraries for modern/Scottish history, and divinity/medieval history. Moreover the university is home to a museum and art gallery which house rare collections.

The university’s department of sports and exercise offers a wide range of facilities for students. It hosts an array of indoor and outdoor sports facilities including a full-size and floodlit Astroturf pitch, six tennis courts, 12 grass pitches, a 400 m athletics track with throwing facilities, three fitness suites, a sports hall, a gymnasium, an aerobics studio and two squash courts. Moreover the university students’ association manages over 110 societies — the largest number of any UK varsity — and hosts cultural and social events through the year.

Admission. The minimum eligibility criterion for admission into St. Andrews’ undergraduate programmes is good Plus Two/class XII grades. Moreover all applicants whose native language is not English must obtain a satisfactory score in a recognised test — TOEFL or IELTS. However for students whose school-leaving qualifications don’t meet the minimum general entrance requirements, the university offers a foundation programme. All admission applications to St. Andrews, as in the case of any UK university, must be routed through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). The university’s UCAS name and number codes are STA and S36. Students must apply before June 30 for the term beginning September 2009.

For further information contact the Admissions Application Centre, University of St. Andrews, St Katharine’s West, 16 The Scores, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AX. Tel: +44 (0)134 462150; Fax: +44 (0)134 4630; e-mail: admissions@st-andrews.ac.uk; website: www.st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accommodation. Housing options for single undergraduate students include both catered and self-catering, standard and ensuite (with shower and toilet) rooms. Each of the 11 halls of residence varies in size and character, with older buildings to modern. Every hall of residence has its own dining room, common room and study areas. All residences are mixed-sex although there are demarcated single-sex areas in most halls.

Degree programmes. St. Andrews offers a wide range of undergrad, postgraduate and doctoral degree programmes across the faculties of arts, science, divinity and medicine (see box). The undergrad degree programme at St. Andrews (as in all universities in Scotland) is of four years duration (cf. three years in British universities).

Summiya Yasmeen