Laura is a Classics student (Latin and Ancient Greek) at the University of St Andrews. After passing her Bac littéraire in France with an average of almost 19/20, she was admitted to the prestigious University of St Andrews in Scotland. Read her testimonial below and find out more about her university experience at St Andrews!
Profile
FIRST NAME : Laura
NATIONALITY : French
NAME OF COURSE FOLLOWED : Classics
NAME OF UNIVERSITY : University of St Andrews
A FUN DETAIL ABOUT YOU: I can speak 4 languages.
Why did you choose to study abroad?
What courses did you apply for abroad (in the UK and elsewhere)? Why did you choose this subject/curriculum for your Bachelor’s degree? I applied in the UK only, for degrees in Classics (Latin and Greek) or Classics and Comparative Literature (Latin, Greek and Comparative Literature). I’ve always been fascinated by the humanities, which is why I chose the literary stream in high school, and the flexibility of the Classics program (the possibility of specializing in literature, philosophy, history…) was a perfect option for me. What other universities did you apply to (in the UK and elsewhere) and why did you end up choosing this university? I had applied to Cambridge, St Andrews, Durham, UCL and Glasgow. I was accepted everywhere except Cambridge. I hesitated a lot between Durham and St Andrews, but the possibility of doing modules in other departments for two years (the “sub-honours”), the difference in study costs (free for European Union students in Scotland), and the incredible international diversity of St Andrews largely tipped the scales for Scotland and I have no regrets!
What was the admissions process like for you?
Did you receive any coaching/help with your application (e.g. from your school)? No help at all from my school (I was the only student in my year to study outside France). However, I did use a similar service at Your Dream School, which helped me choose a course of study and universities until I passed my baccalauréat for 1 year. How did you go about writing your UCAS Personal Statement? Thanks to the help of this service, I was very well taken care of: I don’t think I would have managed as well on my own, the English system being so different from the French. In the end, with good organization, it was a really enjoyable thing to prepare! 
What readings/resources did you find useful to mention in your Statement, and could you recommend to a student who would like to apply for the same course? I talked about readings that were related to the studies I wanted to pursue, but mostly about what I had enjoyed: for example, as I was applying for comparative literature courses, I talked about Madame Bovary and a secondary reading I had done for this book. I think it’s important that it’s not forced and that you really feel the student’s interest. I also talked to Classics about Simon Goldhill’s Love, Sex and Tragedy.
Did you have to attend an interview? If so, how did you prepare? I was invited to an interview in Cambridge. I prepared for it by reading student testimonials and watching videos on the subject. I reread my Personal Statement to make sure I knew what I had mentioned in it.
Why did you choose St Andrews in particular?
Have you been influenced by the rankings? Do you think students should look at rankings to choose? I think rankings are important and they absolutely determined my choice. Rather than the overall rankings, I looked at the subject rankings, which sometimes make a big difference. Did the content of the curriculum at your particular university influence your choice of university? The sub-honours/honours division in Scotland had a big influence on my choice: the flexibility of the first two years, which even allowed me to switch from a double to a single degree when I realized that I really preferred Latin and Greek (“Classics”), as well as the choice and freedom of the last two years in terms of choice of courses is really fantastic. Studies at St Andrews are in fact divided into 4 years, themselves divided into two categories: the first two years are called “sub-honours” and the last two “honours“. The first two years are made up of compulsory courses, i.e. you don’t choose your courses: in my case, in the first year I took the Latin course corresponding to my level and year, its equivalent in ancient Greek, and the first-year module in comparative literature. In fact, in the first two years, you have to choose 3 modules: so you enter university with one or two subjects that you chose when you applied, and you can choose others in addition. For example, a friend of mine applied to St Andrews for a psychology degree, and took biology and philosophy modules in her 1st and 2nd years. These are general courses to prepare for entry into honours (3rd and 4th year): in fact, once in 3rd year you specialize in one or two disciplines (in my case, I only kept Latin and Ancient Greek) and where you can choose from several course options (for example, I chose a module on Roman history and another on Greek poetry). The first two years are very useful, as they enable you to better define what you like: although I had gone in expecting to study both Latin and Ancient Greek and Comparative Literature, my 2 years of Comparative Literature made me realize that I much preferred Latin and Ancient Greek! In the same way, when you’re unsure about your course of study, you can try out different things: my friend who went for a degree in psychology ended up liking biology so much that she’s now in her 3rd year of a biology-only degree! It’s a flexibility that’s very useful if you’re not sure what you want to do yet (since it avoids having to repeat the first year), but it’s also nice since it allows some students to try out courses they’d never have taken otherwise. What do you think of the town? St Andrews is very small, so it’s really a town that revolves around student life. While for some students it becomes too stuffy, I love the fact that everything I need is within a 20-minute walk, that I can always get around on foot and that I feel like I’m in a campus town! Safety-wise, you couldn’t ask for better either. The town of St Andrews itself is beautiful, and having the sea surrounding it is a luxury I’m going to miss after my years here! Edinburgh is 1.5 hours by bus and Glasgow 2.5 hours. Dundee is a 30-minute bus ride away. It’s perfectly possible to travel to these cities for the day and return in the evening (there are many direct buses). Students often get around on foot. Those who live further from the center cycle, but even if you live far from the center you’re never more than 30 minutes from your classes, so it’s a question of comfort.
What do you think of the St Andrews campus? The University of St Andrews is over 600 years old, so there’s a lot of history to go with it! The main traditions are the “red gowns“, the red capes that students wear on important days or when representing the university. The “pier walk” takes place every Sunday morning, on the breakwater near the harbor, where students, most wearing their capes, walk together. There’s also “Raisin weekend“, stemming from the tradition of academic families where 3rd-year students take 1st-year students under their wings: it’s a tradition unique to St Andrews that quickly creates bonds, as we soon realize that we are “linked” to many students thanks to our academic “fathers”, “mothers”, “brothers” and “sisters”! Raisin is the highlight of this tradition, where the “kids” spend the day playing games or having “tea parties” at their “parents'” homes, who dress them up the following Monday morning before sending them off to a giant foam battle on campus. Another tradition is the “May Dip”, where at first light on May 1, students throw themselves into the water for good luck in the upcoming exams. The campus is very old and therefore very Harry Potter! The town is old and beautiful, and you really feel like you’re walking through Hogwarts (especially when the students are wearing capes!). There are a few modern buildings around the corner from the science and medicine buildings. The university has a large sports center and many fields, and there’s something for everyone: soccer, tennis, but also trampolining, surfing and even Quidditch! Students often meet up at the Student Union, a building reserved for them with a café and bar and plenty of places to work. The town is small, so all the cafés are often packed with students. When the weather’s nice, students tend to hang out on the lawns in front of the classrooms (St Salvator’s Quad, Mary’s Quad, for example). 
What are the 3 things you like best about your university and the 3 things you’d like to improve?
3 things I like the most: the student activities and societies (there’s always something to do), the traditions, the very good relationship students have with their teachers.
3 things I’d like to improve: it depends more on the city than on the university, but the fact that you sometimes have the impression of being too much in a bubble (hence the need to be able to get out of the city easily, which is sometimes complicated as it’s only connected to the rest of the country by bus). Sometimes, because of the number of students in a small town, resources are lacking (number of places in the library, for example), but these are things that quickly improve (+200 places in the library between my first and my 3rd year). th year).
Do you have any international friends (French or otherwise) at your university?
Are there many international students at your university? How easy do you find it to integrate and make friends at your university as a foreigner? There are a lot of international students in St Andrews – and a lot of French too. It’s easy because there are so many foreigners that you end up in a wide variety of groups! While it’s true that the English tend to be in groups with each other and the internationals with each other at first, no doubt due to the language barrier (or a fear of making mistakes on the part of the internationals), this is no longer the case after a few weeks.
What’s your student residence like? Are you housed on campus?
Comment était votre résidence étudiante en 1ère année (confort, propreté, proximité du campus…) ? I stayed at Agnes Blackadder Hall, which was perfect for what I wanted and very modern. I was 15 minutes from my classes, in a double room with my own bathroom, and I had a package deal at the canteen. There was nothing to complain about, everything was perfect, even if it was a bit “far away” when you think in “St Andrews terms”. The kitchens were big enough for us, and cleaned every week. How far from the university are the halls of residence? Where do 2nd and 3rd year students live? Most residences are between 5 and 15 minutes from the school, with one a little further out, about 30 minutes from the center. Most students leave the residences and move into private accommodation for the following years, but some residences are known to have a large number of students who stay for their entire schooling. What’s the food like in your residence and in others? Is it possible to cook for yourself? All the residences have full kitchens, so you can always cook for yourself. The food was decent in the residences, always focused on choice (always a vegan or vegetarian dish). The only problem is that you get bored of meals pretty quickly, and you have to get used to English schedules (dinner at 5:30pm!), but otherwise it’s very convenient not to have to worry about your meals in 1st year! What was the process like to get a place in a residence? Which student residences would you recommend to French or international students at your university? The process takes place in April, and all first-year students are guaranteed a place. You don’t choose your residence but the type (“catered” / “non catered” (with or without meals), single or shared room) you are looking for in order of preference. All the residences are very good, but I’d particularly recommend John Burnett or St Regulus Hall. They’re much smaller residences and therefore more welcoming (there were 500 of us in mine, so it’s hard to get to know everyone!). What’s more, they’re beautiful old buildings that are very close to the university or in the center (whereas my Agnes Blackadder Hall residence is 15 minutes from the center).
Could you describe your experience at your university?
How many hours of lessons do you have each week? I have 4 hours of classes every week and had 12 hours for the first 2 years (in subhonours). Tutorials usually have between 10 and 15 students, regardless of the subject: after that, amphitheaters (“lectures”) can have between 20 and 300 students, depending on the size of the class. The number of class hours is very different for science students (who have “labs”) and humanities students: for a humanities student like me, for the first 2 years, we have 12 to 14 hours of classes per week. In honors, the number of hours drops considerably to 2 to 3 hours per subject, and as we take two modules per semester, this comes down to 4 to 6 hours per week. Classroom hours are usually lectures where the teacher speaks and students take notes, followed by tutorials for group discussion. However, in classics, the readings are already in small groups: there are between 5 and 15 of us per class, so the teachers prefer to discuss and debate rather than lecture. So my classes are a mixture of tutorials and readings. How much work is involved? There’s a lot of personal work in Honours! In general, teachers expect a day’s work per hour of class (because these are not lectures, but rather debates and discussions, so you need to arrive well prepared). But with so few class hours, you really have time to prepare everything. Do you have exams once or several times a year? 2 times a year (at the end of each semester). Are you involved in any student associations? Yes, I’m on 3 committees and an active member of several associations. I’m part of the French association, the Fine Food and Dining Society, and I also take part in Ubuntu (a student show). The events not to be missed are the balls – there are balls every week for all tastes, so it depends on whether you want to go to the one organized by your society, faculty or residence! – and traditions like “Raisin” that make St Andrews so charming.
St Andrews
Is there anything about the university system in the country where you’re studying that you’d like to improve? I would have liked to have been able to write one letter per university rather than a general one for all 5 (especially as I was applying to different courses).
Do you have any other comments or advice for students interested in applying to your university or other foreign universities?
– To talk to students about the universities that interest them – To visit the university! There’s nothing better than being in the city or on the campus and seeing whether they like the environment or not. Don’t hesitate or think you don’t have what it takes: there really is something for everyone, both in terms of courses and choice of universities.
