St. Andrews social dynamics

[Bonnie]

Pubs change, and can do so dramatically.

I remember when the Westport was highly uncool (I used to drink there :-p) and literally overnight is took the cake as hippest place for the wannabees.

Anyone know of the "Westport 15 minutes" phenomenon? Hilarious!

I agree it's the wannabees that are the most dangerous. No one else, including the haves and have-nots really give a buck.

[hr]

I love cheese.

[Dickie]

Quoting Bonnie from 10:35, 5th Apr 2006I agree it's the wannabees that are the most dangerous. No one else, including the haves and have-nots really give a buck.

Too true, the Ya's (or what I know as Ya's) are great but the fakes are dreadfull. The easy way to spot the diferance is the real Ya's would never think about your social position only what sort of person you are.


[hr]

http://facebook.com/p.php?id=37106107&l=217e435e0a

[Irish Frank]

I'm in my second year at St Andrews and havent found it claustrophobic or snobby, although I had similiar apphrensions to you when I first applied. The students and university will put on a huge welcome for you in freshers' week, you'll make loads of new friends from all walks of life and the social life is unbelievable as well as the academic boost of being at St Andrews. Sure, in every university you get a few weirdos with more money than sense, but they're definitely a minority in St Andrews. You'll have an awesome time.

[MrGreedy]

Quoting Manic23 from 02:05, 4th Apr 2006
3) A guy who told me he refused to drink in the lizard, preferring to stay in the oak rooms as "there were less plebs there".

You'd have thought with an expensive education he'd have known to say fewer plebs. Public school standards must be slipping these days I guess.

On the actual question, whatever your background you are bound to find a group of friends who you'll fit in with, and a variety of drinking establishments to suit your social status (perceived or otherwise). Sometimes it is difficult to wind yourself in when certain groups are behaving ostentatiously but at the end of the day you'll still have a great time as well. Without wishing to sound trite, even a reasonably moribund student existence at St Andrews pisses over actual working for a living, or, God forbid, being a starving African, so make the most of it when you have the chance.

*Disclaimer - nostalgia and or alcohol may have influenced this post.

[Setsuna]

Quoting motorhead from 19:40, 4th Apr 2006
I am from a middle - working class background, if you like to call it that and i have found wonderful friends at St Andrews who are not up themselves in the slightest(well apart from andy grayland ; p) The posh people in st andrews are top quality because its great to laugh at them because they live in cloud fucking la la land and honestly dont give a fuck, its not there fault. Its the social climber wankers that you have got to watch out for. You know the ones that come to st andrews in a pair of jeans and a t shirt and leave in a fucking pashmina and an asparagus up thier arse. Or the ones that turn up to staandrews fucking geeks and leave with hair lobger than thier arse and a pot habit. Basically the cats that are willing to change thier whole personality to fit in with the crowd. Fucking faulse pretentious wankdiddleers

Ha ha! This is actually very true, it is quite funny when people turn up completely non-descript and leave as either complete stoners or pseudo-yahs.

St Andrews is great. The fact that it is so small makes it really easy to meet people, and peple are a lot more open minded than they were at school - its a maturity thing i guess. There is such a huge mix of people from all sorts of backgrounds and the majority are just normal people, who are here to study whilst having fun.

As for the £2500 behind the bar thing, one cant help feel slightly bitter. After rent, i have £2500 to survive on for 12 months, and it aint always easy. BUT as the right-wingers say, its their right. Get used to seeing that in St. Andrews. It is good to make friends with these people, so that when you meet them when theyre drunk, they buy your drinks.

Score.



Edited for being unable to spell simple words and fear of prevalent pedantry.

[Guest]

Quoting Bonnie from 10:35, 5th Apr 2006

I remember when the Westport was highly uncool (I used to drink there :-p) and literally overnight is took the cake as hippest place for the wannabees.

1) The Westport has always sucked. It will continue to suck until everyone gets back and realizes you can smoke and drink in the garden. Then, it will still kind of suck.

2) How on *earth* are "wanna-bes" "dangerous"? To whom? How? And why?

[Bonnie]

The Westport can suck all it wants, but that didn't stop the kids thinking it was cool.

Wanna-bes are dangerous to one's perception of reality. There are people out there who take it seriously. It's really pathetic to see an otherwise perfectly good person take themselves and the colour of pashminas too seriously.

Quoting from 03:39, 6th Apr 2006

Quoting Bonnie from 10:35, 5th Apr 2006

I remember when the Westport was highly uncool (I used to drink there :-p) and literally overnight is took the cake as hippest place for the wannabees.

1) The Westport has always sucked. It will continue to suck until everyone gets back and realizes you can smoke and drink in the garden. Then, it will still kind of suck.

2) How on *earth* are "wanna-bes" "dangerous"? To whom? How? And why?

[hr]

I love cheese.

[Rufus]

While there are the few token social-climbers, it seems a little crazy to lambast people changing.

A lot of - in fact, most - people change during their university years; perhaps they couldn't be 'themselves' at home, or perhaps they didn't know who they were.

You would have to be a particularly stolid character not to change a tiny bit.

[exnihilo]

Quoting Setsuna from 23:27, 5th Apr 2006As for the £2500 behind the bar thing, one cant help feel slightly bitter. After rent, i have £2500 to survive on for 12 months, and it aint always easy. BUT as the right-wingers say, its their right.

Excuse me? I'm not a right-winger and I said it was their right, it's hardly a right-wing position.

As I already asked, what then is a fair amount to spend at a party? Or for a student to have? Or is it not the party, would you actually cap all people at the same sum of money?

[exnihilo]

Quoting Rufus from 10:13, 6th Apr 2006
You would have to be a particularly stolid character not to change a tiny bit.

Or perfect on arrival - a lot of people think they are.

[nighteyes]

of course you are going to change over four years of living away from home, hell in two years im alot diffrent then when i arrived, not just my appearance but also the fact i am no longer depressive, people hating and agressive. its unfair to have a go at people for simply changing. but perfectly ok to bitch about social climbers tho.
as for the guy with all the money...fair play to him, sounds like the kinda guy you want to go to parties with...nice cheep night out. i say spend all your parents/loan/overdraft money while you can. the uni experiance ends all too soon.

[hr]

i didnt say i was consistant, just right!

[Lyeta]

Well as people above have discussed yes there are snobs no it isn't exclusively snobs yes it can be claustrophobic but that can be a good thing and there are cliques here just like anywhere else. However, I will say that as a biologist sharing a building with Medics I do find that, if anyone is, they are the most cliquey group in st. andrews...
*prepares for onslaught from angry medics*

[Insight]

I can understand how people would think medics cliquey, but we do have EVERY class with each other, 5 days-a-week, from first year. It's natural you get to know thoe people you see (often 9-5) quite quickly. I'm hardly loathe to chatting to "no-medics" though.

I have occasionally encountered "Ught - you're a medic" when I've declared my degree in public. Which is odd - and quite intimidating as a first year who hadn't even attended classes yet.

[hr]

SRC Member for Sexualities & Genders

[Charlotte]

Thanks everyone for all the replies! I found it very reassuring All the people I know that are at St. Andrews now are great people, and seem to be having a fabulous time (much like yourselves). It's definitley the place for me, so I'll be there in 2007. Good luck on your exams! C xx

[THE 411]

Quoting Charlotte from 00:22, 7th Apr 2006
Thanks everyone for all the replies! I found it very reassuring All the people I know that are at St. Andrews now are great people, and seem to be having a fabulous time (much like yourselves). It's definitley the place for me, so I'll be there in 2007. Good luck on your exams! C xx

Youve kinda finished this thread yourself, but...
I feel it all depends what youve grown up with. Kids from private schools find St Andrews fairly sound, not too different. The Oxford, Durham, Cambridge rejects see St Andrews as second best, and therefore of course they're of a better standard than others, and you'll notice them acting such in the Union. I'm public school, and found the posh kids at the start a mighty pain in the arse, but as time goes bye you learn to talk to them, then make judgement, and if theyre a pain in the arse then ignore them, you will find decent mates elsewhere and then your sorted, and sit in the union laughing at these rich snobs attempting to act cool... and thats a laugh.