single room

[Alexandra]

My name is Alexandra and Im starting in the fall. I'm going into International Relations and I'd love to hear from any other freshers that are doing the same. I have never been to ST Andrews, but I get the impression that everyone there likes it, so it can't be all that bad. I have a few questions though:
1~ Are there good places to shop for clothes?
2~ what are my chances of getting a single room if I applied for one, even though I am a freshy?
3~ Do any of the third or fourth year students teach piano lessons?
thanks.

[The Penguin Of Death!]

Quoting Alexandra from 17:19, 10th Jun 2006
My name is Alexandra and Im starting in the fall. I'm going into International Relations and I'd love to hear from any other freshers that are doing the same. I have never been to ST Andrews, but I get the impression that everyone there likes it, so it can't be all that bad. I have a few questions though:
1~ Are there good places to shop for clothes?
2~ what are my chances of getting a single room if I applied for one, even though I am a freshy?
3~ Do any of the third or fourth year students teach piano lessons?
thanks.

Well done for getting a place on the IR course! It seems to be pretty competitive as it is so popular (I'm a physicist, but my first room mate was an IR student and she seemed to enjoy the 1st year course!)

Right, your questions -

1) There are 5 or 6 clothes shops in St Andrews, which is enough if you want a quick browse after class, or realise that you really need a new top or something an hour before you out to that fancy dinner. However, if you are used to having a lot of shops around then Dundee is only half an hour away on the bus and has almost all the shops you could need. Edinburgh is also an hour away and is guaranteed to have what you're looking for.

2) It all depends what kind of accomodation you applied for. If it was self catered then you will almost definately get a single room. If it was en suite then you have a pretty good chance of getting a single room. However, if you were aiming to get into one of the older central halls, then you are more likely to be put in a shared room. (although in Uni hall quite a lot of freshers seem to get single rooms in the Lumsden wing)

3) I have no idea about this! The music centre provides lessons, although these can be a bit pricey. I guess if the 3rd/4th year students were looking to earn a bit of money and weren't too busy with their studies they would give lessons.

Hope this helps

[Scully]

I was in catered new hall in my 1st year (2001)- the year when they screwed up the number of applicants (coz Prince Wills came) and put bunk beds in. I was fortunate that my room mate never showed up- so paid the top-up for a single room (£3100- not the ridiculous £5000 or whatever they charge now). Anyway, I found out that Scottish students bascially got what they applied for- as they applied for Uni when they knew their grade. Us English however, apply when we don't know our grades, so only get allocated a room when we get our a-level results a month before we go to uni- so get what's left. Just have to hope its what you applied for!!

[mackie]

Quoting scully from 16:55, 14th Jun 2006
Anyway, I found out that Scottish students bascially got what they applied for- as they applied for Uni when they knew their grade. Us English however, apply when we don't know our grades, so only get allocated a room when we get our a-level results a month before we go to uni- so get what's left. Just have to hope its what you applied for!!

That's not true. I'm Scottish, and sent away my accommodation application by the deadline in May, and didn't get my exam results until August. So not sure where you're getting that Scottish students know there results when they apply for uni...Unless they apply in 6th year, when they know their 5th year results.

[Alexandra]

thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

[Ak]

thanks for taking the time to answer

[laura]

Alexandra, I'll be starting as a fresher in International Relations in the fall as well. Speaking of which, I just managed to register for modules, actually.

[Griggsy]

I have loved my first 2 years of IR at St Andys, hope you two do aswell!

[hr]

'I run wild in the shadowy jungle of erotic adventures.'

[Scully]

Mackie- were you 17 or 18 when you started Uni? Some scottish students doing what I believe is called 6th year studies?- when they already have done their equivalent to A-Levels. We apply for uni almost a year before we sit our a-level finals. Bascially a year into a-levels, so we rarely get unconditional offers.

[nighteyes]

not all scottish students get what they need in fifth year...so no they dont all get unconditionals because they know there grades. but they can get conditionals which they then work to get in sixth year like I did.

fyi scottish highers are considered lower in the academic scale than english A levels, however Advanced Highers in sixth year are more on a par with the first year at uni. Hence the easyness of the first year, brings the poor students like me who only did 6 highers up to the standard of those who did advanced.

[hr]

i didnt say i was consistant, just right!

[lts2]

Question 1 - Not at all

[Alexandra]

Hi Laura, do you have a facebook account or a myspace? How did you know what modules to sign up for without any guidance, I didn't know we were aloowed before freshers week, but I don't want to choose wrongly.

[thebrookster]

I would not worry about signing up for your modules in a hurry, I did not sign up for any until half-way through Freshers week. This may of course be different for over-subscribed modules, but even then I don't think that anything definite is decided until your advising.

[Emma]

Hi Alexandra (and Laura)! My name is Emma and I'm also going into my first year in IR in September!

If you have received your username and password, you should be able to access the student portal and make your module choices (this process is called "pre-advising"). You can change your choices as many times as you like up until fresher's week, when you meet with an adviser of studies, and your choices become final. If you want to read about the different modules, try the course catalogue. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/publications/catalogue.shtml Like the above poster said though, I wouldn't worry about it too much (though I do worry about it; there are too many modules I want to take, it's so difficult to decide which ones to pick!).