Editorial — Freshers Magazine 2026

It’s once more that time of year where clattering suitcases out-cackle the seagulls on Market Street, where droves of taxis, shuttles, and buses clog this town’s three arteries, and the unseasonably warm air temporarily shelves your woollens. Your week ahead will seem  undoubtedly vast — the year, infinite, and the next four incomprehensibly far: it’s Freshers’ Week, after all.

In this magazine edition, The Saint, St Andrews’ independent student newspaper, aims to inspire you, Fresher, to drink in the sheer breadth of opportunity your four years here can offer. Editors from our publication’s nine sections, each representing the very best of their respective niche, will share their sage wisdom for the class of ’30. Be you a Sinners-loving jock, a frivolous socialite, an over-caffeinated STEM student, or a painfully obscure connoisseur of all things culture, the following 26 pages have a prescription for whatever your special ailment may be. 

Hobbling into our fourth and final year, we, The Saint’s Editors-in-Chief, have found in the numerous facets of this publication a model by which to experience St Andrews’ idiosyncrasies — both the enlightening and absurd — to their fullest. 

At the risk of sounding like the repetitious Market Street evangelist, we believe that journalistic initiative, the kind students of The Saint have practised for 30 years, remains the best way to traverse St Andrews’ great and diverse scenes. To speak only of our own adventures, we have found ourselves marching in costumed processions, chatting in pipe-smoke-filled cars with local aristocracy, riding in denim on mechanical bulls, schmoozing on the red carpet with Hollywood directors, sprinting barefoot on Exeter’s motorways, deafened by shotgun reports at shooting tournaments, serenaded by student bands in Edinburgh’s underground, front row at countless student theatre productions, and in fish lockers and Victorian printing presses along Fife’s coast. All in a day’s work.

This isn’t to imply that The Saint is simply one raucous gala, as much as its founder Tim Samuel’s doubledecker party bus might suggest otherwise. Nor is this a ploy to petition you to join our staff (though applications are indeed still open, and we encourage you to apply). We rather wish to convey the merits of remaining earnest, of seeking conversation and sincere connection with this town’s singular community. You don’t need a dictaphone to ask an intriguing stranger to coffee, nor is a press pass required to RSVP for a niche social, garden party, debate, or sports match. 

We are aware, however, that the work we do in this student newspaper cannot always be groundbreaking. The same publication which has produced exposés, investigated misconduct at major establishments, and interviewed Britney Spears in 2002, has also produced front-page stories on South Street pavement extensions. The work can be as mundane as it is riveting — quite similar to St Andrews itself.

All which at first dazzles you — the old, stone buildings, professors learned and wise, dinner parties and dilettantes — will invariably become commonplace. That is why the most important things to keep with you during these years are intentionality and awareness. 

Therein lies the value of our writing; on a Thursday mid-deadline season, you might pick up the latest issue of our paper. You might read of the bookseller at the end of Market Street or a piece about the latest student play at the Byre. You may learn of the ongoing three-year feud between our Rector and the University, or read of black-tie balls and boisterous Port and Policy nights with the Tories of St Andrews. And you might remember, in the midst of deadline-induced panic and despair, that in this town there is always more than what meets the eye.

While isolation and idiosyncrasy undoubtedly earn St Andrews its nickname ‘The Bubble,’ this town’s residents — student, faculty, or local — are anything but insular. If you approach your new neighbours with candour, you will discover, as we have, profound adventure and companionship in these three streets.

We ask that you be intentional about what you read and consume. Be aware, at all times, of what’s taking place around you. It is a real privilege to study at one of the world’s leading academic institutions amidst a hugely diverse group of people. This gratitude — celebrating local events, opinion, and culture — is what our paper will always try to capture. We recommend you try the same, whether through art, writing, studying, debaucherous nights out, or whatever you deem fit. 

In short, be a journalist; interrogate everything, explore recklessly, and embrace the ludicrous without reserve. There are only so many cobblestones in this small town — don’t leave any unturned. Invariably, your first year at St Andrews will be stressful and overwhelming. More often than that, it will push you to grow, grant you incredible opportunities, and put you in contact with singular, like-minded friends. Rest assured: it’s all great fun.