How to Do St Andrews Right

Illustration: Isabelle Holloway

Dear Fresher,

As you arrive in our little Scottish seaside town, full of history, cottages, gothic-ish buildings, and Barbour jackets, you’ll doubtless have mixed feelings. Like all of us when we moved here, you’re probably quite sad to leave your hometown, your friends, and your family. You might be wondering how the past few months have led to you living in a small town on the east coast of Scotland, famous for golf and a royal couple twenty years ago. You might be apprehensive at the idea of having to build a whole new life for yourself in St Andrews: making new friends, studying, and discovering new things. But as Freshers’ Week goes by and as you roam the three streets of our town, like all the St Andreans before you, you’ll start telling yourself that of all the places, this little town is about as good as it gets for a backdrop to studies.

As all these thoughts and feelings pass through your head, however, let’s not kid ourselves: you need a few tips from those who came before you to make the transition work. The change from life before St Andrews to the one you’ll lead here, needs to be informed by the hard-learned lessons of your elders, some of which I believe it is my duty to share with you now.

First of all, you must know that St Andrews is a place where clothes matter a lot. You’re going to realise pretty soon that you’ll need clothes in St Andrews that you probably didn’t think were a requirement for university life. For example, if you intend on going to balls, you’re going to need black tie attire. Honestly seeing as you’ll go to many, many balls during your years here (honestly, you will), I recommend you just get the necessities now — something suitable and cheap that you’re not too fussed about getting stained. Another article of clothing you should invest in is an academic gown. You’ll probably wear it a handful of times if you’re lucky, but it’s nice to have as a souvenir — plus, it functions as a blanket if the winter gets harsh, which it will.

This brings me to the main reason why I am bringing clothes to your attention: adapting to the environment. You need clothes to live with the kind of weather you’ll be subjected to. We might not have blizzards in Fife but you’ve never quite lived until you’ve had freezing cold rain coming at you horizontally. The rain is aggressive and can hit at any time; you’ll find that having a jacket which can withstand anything thrown at it, while keeping you warm, is a necessity. In addition to the jacket, I would  add boots to the essentials list. If you ever want to go to the beach, if you live in DRA, if you want to avoid trench foot, you need them. It’s not simply because St Andrews is populated by country bumpkins that Barbour jackets and wellies are everywhere, they’re also a response to an admittedly temperamental climate.

Second, you must find a way to cope with the winters here. The nice, warm weather you’re probably experiencing during Freshers’ Week is a dangerous illusion — it will last until October if you’re lucky. Then, until April, sunlight will be scarce, not only because it’ll rain most days, but also because the days will become very, very short. Come December, you’ll have seven hours of light, and even then the sun never rises far in the sky. To live and thrive through all of this, I cannot stress enough that you must find a coping mechanism. Do try to avoid alcohol filling that role and instead find a hobby, a goal, something that you can do that makes you happy, whether the sun is shining or nowhere to be found. 

Third, find yourself a routine. Student life in St Andrews may be looser than what you have probably been used to before. It’s not that the University wants to give you heaps of free time, but that you are expected to do most of your work outside lecture and tutorial hours. Your first two years are still quite laid back but it’s important to find some kind of routine, to not be waking up in the afternoon on weekdays and spending two days before a deadline doing all the readings you were supposed to do beforehand. It takes commitment, most haven’t quite figured their own routine out, but try to find yourself one that works for you and allows you to work at your own pace. Get enough sleep, have fun, and go out.

Fourth, find yourself a society that you can really have fun in. St Andrews has a very active society scene, ranging from the ‘secret’ ones everyone knows about and has a vague distaste for, to sports clubs, to Bee Soc which I can’t say I understand very much, all the way to the publication which brings you this magazine: The Saint! Wherever your interests lie, you’ll find a society. If you want to start a new hobby, most are open to beginners and have introductory activities for newcomers. There’s a society for everyone. 

The overarching recommendation I make to all freshers is simply this: just have fun. You’ll be surprised by how fast you adapt, by how quickly you’ll meet people and make friends, and by how rapidly you’ll become a St Andrean. If you’re able to embrace the way of life in this slightly crazy town, you’ll have the time of your life.