Americans in St Andrews Shouldn't be Shocking

The 51st State

I’m American. A representative came to my California high school to speak about St Andrews to interested potential applicants. I heard, through this representative and through word of mouth, that St Andrews was beautiful, had strong academics at a lower price than US schools, and people there had fun. When I found out St Andrews was on the US Common Application, I was convinced. It was the only international university I applied to, convenient and appealing. 

I have the exact same story described in the front-page Wall Street Journal article, ‘Americans Love Everything About This Scottish University — Except All the Americans.’ One student is quoted, “You think you’re coming to get this Scottish or international experience, and there’s just so many Americans.” Another says, “I thought I was gonna be the special American, hanging with all the British people.” I understand the sentiment of being disappointed when making a big life change and realising it’s more familiar than expected — but this perspective still confused me. 

I thought this was a more prominent part of the University’s reputation. Before I came, I watched advice videos on social media for Americans going to St Andrews that had hundreds of thousands of views. When I told people I had chosen St Andrews, they joked it was the “51st state,” and told me to get ready to meet plenty of other Americans. I felt no deception about this aspect of the school. 

I will say, I’m guilty of having quite a few Americans in my circle, definitely more than I was expecting. Moving to another country showed me how shared backgrounds create an easy basis for friendship — but that hasn’t stopped me from having an international experience.

The article says about 20% of students are American. That also means four out of five are not. One student said, “It feels like another college in the States.” What universities in the States are 80% non-American? Whilst my initial circle were mostly Americans, branching out a little, joining sports and societies, and just putting myself out there led to friendships with non-Americans. The notion of not being able to escape from Americans doesn’t make sense when most students are from elsewhere.

The article, though, makes us seem inescapable. It mentions a student from New York expecting an “adventure abroad,” who instead “got paired with a roommate from lower Manhattan.” This student had a roommate, meaning they probably opted for a shared room — common in the US but rarer in the UK. They chose an American-style dorm and, understandably, were paired with an American.

Most of the article is funny and superficial and should be taken as such. However, at times, there are undertones of larger issues at hand that seep in without being addressed. It mentions, without a clear reason why, that for Scottish students, “undergraduate tuition is free thanks to government funding.”

An article in The Times about a similar topic last May rightly points out that wealthy internationals bring flashy travel, expensive habits, and pay-to-play social events to the town culture. International fees may be a bargain by US standards, but they certainly still are not cheap. 

A divisive wealth gap is something worth complaining about — not feeling unique enough in your international experience is not. Americans get a good end of the deal here. The shared experience of moving abroad with people from your home country creates a comfortable base for living abroad. 

My favourite part of the WSJ article were quotes from a student from Falkirk, explaining how she has picked up some of her American friends’ habits, but pokes fun at them for calling things “darties” and “overdoing the Cotswolds fashion.” This shows how students end up sharing friendships across cultures. That’s the opportunity Americans are coming here for, and it’s happening, but discourse about divisions overlooks it.

I don’t think we should be complaining about the number of Americans here as Americans. Instead, recognise the novelty and benefits of this experience, and connect with the country you have moved to — it’s there, if you look for it.

Illustration by Niamh McPartlin