Is St Andrews elite or elitist?

August 30, 2009
By Jessica Cook

Members of the Kate Kennedy Club (dressed like idiots)

Members of the Kate Kennedy Club (dressed like idiots)

’19 YEAR OLD GRADUATED ETONIAN SEEKS social, intellectual and aesthetic equal. Must be pashmina clad, preferably adorning worn ballet pumps, Jack Wills tracksuit bottoms and in possession of a public school education?’

Is The University of St Andrews elite or elitist? Having been labelled last year the 3rd best university in the UK by The Guardian and the 4th by The Times Good University guide does its reputation as academically elite extend to its admissions policy?

The university has previously been accused of being elitist due to its poor record for admitting state school students. The university was adamant that it selects its student on the basis of their academic excellence, irrelevant of their educational background.

We are then faced with the dilemma of whether a university should favor state school applicants with lower grades over private school students with superior marks. In 2004 the Government was commanded to “take its tanks off Oxford’s lawns” when it threatened to apply financial penalties if Oxford university if it did not increase state school admissions. Although St Andrews has never received this ultimatum, having been attended by Prince William only a few years ago, it faces harsh criticism over its large percentage of private school students.

The Kate Kennedy club, does nothing to defend this reputation of elitism, similar to the Cambridge University Pitt club this group is ‘penises only’ and is selective in its membership. The University withdrew its recognition of the club earlier this year in an attempt by the female principal to stamp out elitism. Despite their reputation the Kate Kennedy does many productive things for the town, it holds many of the university balls, and regularly gives money to charity.

In practice St Andrews has its fair share of social cliques, nights out are split between social circles and house parties are not unknown to have bouncers at their doors. More common than not, student irrelevant of their background will be clad in the ‘fabulously British’ brand Jack Wills and drunken insults are reduced to ‘Do you know who I am?!’

Although without the openness of the Leeds art student who searched for the perfect husband as part of her art project, St Andrews has previously been coined ‘the English girls finishing school’ and boats the highest intermarriage rates of any university in the UK, its student pairing off with the symmetry of Noah’s Ark and going on to marry in selective St Andrews venues such as St Salvador’s chapel.

What do you think? Is St Andrews just a place for Rahs to meet, marry and then breed? Or is such a viewpoint simply boring old class warfare?

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  44. James on November 25, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    I'm convinced the guardians 3rd ranking is something of an apology on their part for messing up their stats on St. Andrews a few years back and having them languishing in the 40s. But then this is the same ranking system that gave the closed hull maths department an excellent rating… why anyone would want to attend a university in a town not much bigger than northallerton with apparently no clubs!!!! is beyond me.

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  48. Anon on January 10, 2011 at 11:43 pm

    I'm currently a fourth year student in St Andrews. How it remains in the top 5 UK universities year in and year out is beyond me. The library is probably the most aesthetically displeasing building in the town and seriously underfunded. I have also been unimpressed with the standard of teaching and amount of variety in my degree (but then again I chose to study a 'mickey mouse' social science degree).
    I came from a state comprehensive school in London and was surprised to find myself in a minority when coming to St Andrews. The majority of students either come from elite private schools in england or prep schools in the US. The rest of the student body is made up of various internationals (mostly from privileged backgrounds as well) and Scots (mixed backgrounds). Considering Scottish students do not pay tuition fees (yet), and International students (excluding EU) pay around £13,000 (can't remember exact sum) a year – they will naturally favour a more international student body, although the University states it keeps to a quota of how many international students are accepted every year.
    The Social life in the town is very cliquey and some house parties do employ bouncers at the door, this is true. It also seems everyone is an alcoholic, especially on tuesdays (nicknamed 'boozeday tuesday') and to be frank most other days too apart from sunday and monday.
    If your idea of a good university experience is –

    1) spending four years in isolation (students like to call it the 'bubble') in a small pretty town with poor weather on the east coast of scotland.

    2) Meeting people from generally similar social and economic backgrounds (middle – upper middle class)

    3) Drinking a lot on weekdays and on special st andrews events – 'Raisin Weekend' and 'May Dip' (These can be googled)

    4) Never really having anywhere to go out besides house parties and a few bars and pubs. No clubs or distinct music and art scene.

    5) Getting through your first two years of university by literally doing no work. It used to be that you needed a 5 out of 20 to pass a module. It is now 7.5.

    6) Good place if you like to play golf.

    So yeah that's my outlook on my university. There's much more to say as this really is a strange and unique place to be. Unlike any other place i'll ever live. I'd say St Andrews is the perfect playground for the kids of the rich – not nearly as work intensive as Oxbridge, but still has prestige that continues to attract the elite. If elitism and isolation is not your thing, you might wanna consider going elsewhere.

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