Lazy Students » University of St. Andrews

Is St Andrews elite or elitist?

Jessica Cook — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:30:14 +0000

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 3^rd best university in the UK by The Guardian and the 4^th 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?

Students at St Andrews in KKK shame – well, Kate Kennedy…err…Klub

Duncan Robinson — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:46:19 +0000

Seeing as Oxbridge students haven’t been up to anything offensive, racist or crass recently, the papers have got a bit bored and have headed north of the border to give some public schoolboys a hard time.

Students at the University of St. Andrews – well, some of the male ones – have a tradition of dressing up a first year as the university’s founder’s niece, a girl called Kate Kennedy. It’s called the Kate Kennedy club. Unfortunately due to the club’s selective entrance policy (penises only, I’m afraid), the university has found it necessary to withdraw recognition of it.

And a national newspaper thought it necessary to write a story about it. Why? Oh, here’s why. “Prince William studied geography at St Andrews from 2001-2005, where he met his girlfriend, Kate Middleton. He is reported not to have sought membership of the club in disapproval of its rules.”

That should boost the Google rankings a bit.

Is Hermione Granger off to Yale?

Duncan Robinson — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:26:34 +0000

Facts are intensely annoying. They always seem to get in the way of a good story. For instance, take the ‘news’ that Hermione Granger herself (well, Emma Watson), has got into Yale University in the USA.

This
is an interesting story. Firstly, if Ms Watson heads over the Atlantic
and chooses Yale over Cambridge (her other option) it could trigger a
sea-change in the opinion of bright, British teenagers who may become
more willing to study abroad (something I can thoroughly recommend).

Applications at St Andrews spiked the year after Prince William enrolled.
I would not be at all surprised if there was a similar rise in
applications from Blighty based teenagers, to hang out with one of
Potter’s pals.

Secondly, there’s the element of ‘Yale vs.
Cambridge’. If she does go abroad, there will be a dozens of articles
screaming ‘What’s wrong with Cambridge/Why are British universities not
good enough any more’. Although she’s just one girl, the press will
jump on it.

It’s a great story, but that’s the problem: it’s just a story.

It’s fiction.

Unfortunately,
Emma Watson has not been accepted by Yale (or at least hasn’t said so
in public). The oh-so-reliable Twitter feed that claims to be Miss
Watson’s – from which the Yale claims came – is in fact that of a
fraudster’s.

How did I find this out? Investigative journalism? Wire taps?

Nope. Just Google. There’s a rebuttal on the official Emma Watson website, outlining the falsity of these claims. Let’s hope The Times’ otherwise excellent School Gate blog posts a correctional update.

UPDATE: Well, I’m pleased to say that School Gate have now done so. Hurrahs all around.