Let’s face it—St Andrews is not your typical British university. Beyond its impressive academics, more than 47% of staff and students are international, creating an exceptionally cultured town with many cross-continental friendships. While indisputably a good thing, the juxtaposition between the densely packed student town and the area around it has led to a myth of St Andrews being a “bubble”.
This notion isn’t just a popular belief—it mirrors our reality. With its rich history, unique traditions, and packed event calendars, it’s easy to forget that there’s a world beyond St Andrews’ three well-loved streets.
Certain traditions and phrases that would confuse the average person are the norm here: For example, it’s perfectly acceptable to tell my friends here that I have a “family event” tonight, and if I’m late I’ll face a punishment of drinking 4 shots. If I said that at home, the reaction might be different.
My first couple of months here were a whirlwind of friendships, small-scale heartbreaks, and sub-par grades. I had an amazing time, but when the dust settled on the novelty of being a fresher, I started to feel slightly trapped.
I began to wonder if the concept of St. Andrews being a “bubble” was fraught with complexities. For those of us from bustling cities like Glasgow, London, and NYC, one of the university’s main attractions is the change of environment it offers: the three beautiful beaches, the cliff walk, and the history. I left for St. Andrews determined to immerse myself in the local culture, but I came home for Christmas with more knowledge of the student bars than of the country surrounding me.
I realised that I’d chosen to go to university in Scotland – why didn’t I choose to experience it when it was right here? I’d been so intent on compartmentalising different elements of my life (my home being the busy city, my university being the seaside town), that I forgot that what I yearned for was a sense of normalcy at university, which can be hard here. I brushed away my tourist’s vision of Scotland as Highland cows, bagpipes, and Tennant’s, and really embraced my reality.
Dundee in particular, became a lifeline. As with any large city, there’s something for everybody. The V&A museum is a must, holding 4 different exhibitions a year, with an accompanying afternoon tea that matches each exhibition’s theme.
There are several independent music and vinyl stores (which I believe to be a huge gap in the market here in St Andrews) which you could spend hours perusing. I recommend Thirteen Records on the main high street for a great 70s discography selection. Half an hour on the bus is also rewarded with numerous shopping centres, chain restaurants, and even a Wetherspoons, which is any drinking Brit’s holy grail. And while the St Andrews Student Union is a good night out, it has to be said that the multiple clubs and bars in Dundee were an exciting (and cheaper) change.
When my schedule became less busy, I took day trips to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Each city was beautiful and cultured in its own way, but most importantly, they felt real. Once I averted my eyes from the tourist shops and the hustle of visitors, I noticed a difference in the people I was seeing: the families, the workers, and the groups of teenage friends. In St Andrews, where students make up over half of the population, you can go days without interacting with anyone who isn’t affiliated with the university. It took leaving the bubble for me to realise that it was everyone else who made me feel at home.
Furthermore, I realized that my preconceived notion of St Andrews as a self-contained bubble was actually impacting my mental health. It’s hard enough to separate work from home life in high school, but when your work becomes your life at university, it can quickly become overwhelming. All my friends are also students, and the university provides my bedroom and meals. As my workload increased, it started to feel like the bubble was trapping me.
The tight-knit community of St Andrews has benefitted me and countless other students here. Despite occasional awkward moments, I love that everyone knows everyone and that you can go to a pub and are sure to see friends from your course, your society, or your accommodation. But if my first semester here has taught me anything, it’s that a change of scenery is not only refreshing, it’s vital. For the majority of well-traveled students here, the world is too exciting to be contained within the three imaginatively named St Andrews high streets. If you haven’t already, I suggest popping the bubble.