Since last September 2010, Anna Steinmann (18) has been studying International Relations at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. It already feels like home.

When I first received my offer to study at the elite University of St Andrews in Scotland, my initial in no way did justice to the amount of fun and interesting experiences awaiting me that coming September at the start of the new academic year.

After a  90-minute bus ride from Edinburgh through the stunning rolling hills and Scottish coun-tryside, I arrived in the centre of St Andrews, a small coastal town with row after row of medieval stone houses, university buildings from the 1600’s, a beautiful cathedral and the castle ruins on cliffs overlooking the sea.

It was as if I had stepped into the world of Harry Potter, a feeling which was only enforced by the traditional scarlet red gowns worn by students on formal occasions, as well as the number of Harry Potter references and jokes casually used by St Andreans because of its similarity to Hogwarts.

Adopted by academic parents

When I first moved into my hall of residence, a beautiful stone building with wooden floors and high ceilings, I was amazed at the number of different languages and accents I heard in the dining hall: German, Spanish, English, Scottish, American, French, Thai, Chinese …

Within the first week I had already made an extensive group of kind, like-minded friends from every corner of the globe. Within the first week I had also been „adopted“ by „academic parents“, a tradition where older students take in first year students as „children“ and help them settle into the St Andrews way of life.

Old traditions

It was not long before I became aware of the many different traditions established over the past 600 years since the university was founded, such as the walking along the pier on Sunday mornings in the traditional red academic gowns, or the infamous „raisin weekend“, where first year students are dressed in embarrassing, ridiculous costumes by their academic „mothers“, and congregate in the central quadrangle of the university for an enormous shaving foam fight.

Despite its antiquity and traditions however, the university does offer amazing range of modern, world-renowned courses, from philosophy or art history to international relations or astrophysics. Rumour has it that when Prince William studied art history at St Andrews, the number of hopeful female applicants soared! One  of them, Kate Middleton, turned out to be the lucky one.

A town like a campus

Not only are the courses incredibly interesting, but the university also offers a wide range of sports for both beginners and advanced athletes, such as golf on the famous old course, polo on the beach, hill walking expeditions in the highlands, soccer, tennis, or ‘shinty’: a Scottish sport that is a combination of field hockey, lacrosse and American football.

All in all, I could not have imagined a more friendly, interesting, and beautiful place to spend my four years of university. The feeling of community is so strong in the close-knit town that it almost feels like a campus. This is matched by the strength of tradition and Scottish culture despite the wide and diverse range of international students at the university.

It already feels like home

And as if that wasn‘t enough, tuition fees for any EU or Scottish students are entirely subsidized by the Scottish Government. I would definitely say that although I’ve only been here for 5 months, it already feels like home, and I would recommend studying in Scotland to anybody wanting a taste of Scottish tradition, a great education, and a wonderful experience abroad.