If you have ever visited St Andrews and engaged with its student community, I’m sure you will agree with me when I say that there is indeed a ‘St Andrews Culture’. St Andrews has a community of students with very different identities – from nationality, religion, educational background, language – these various factors have blurred certain lines of the status quo, creating a community with its own set of specific social cues.
As a Spanish student myself, I feel entitled to give you a list of the top 10 culture shocks that have stricken me and my fellow Spaniards.
Eating Schedules
I recently asked fellow Spanish students to share their culture shocks through the Spanish Society Instagram page and by far the most popular theme was “eating times”.
In Spain, lunch and dinner are already fairly late in comparison to the UK. Spanish people will sit down for lunch at 15:00 and dinner at 22:00 whilst British people usually eat at 13:00 and 19:00.
Yet, St Andrews university halls have their own time zone. As they have to feed hundreds of students all with different schedules, culturally and academically, meal times occur way earlier than desired. Making catered students eat at 12:30 and 18:00.
This schedule is rare even for British students but more so for Spanish people who at those times are usually having breakfast or our worshipped merienda, also called afternoon snack.
Opening and closing venue times
Amongst the rarities of St Andrews’ time culture we have to highlight the opening and closing times of venues.
Being used to nights that turn into mornings, St Andrews Spaniards cannot stress how weird it is to start pre-ing at 20:00 to get into a club or bar by 22:00. Not to mention the fact that the party officially ends at 2:00am, way too soon!
As with eating times, St Andrews also has its own spin on this aspect of life as closing times for venues vary depending on the night, however, this does make nights unpredictable and unique every single time.
Going out on weekdays
Continuing with the party aspect of St Andrews, Spaniards have also been shocked by the variety of going out plans on the cards. From black tie events in glamourous hotels to thematic get-togethers in someone’s flat – St Andrews really does offer something for everyone.
Yet, what truly stands out is the days of the week during which these events take place. Unlike other parts of the world, St Andrews does not become a party town on the weekends. Instead, most of these events take place during the week, particularly on Wednesdays and Thursdays and almost never on Saturdays.
This does have a rational reason though, which is that most events are student run and weekends are necessary for catching up on sleep and academics, making going out on weekdays more student friendly, if you think about it.
Socialising with strangers
This one is a personal realisation. In St Andrews, probably due to the variety of cultures coming together, going up to people at parties and social events is not always seen as normal.
In Spain, socialising with people you do not know is extremely common. We even say hello to people on the streets, particularly in small towns. Yet, in St Andrews because there are so many different nationalities living in the same place, this is not always seen as natural.
For instance, in England people will go out with their group of friends and stick with them, rather than interact with random people. Thus, in a mostly English environment the Spanish openness may not be embraced.
This does not mean that people are not friendly, in fact, in my experience everybody is extremely welcoming. It simply means that the way in which you approach people may change depending on the circumstances.
The price of food
Student budgets are becoming increasingly tight due to the cost of living crisis in the whole of the UK, however, it is safe to say that St Andrews has always struggled with making food affordable for university students.
More than half of its population is made up of students, creating false expectations of life here being adapted to us. Yet, St Andrews’ prices are shocking. Particularly for food.
Fresh produce, such as cherries, strawberries and avocados are way more expensive in the UK than in Spain as it is. Yet, in St Andrews everything is heightened, making the rumours of it being the second most expensive Tesco in the UK very easy to believe.
Same goes for the prices at coffee shops. We are extremely grateful for the beautiful coffee shops around town, but sometimes a coffee date has to turn into a Tesco (gourmet) Meal Deal towards the end of the month when money gets tight.
Hall culture
A whole article could be written on hall culture, but I will sum it up for you in one section.
Life in St Andrews has proven to be particular to the town in every aspect, yet these particularities differ depending on where you live. Especially if you are a first year student living in halls. Each hall has its own unique environment, with its own status quo depending on who tends to be placed in them.
For instance, DRA hall holds a combination of Phd students, Postgraduates, and First Years’ creating a rare high school meets adulthood ambience. This is even more noticeable due to its location far away from the town centre and next to the Madras State School.
High school students
Speaking of Madras, can we discuss how intimidating those students are?
As a DRA inhabitant myself, I have heard many stories of Madras students intimidating St Andrews students. From pushing people off their bikes, to smoking outside DRA buildings, and catcalling female students on their way to class, the interactions between high school and University students have become a great shock for many, regardless of their cultural background, proving that St Andrews does in fact have its own particular social environment.
The climate
St Andrews is completely unpredictable. Not even the weather forecast can predict what a day in St Andrews will look like. It has its own microclimate, meaning that it can be sunny one minute and rapidly turn to hail in a matter of minutes without warning.
As a Spaniard, I prepared myself to dress for the cold weather, but with its continuously fluctuating temperatures, you can never go right in this town! Hence, top tip always pack a small umbrella into your bag, invest in good waterproof mascara, and always carry a hair clip or hair tie, if you are like me and cannot handle when your hair gets too frizzy.
Fashion
Choosing an outfit in this town is complicated due to the weather, but can be very fun if you are a fashion fanatic. In this town you can dress however you want with no judgement. Lecture halls are a clear visual example of this as students show up in their nicest two piece Clueless style set and in their sweatpants.
Personally, this is one of my favourite things about St Andrews: you get to express yourself in whatever way you like and nobody will judge you for it (too much).
St Andrews traditions
St Andrews’ unique culture is so special because it has been developing since the university opened in the 15th century, meaning that its bizarre traditions have been enjoyed by students for hundreds of years.
From jumping into the freezing scottish sea at dawn to cleanse yourself off bad luck before exam season, walking on the pier in a heavy gown and torchlights to running around town tied to your academic siblings and throwing foam at each other dressed up in silly costumes, St Andrews traditions are too surreal to be heard off and not experienced.
So remember, even though some aspects of St Andrews may seem too weird to be true, go in with an open mind and you will be very surprised by how fun St Andrews and its culture can be!