🎓 Specifically St Andrews – Student POV
Specifically St Andrews
Academic families? Red robes? Castle Sands?
The University of St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland, and, like any good historical institution, has lots of traditions. Students’ involvement with these traditions varies though, and your student experience can be what you want it to be.
Raisin is probably the most notable part of being in an academic family. Third-year students ‘adopt’ first-year students into a family, and spend the day drinking, playing games, and completing scavenger hunts. The aim is to make friends, feel settled at the uni, and overall just have fun. Nick*, a third-year Chemistry student, said “I had a great time at Raisin. I couldn’t tell you what happened, but I had a great time”.
A photo of the foam fight, another part of Raisin.
Paul, a Biology student, said “Whilst I don’t have like any lasting friendships out of it, I’m still glad that I did it. It was a lot of fun. And it makes you feel more involved having that bit of tradition”. This was the consensus of those I spoke to who took part in academic families: no intensely close friends made, but plenty of fun had, and, in general, a nice thing to do.
Nick and Paul joined party-based families and they liked the drinking element of Raisin, but there are as many kinds of families as there are kinds of student. As Dina, a Philosophy and Mathematics student, puts it, “there are so many different families, so if you want a smaller family, or a non-drinking family, there are so many of those out there. But if you want a big wild drinking family, there’s so many out there”.
Plenty of students don’t join academic families at all. It’s not uncommon for families to fizzle out, or for first-year students to simply just not join a family. Mike, a recently graduated History student, said “I was adopted into an academic family in first year and then that family just kinda disappeared. I never did Raisin, for instance”.
Generally speaking, first-years want to join families, and third-year students want to adopt. Everyone who wants to get involved does, and I know plenty of folk who have joined several families and then chose which they liked best before Raisin weekend. But the tradition is not for everyone. Mike chose not to join another academic family, and said “I would recommend [being in an academic family], but I wouldn’t say that I lost out much because of [not being in one]”.
St Andrews has a myriad of other quirks too. Red gowns are an iconic symbol of the University of St Andrews, but not all students have one themselves.
Those that I spoke to who had red gowns said that they wore them at the Pier Walk, at Gaudie, and for photos, but aside from a few events a year they were mainly mementos of their time at St Andrews. Dina said having an academic gown helped foster a sense of “solidarity and the community”, so academic dress is a nice way to get involved with the spirit of the town and the university.
On the other hand, a lot of people don’t have gowns, and don’t really miss out because of it. They aren’t typically worn outside of a handful of academic traditions, and students can still participate in the Pier Walk for example without one. As Paul puts it, “It’s nice to have one, but if you don’t, you’re not gonna be ostracised”. So, gowns are great, but not a necessity.
A friend of mine, in her red gown at her first pier walk.
St Andrews has plenty to offer besides the university and its traditions – there are three beaches here, which is a nice plus, especially for someone like me who is used to living in the city. In fact, Dina told me part of the reason she “applied to St Andrews on UCAS was because St Andrews had a beach in its background”. Everyone will have something different to say though on which beach is the best.
Mike prefers West Sands as it’s the longest of the three, and better for long walks. “It’s a bit windy, but a nicer walk than East Sands”.
However, I have to side instead with Kevin-Wu, a Psychology and Film Studies student, who likes Castle Sands, a small beach almost hidden on The Scores. “It’s like a nice little cove, you know? It’s good”. He likes to have picnics there when he can round his friends together, which isn’t as often as he would like. “That requires too much co-ordination among all my friends, and I don’t think we have that”.
A photo of Castle Sands, on a grey but warm day.
It’s a common thread for people not to take advantage of St Andrews’ beaches as much as they thought they would. Scotland is cold, and like Aphrodite, a third-year Psychology student, says, “it’s so much colder and so much windier in Winter than you’d think”. Most time spent enjoying St Andrews’ beaches takes place when the weather is nicer, in the warmer months.
So, St Andrews has plenty of things to get involved in, but there isn’t any pressure to do so. I’ve never took part in the Gaudie and neither have most of my friends – you can pick and choose which bits of uni you take, and which you leave.
*All names have been anonymised! Any third year chemistry students named Nick are completely coincidental.
Information and links
- Raisin Weekend (aka Raisin) is a notable part of the academic family tradition at St Andrews. Traditions – Study at St Andrews – University of St Andrews
- Red gowns are traditional academic dress worn by undergraduate students, except by those in the School of Divinity, who wear a different gown. There are different gowns for postgraduate students, too. Academic dress – Orientation – University of St Andrews
- You can take part in the Pier Walk every Sunday after the Chapel Service, but the main Pier walk takes place at the beginning of the academic year. Walking on sunshine: students take part in traditional St Andrews Pier Walk | University of St Andrews news
- The Gaudie is an annual torchlit procession on the pier, to honour John Honey. This takes place on May Dip, a tradition where students run into the sea at sunrise to cleanse off their academic sins. May Dip
Academic families? Red robes? Castle Sands?
The University of St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland, and, like any good historical institution, has lots of traditions. Students’ involvement with these traditions varies though, and your student experience can be what you want it to be.
Raisin is probably the most notable part of being in an academic family. Third-year students ‘adopt’ first-year students into a family, and spend the day drinking, playing games, and completing scavenger hunts. The aim is to make friends, feel settled at the uni, and overall just have fun. Nick*, a third-year Chemistry student, said “I had a great time at Raisin. I couldn’t tell you what happened, but I had a great time”.
A photo of the foam fight, another part of Raisin.
Paul, a Biology student, said “Whilst I don’t have like any lasting friendships out of it, I’m still glad that I did it. It was a lot of fun. And it makes you feel more involved having that bit of tradition”. This was the consensus of those I spoke to who took part in academic families: no intensely close friends made, but plenty of fun had, and, in general, a nice thing to do.
Nick and Paul joined party-based families and they liked the drinking element of Raisin, but there are as many kinds of families as there are kinds of student. As Dina, a Philosophy and Mathematics student, puts it, “there are so many different families, so if you want a smaller family, or a non-drinking family, there are so many of those out there. But if you want a big wild drinking family, there’s so many out there”.
Plenty of students don’t join academic families at all. It’s not uncommon for families to fizzle out, or for first-year students to simply just not join a family. Mike, a recently graduated History student, said “I was adopted into an academic family in first year and then that family just kinda disappeared. I never did Raisin, for instance”.
Generally speaking, first-years want to join families, and third-year students want to adopt. Everyone who wants to get involved does, and I know plenty of folk who have joined several families and then chose which they liked best before Raisin weekend. But the tradition is not for everyone. Mike chose not to join another academic family, and said “I would recommend [being in an academic family], but I wouldn’t say that I lost out much because of [not being in one]”.
St Andrews has a myriad of other quirks too. Red gowns are an iconic symbol of the University of St Andrews, but not all students have one themselves.
Those that I spoke to who had red gowns said that they wore them at the Pier Walk, at Gaudie, and for photos, but aside from a few events a year they were mainly mementos of their time at St Andrews. Dina said having an academic gown helped foster a sense of “solidarity and the community”, so academic dress is a nice way to get involved with the spirit of the town and the university.
On the other hand, a lot of people don’t have gowns, and don’t really miss out because of it. They aren’t typically worn outside of a handful of academic traditions, and students can still participate in the Pier Walk for example without one. As Paul puts it, “It’s nice to have one, but if you don’t, you’re not gonna be ostracised”. So, gowns are great, but not a necessity.
A friend of mine, in her red gown at her first pier walk.
St Andrews has plenty to offer besides the university and its traditions – there are three beaches here, which is a nice plus, especially for someone like me who is used to living in the city. In fact, Dina told me part of the reason she “applied to St Andrews on UCAS was because St Andrews had a beach in its background”. Everyone will have something different to say though on which beach is the best.
Mike prefers West Sands as it’s the longest of the three, and better for long walks. “It’s a bit windy, but a nicer walk than East Sands”.
However, I have to side instead with Kevin-Wu, a Psychology and Film Studies student, who likes Castle Sands, a small beach almost hidden on The Scores. “It’s like a nice little cove, you know? It’s good”. He likes to have picnics there when he can round his friends together, which isn’t as often as he would like. “That requires too much co-ordination among all my friends, and I don’t think we have that”.
A photo of Castle Sands, on a grey but warm day.
It’s a common thread for people not to take advantage of St Andrews’ beaches as much as they thought they would. Scotland is cold, and like Aphrodite, a third-year Psychology student, says, “it’s so much colder and so much windier in Winter than you’d think”. Most time spent enjoying St Andrews’ beaches takes place when the weather is nicer, in the warmer months.
So, St Andrews has plenty of things to get involved in, but there isn’t any pressure to do so. I’ve never took part in the Gaudie and neither have most of my friends – you can pick and choose which bits of uni you take, and which you leave.
*All names have been anonymised! Any third year chemistry students named Nick are completely coincidental.
Information and links
- Raisin Weekend (aka Raisin) is a notable part of the academic family tradition at St Andrews. Traditions – Study at St Andrews – University of St Andrews
- Red gowns are traditional academic dress worn by undergraduate students, except by those in the School of Divinity, who wear a different gown. There are different gowns for postgraduate students, too. Academic dress – Orientation – University of St Andrews
- You can take part in the Pier Walk every Sunday after the Chapel Service, but the main Pier walk takes place at the beginning of the academic year. Walking on sunshine: students take part in traditional St Andrews Pier Walk | University of St Andrews news
- The Gaudie is an annual torchlit procession on the pier, to honour John Honey. This takes place on May Dip, a tradition where students run into the sea at sunrise to cleanse off their academic sins. May Dip