Freshers' Magazine 2025

2025-2026

ST ANDREWS

1997

INDEPENDENT VOICE of

the

student newspaper’s

FRESHER’S MAGAZINE SINCE

THE SAINT

all inclusive guide and welcome to The Bubble

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9/1/25 3:05 PM

Welcome to

ST ANDREWS from us at THE SAINT

Ilaria Freccia & Hannah Shiblaq EICs 20252026 Yes, we’re going to start our first editorial exactly the way you probably think we’re going to: We can’t believe we’re in our final year. And, yes, much to our chagrin, all of those things that the adults in our lives have been telling us throughout our time at university have turned out to be true. It’ll fly by; Enjoy it while it lasts; These are the best years of your life; and so on and so forth. Those overused expressions were easily enough waved off with a polite smile or eye roll, but now that fourth-year is upon us, we can’t help but reflect on how we got here.

When the two of us met approximately three years ago at a pitch meeting, timidly sipping the tea that our editor had offered us and navigating the complicated and crazy environment that is the St Andrews events scene, we probably wouldn’t have believed you had you told us then that we would be Editors-in-Chief one day. Yet here we are, with our wonderful deputies Alden and Arnaz by our sides, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Editors-in-Chief Ilaria Freccia & Hannah Shiblaq Deputy Editors-in-Chief Arnaz Mallick & Alden Arnold Pietro Barbini Business Manager News Editor Maria Ebrahim Sam Spendlove Viewpoint Editor Features Editor Mrunmayi Kamerkar Manraj Gill Photo Editor Puzzles Editor Alex Le Sage The Relic Editor Anna Marie Regner Events Editor Olga Alonso Blanco Matteo Veratelli Science & Technology Editor Sport Editor Ben Bagley Isabelle Holloway Head of Illustration Finn Lister Senior Copy Editor Head of Website and Social Media Zainab Haji Peter Napier Podcast Editor

MEET THE EDITORS CHIEF in

2 4 6 8 10 12 15 16 19

Cover by Isabelle Holloway Background Illustrations by Elisabeth van Meer and Luana Van Oranje

of

Contents News Viewpoint Features Photo The Relic SciTech Events Sport

GOOD HANDS

in

YOU’RE

TABLE CONTENTS

That’s the thing about the future, it’s talked about so much that it tends to lose its meaning. Sure, the future will come some day, but once it arrives, it knocks the wind out of you. Here’s that thing you’ve been waiting for, that thing you simultaneously always knew would come and yet never thought actually would. Now that it’s here, it manifests itself in a complete unknown — what will you do with it?

Well, if you want our advice, try new (or old) things, be friendly, be kind, and enjoy every moment of your time here. Want some further advice? Applications for The Saint are open now…

Of course, we have one final year of academia (panic Master’s depending) before this town is rid of us. But even our wisened years can’t erase the fond (and what sometimes seems fateful) memories of Freshers’ Week: forcing yourself to like beer by drinking way too much of it, sorting which event at the Union you’ll go to this week, and desperately trying to locate the Gateway Building, hungover, a copy of The Saint’s Fresher’s magazine tucked under your arm.

So, with that, welcome to this little town by the sea, and the next four years of your life. It’ll be over before you know it, but you’ll love every minute of it. We promise.

Hannah and Ilaria

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Contents 3

Riley Raab Former Editor-in-Chief

A warm

Allow me to reveal a simple truth to you about your new home: time here works in funny ways.

However long you plan to call this town home, it is likely to be a short blip in the span of your life. This short time also seems to accelerate — from the thrill of first semester to winter’s short days, to unpredictable factors beyond your control. Be ready to blink and be packing up your first year life into cardboard boxes.

However, thinking back to my first days in St Andrews is a strenuous creative exercise as it still feels so far away. I imagine that in these few days I walked straight past my current friends on the street without even realising it, without even realising how much they were about to change my life. I couldn’t see the coming beach days, the movie nights, the gossip sessions in the pub bathroom, the long walks along the Fife Coastal Path. Time may move fast here, but it changes your life so deeply that your previous one feels like a lifetime ago. However, this is not to say that there weren’t times when I wished time sped up. Homesickness, the feeling of being waterlogged and freezing when you’re just trying to get home, a fallout with a friend or disappointment about a grade has left me, at times, restless and despairing for it to just be over already.

My biggest piece of advice for surviving St Andrews, in good times and bad, is to pivot. Always be open to trying new events, committees, classes, societies, sports, or friends. St Andrews has so much to give, but it does not give all at once. Be patient, but don’t be passive. Put in the work, stand up for yourself. Go to the society meet-andgreet, try that one sport’s give-it-a-go, be the first one to ask if a new friend wants to grab coffee. No year is the same as the last here in the Bubble. Every September is a new year, with new problems, possibilities, and opportunities. Not everything pans out, but what is meant to will.

I hope you discover, no matter how time pans out for you, how wonderful St Andrews is. It is a beautiful town full of beautiful people in a beautiful part of the world.

Consider this time and place your ocean nursery before the big leagues and big waves of the open ocean — no matter how restricting social life here can sometimes feel, it is a great place to learn, make mistakes, try new things, and mature. Legend has it that in AD 345, Saint Regulus brought the bones of Saint Andrews to the ends of the earth for safekeeping — I hope you find, as I have, that it remains this safe space today.

welcome & WORD OF ADVICE as you enter St Andrews

St Andrews is a Pandora’s Box. The naive fresher will always enter this quiet seaside town and soon encounter a kaleidoscope of exhaustion, heartbreak, and isolation.

There will be times when you’ll question why you chose this rural, Scottish town to spend what is meant to be the wildest, freest, alcohol-fuelled days of your adult life. But before you think I’m some disgruntled, hateful graduate, I promise I’m not. ‘The Bubble’ (a term you’ll get used to in no time) is not a rosy, Ozian place with a singing Ariana Grande, it’s one where hardship and prosperity stream together, and I miss it terribly.

As someone drowning in job applications and becoming increasingly frustrated that I can’t get a student discount on quite literally anything, I urge you to do one thing: embrace everything in your short time here. Adopt a modus operandi of going out and doing everything you possibly can. Figure out your interests and passions and capitalise on them. Try all the coffee shops, experiment with different clothes, be spontaneous, and always have fun. Fear one thing: doing nothing.

But while it’s important to have fun and tempting to go full throttle carpe diem like a middle-aged man at an Oasis concert, you’ll trip yourself up a few times. You'll make mistakes and, in such a small town, the effects can be palpable and difficult to ignore.

But if it teaches you anything, it’s to be resilient. If you find that you’ve made a blunder, recognise it, sort it, and bloody well soldier on.

If the overall thread of this spiel has been lost on you, let me spell it out to you: this is not the Hogwarts, #cottagecore, salt-air Swiftian haven that you were enamoured with on TikTok; however, it’s not a trap. St Andrews is a locale of successes, failures, romance, heartbreak, friendship, and fallouts that test you. Don’t be fooled, this threestreet town won’t make it easy.

And don’t be surprised if you find yourself on the pendulum of loving and hating this town; ultimately, when you get to my stage: an ageing graduate who is presently clinging on to their alumni status, you’ll realise that you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. St Andrews makes you more resilient, energetic, and ready to tackle life.

As the author Muriel Spark once attested: “The beauty of St Andrews is not just in its scenery, but in its spirit and soul.”

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David Buchan Former Editor-in-Chief

9/1/25 3:05 PM

Introducing the Union Presidents Maria Ebrahim | News Editor

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our Union, formally known as the University of St Andrews Students’ Association, operates as a representative and pastoral hub for students throughout the academic year. At its helm are the full-time Executive Officers, who work closely with the University to champion student voices across all areas of university life. The Presidents were elected by the student body during the 2025 Candlemas semester, with a by-election in June 2025 for the role of President of Union Affairs.

The Executive team officially took office on 21 July 2025.

Following the Democracy Review in December 2024, the Union restructured its sabbatical system, replacing the previous team model of one Association President and five Sabbatical Directors, with five respective Presidents, each overseeing a specific remit in a non-hierarchical structure. The Union’s official website stated that the purpose of this review was to “refresh the naming of the sabbatical officer team to modernise and better reflect their working relationship”.

President of Union Affairs Alice Hodges aeh30@st-andrews.ac.uk Union Affairs, “a new role created to ensure your voices drive every decision we make,” she explained. Hodges’ manifesto ensured, “No more vague promises, no more closed-door decisions. Just real, measurable change, driven by you.” In this role, Hodges holds an influential seat on the University Court and Senate, bolstering student representation on crucial governing and decision-making boards.

“Think of me as the bridge between you,

Athletic Union President Amy Gordon ag388@st-andrews.ac.uk Athletic Union President Amy Gordon is a recent International Relations graduate of the University, bringing years of leadership experience — from serving as Netball Club President, to sitting on the Athletic Union Board. Committed to her pledge that ‘Your Sport, Your Voice, Your AU,’ and ‘Your AU, your right to know,’ Gordon aims to ensure that student voices remain at the heart of every decision.

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the Union, and the University — representing your opinions [...] and then fighting to make sure your needs aren’t just heard, but acted on. My job is split between representation, strategy, and holding power to account. This means championing your voice in Union and University decision-making, overseeing Union services to ensure they work for you, and supporting student leaders in delivering real change. I will work closely with University leadership, pushing them on critical issues, from affordability to wellbeing.”

Reflecting on her time as the Union Affairs Intern, Hodges noted that the experience gave her a deep understanding of the Union’s importance. Having had “the privilege of shadowing Cam Brown” (the Union’s former and final Association President), she said the experience encouraged her to build on his legacy and achieve even more impactful wins for students.

“In my manifesto, I laid out ‘PlanA(lice)’ as a roadmap for the year ahead.

It’s built on transparency, fighting for affordability, elevating the postgrad experience, and ensuring we secure the future of the Union without a need for a plan B. This means transparency you can trust through open consultations and live updates, fighting for affordability with free breakfast initiatives and sustainable Campus Larder funding, and holding power to account on housing costs, as well as a better postgraduate experience with dedicated spaces and representation. I’d like to build a Union that fights for our future by embedding sustainable practices, while backing our leaders and volunteers with real support [...] but none of this works without you, so email me, stop me in town and shout your ideas at me. Let’s make sure we change what needs to be changed, together.”

“As AU President, I represent all students involved in sport at St Andrews, whether you’re playing competitively, recreationally, or just getting started. I act as the main link between the Athletic Union, the University, and external organisations, helping to make sure student sport continues to grow, stays inclusive, and reflects your needs. I also work closely with Saints Sport and student committees to support the running of our 52 student sport [sic] clubs, and ensure that the AU is centred around the needs of students.”

“I’ve played netball for most of my life, and it’s been a huge part of my university experience here at St Andrews. Sport has always been a core passion of mine, and I’m incredibly grateful for the sense of community, teamwork, and joy it brings — all of which I hope to help foster in my role.”

“This year, my goals include improv-

ing support for club committees through clearer communication and better training, as well as making it easier for clubs to collaborate and learn from each other through regularly scheduled opportunities.” Gordon added, “I’m also passionate about creating more open and honest conversations between the AU and the student body — making sure your feedback drives our decisions and direction. Most importantly, I want to foster a sporting community where every student feels represented, celebrated, and empowered to get involved at whatever level works for them.

I can’t wait to work with you all to make sport at St Andrews the best it can be!”

Photos Courtesy of The University of St Andrews Students’ Association

9/1/25 3:05 PM

The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | News 5

Meet the 2025-26 Executive Team student voices are heard at the highest levels of the University governance. Bannister President of oversees a broad academic representation Education structure, including Faculty Presidents, School Presidents, Language Convenors, Emily Bannister Postgraduate Representatives, and Class Representatives, all working together emb32@st-anto secure positive changes across town. drews.ac.uk “My debut into academic representation was as a sub-honours Class Representative. Realising I loved all things As President of Education, Emily Bannis- representation, I became Academic Repter represents students on key issues re- resentation Intern for the Students’ Assolated to learning, teaching, and research ciation, supporting the Director of Educaat the University. She leads various tion and the wider team across multiple working groups and committees — from projects. This internship gave me the bug the Academic Senate, to the Planning for academic representation, leading to and Resources Committee — where she my election as Arts and Divinity Faculworks to coordinate and escalate stu- ty President. I supported, trained, and dents’ concerns about their academic oversaw all academic representatives in experience. As a trustee of both the Stu- the arts, often elevating school-based isdents’ Association Board and University sues to secure university-wide change.”

Court, she plays a crucial role in ensuring “My manifesto encapsulates the accessi-

bility of me, resources, and spaces for all students. As the token ‘Swifty’ of the Executive Officers this year, it was only right for it to be Eras tour inspired. I aim to secure changes for all students through training and supporting fearless — and productive — student voices at all levels. I will speak now to support postgraduate students, cement their representation structures, and advocate for their unique experiences. Students receive too many emails, thus I aim to cut the red tape and ensure that students are facilitated through efficient and streamlined communications.”

“Our University has a historic reputation, though I will push for innovative teaching and policies. I hope to ensure that students facing barriers to academia know of all support available to them. I will further explore the extension of collaborative study spaces, and advocate for the accommodation of diverse learning requirements.”

prioritise student health and inclusion.

Detailing his manifesto priorities, Chun pledges to “hold weekly office hours open to all students”, “expand the Campus Larder to include formal interview attire”, and “work with students to create poster campaigns explicitly calling out racism, microaggressions, and more”.

In the past academic year, Chun won the Rector’s Award for his activism in “making the Union and University an inclusive and accessible place for students”.

Outside of his role at the Union, the PresWell enjoys art and archery, competing with a compound bow both seated and standing. Chun added, “During my time as a student, and as Gender Equality Officer in 2024-25, I worked on several anti-spiking initiatives to make nights out safer in St Andrews, and I also worked with Student

Services to review and improve the structure of Report + Support. Student safety and support are priorities for me. Several of my plans for this upcoming year focus on ways to improve student mental health, especially during the dark days of the year.”

“To complete the Change Programme, our Union will be going through some major transformations in the upcoming year, and I am determined to ensure that we represent the wishes and interests of St Andrews students throughout this process […] A lot has changed and a lot will continue to change in the time ahead, but despite all of this, our goal as your Executive team remains the same — to always put our ability to support and represent students first.”

Lasting Change for Living Costs, and Your Union, Your Voice. Together these three tenets will act as my personal North Star guiding me through the year. Look out for me around town and in the Union building, I’ll be the one wearing the purple gown!”

RoMo’s motivation is grounded in a clear vision for the Union, not merely to “advertise opportunities, but to actively ensure that every student can access them”, as stated in his manifesto. He aims to provide better support for student societies and volunteering groups while also “spotlighting the quieter corners where growth happens”. Moran said, “In our time at university, ‘opportunity’ takes many forms: academic exploration, creative expression, professional development, and the sheer joy of discovering what we’re capable of. But

for too many, these opportunities remain out of reach. I believe that must change.”

“Having spent my four years on nine committees, like Ents and Mermaids, and having supported creative, academic, and technical projects alike, I’ve seen first-hand what students can achieve when given the space and support to thrive. I want to bring that understanding into a role where I can help build those opportunities for others.”

RoMo noted that over the past eighteen months, the Union has taken significant steps to modernise under the Change Programme, but emphasised that its commitment to progress remains strong. He is launching the first Activities Forum, inviting all societies to unite and discuss key issues as equal members of the Union.

President of Wellbeing and Community Alex Chun ac430@st-andrews.ac.uk Alex Chun, an International Relations and Modern History graduate, serves as President of Wellbeing and Community. Chun leads the Union’s efforts on student wellbeing, diversity, and inclusion, supporting student networks such as BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) and DSN (Disabled Student Network), while overseeing equality charters to ensure both the Union and University

President of Student Opportunities Robert Moran rjm34@st-andrews.ac.uk Robert ‘RoMo’ Moran, is the first to step into the new role of President of Student Opportunities. “As the new PresOpps, I am responsible for running our new Activities Team, which will oversee all of our activity networks, volunteering, charitable donations, traditions, and best of all, our nearly 200 affiliated societies.

My manifesto is centred around three core projects: Levelling Up Volunteers,

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9/1/25 3:06 PM

You’ll Never Take This Advice Sam Spendlove | Viewpoint Editor

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ong ago, Zeus gave Pandora a jar containing all the world’s evils. He advised her not to open it — the whole time she was on Earth. “That’s okay. I’ll probably just farm,” she thought to herself. “There’s lots of farms down there.” So she drifted down to a new farm, a new husband, a new world.

For a while, that was enough. And then she started to get curious: What did The Big Guy put in the jar? “I said I’d farm,” she thought to herself, wondering if she could pull it off, “...So, what if I farm the jar?”

And with that flawless logic she opened it, and now the Earth is two degrees hotter and we have Benson Boone. So goes the least destructive story about the advice we’re given. And I mean that.

I tell you this embellished story of Pan-

You have to change first, and that takes time. If you could really listen to the advice we give you during Freshers’ Week, you’d be a third year, you’d be Pandora post-jar. But that’s not what you want — I mean, don’t you want to live the experience of receiving all that wisdom?

Don’t you want to

“You have to change first, and that takes time.”

“You can’t optimise your time here. The allure of trying is almost intoxicating.” dora because I think it about sums up my perspective on advice for Freshers. I held this view when I was a Fresher, and have mostly been vindicated since then. I think a lot of the advice given to you, the Freshers, is intended to correct mistakes you can’t avoid. The people giving it to you think that, if they had subtracted this or that mistake from their Freshers weeks, they *would* have had a great time. But that’s not true.

Had they failed to make those mistakes, they would’ve had an even worse time.

I’m not sure if this is really an anti-advice stance I’m taking; I think I’m actually advocating a certain way of taking it. I’ll give you an example: when I was a Fresher, everybody was always talking about putting yourself out there. Keep your door open! Introduce yourself to everybody! Join societies! I was a bit of a recluse in high school, so I liked the idea of me doing those things. I liked the idea of it. During Freshers’ Week, I was too scared to join anything. I had my small circle of friends, and though I dreamt of a social Sam, I couldn’t quite get past my fear. It undoubtedly made my first months harder. Actually, it made my first academic year harder. I knew I’d been advised against being closed off, and so, on top of feeling lonely and worried I’d never thrive, I felt guilty — why couldn’t I have been strong enough to take all that advice?

But you can’t take that kind of advice.

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even know to tell you it? Wouldn’t it just be a flawless part of my character, indistinguishable from anything else in my social skillset?

There’s plenty of good advice that’s easy to take: have snacks in your room, do all

be a Fresher?

You’ll want to know how I’d have made coming to university better. You’ll want the sage wisdom my parents gave to me on FaceTime late at night, when I was in tears.

You’re going to want me to tell you what Zeus said, but why do you want to hear that when I’ve already opened the jar? Any advice I could give you about being a Fresher is advice I didn’t take — if I had, would I

your readings, and don’t get in any relationships until after the first month. But as far as the big stuff goes — the big personality arcs — it’s not your choice. I made a lot of mistakes during my Freshers’ Week: I didn’t go out as much as I could have, I didn’t keep my dorm room open, and I didn’t join any societies. I regretted some of that — but when it came time to correct those mistakes (and there will always be time), I did. And it worked, but only because I had taken the time to see what wasn’t going to work in St Andrews; the big glacier of the person I was had started to crack and move, and I hadn’t forced it — I’d gone with the flow and followed the lead.

It turns out where people were saying “you should...” they were really saying “you will eventually...”

I left something out of Pandora’s story: she was made to open the jar. Zeus knew what she was going to do — he created her to do it — but advised her against it anyway.

With any luck we can avoid the same mistake if I just give you some anti-advice: you can’t optimise your time here. The allure of trying is almost intoxicating, I know, but trying to optimise is the easiest way to drive yourself crazy. I believe in advice for life, but Freshers’ Week is one of those rare moments when your new life isn’t quite ready yet — which means all you have to do is live within your emotional means and figure out a new baseline. I can’t help y o u there, noone can; but with a little effort, you’ll be able to follow the lead. Wherever that takes you, that’s where you’ll be. There will always be things to improve upon, things to get better at, and once you figure out what those things are for you here — then you’ll finally be ready for some advice.

Illustration by Sandra Palazuelos Garcia

9/1/25 3:06 PM

The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Viewpoint 7

There Are No

Dis a s t er ! s Stella Pak-Guénette | Viewpoint Writer

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othing distorts your sense of scale quite like your first year at St Andrews. In a town this small, it’s alarmingly easy to feel like everything that goes remotely sideways is a disaster.

Now, with my first year behind me, I feel just qualified enough to offer some advice, the kind I probably wouldn’t have taken twelve months ago. Still, here are a few things I wish I’d known about moments that felt like absolute storms, but were really just light rain with a bit of dramatic wind.

So, fresher, welcome to ‘The Bubble’.

You’ve found yourself in a three-street town, surrounded by cobblestones, aggressively smug seagulls, and a suspicious number of pseudo-euro Americans dressed like they’ve just come back from a semester abroad in Florence. Suddenly, you’re expected to construct an entirely new social life, navigate a strange academic system on a one to twenty point scale (which I still don’t quite understand), and pretend you’re not googling “how to cook rice” at 2am in your communal kitchen that smells like the inside of a shoe.

Academically, you’re going from IB, AP, or A-Levels micromanagement to a much looser system. A professor says, “do the reading”, and then disappears into the mist. You then check to find out that it’s over 100 pages, single-spaced, in a PDF scanned from 1977. The freedom is great, until you realise no one’s going to chase you if you fall behind. No one cares if you haven’t done the reading or tutorial work… then it’s Week 10 and you’ve retained next to nothing. The academic system here relies on self-regulation more than anything else. Figure out what works for you early on — whether that’s a crazy notes system, the Pomodoro timer, or aggressively over-caffeinated library days. Basically, no one is watching, but future you will be thankful if you keep it together (even a little).

Fashion-wise, I arrived in September with an unfathomable number of suitcases that I magically managed to squeeze into my room. I’d worn a uniform for the past six years and, by eighteen years old, hadn’t yet figured out how to be fashionable at school.

Inside those suitcases was clothing that, very quickly, felt borderline offensive to the general aesthetic of St Andrews. I realised that if I had a penny for every micro-scarf,

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l o n g s k i r t , cool pair of boots, or studded belt I saw, I wouldn’t have to work another day in my life.

Not to confirm assimilation, but I do now own a few pairs of boots and a few cool-ish belts. Make of that what you will.

This isn’t to say abandon your personal style (unless you were like me and wore a Patagonia fleece every day), but let’s just say the fashion culture shock was real, and I did fold faster than expected. Maybe some herd mentality has plagued me.

You will, at some point, obsess over the wrong things. It’s inevitable. For me, it was things like fashion, friends, classes, the usual suspects. Another key thing to note, and I mean it — the people you hang out with in Week 1 aren’t going to be your friends forever (unless you want them to be). Do not stress about locking in a gigantic lifelong friend group before your first laundry cycle has even finished. Things shift, and that can be a fantastic thing.

Either way, it’s not a referendum on your social skills. Someone you awk-

wardly met once might become one of your closest friends three months later. Or not.

That random guy you tried to impress on a night out? He might become a close friend, a vague acquaintance, or someone you only smile and wave to in passing.

The next big thing for me was FOMO, which is incredibly real in first year and specifically in first semester. There’s this strange pressure to constantly be doing something — a drinks thing, a hall-organised event you don’t quite

want to attend, or a random beach walk in a huge group with some people whose names you only half-know. St Andrews moves at a weirdly intense social pace for a town that has one Pret and a Tesco. It feels like if you’re not out four nights in a row, you’re falling behind on some invisible timeline everyone else is secretly following.

You’re not, don’t worry.

Some things only become obvious with a bit of hindsight. Like, eat in the dining hall as much as you can and sit with someone new, even if the food is questionable (even if you really, really can’t fathom eating another shepherd’s pie). If you have a plan or a pre, I don’t care if your room is small — invite more people. Especially if it’s a mix of people you can’t really picture in the same room. It doesn’t matter at all 99% of the time. People remember being included.

Some of the best nights I had in first year started with completely random groups that, on paper, I didn’t think would work.

If there’s any advice worth giving, it’s just this: give things time. What feels like a storm now is probably just a weather blip.

Everyone is too busy trying to figure out how to do laundry on the heinous WashNet app without shrinking their knitwear or losing their whole afternoon.

You’ll find

your people, your rhythm, your way of making it make sense; maybe not all at once, and definitely not in Freshers’ Week, but eventually. Go out as much as possible, especially early on. Say yes to things. Join a really weird society and try something you’ve never tried before. So, Fresher, first year will be sometimes messy, occasionally confusing, and very fun. Don’t waste time overthinking the small stuff.

All ‘storms’ in the bubble pass, and half the time, no one even notices.

Illustration by Maya Mason

9/1/25 3:06 PM

The (Literally) Priceless Power of a Young Scot Card Students’ favourite day trips and discounts Gracie Jones | Features Writer

I

s St Andrews as secluded as they say?

Protected from the North Sea by just a crumbling castle, cut off from the world by miles of farmland, and nicknamed ‘The Bubble’, St Andrews is as isolated as can be.

Or is it?

Whether you’re an anxious Fresher or a jaded fourth-year, the three streets of St Andrews can get pretty small pretty quick.

A Young Scot Card offers an easy way out.

Providing free bus travel throughout the country for under-22s, it’s become one of the most precious pieces of plastic I own.

“I use my Young Scot Card for all travel, always,” incoming second-year Sophie Rose Jenkins declared, “even just to do my shopping”.

Though free bus travel is the crowning jewel, a Young Scot Card also offers discounts across Scotland and Europe.

Many of the historic sites spread across Fife have free access or reduced prices with the card. Jenkins took full advantage of this when visiting Falkland Palace in May to celebrate the end of exams.

Self-proclaimed “massive nerds” like Jenkins will be glad to know that Historic Scotland Sites are a onepound entry. “I knew [Falkland Palace] was gonna be an amazing post-exams trip,” Jenkins said, explaining that she would study history if she had room for more modules. To make up, she’s hoping to cover Fife’s abundance of historic sites.

Though she got off at the wrong stop after the hour-long bus ride, Falkland Palace was too fascinating to be coloured by a little mishap. Finding a cheap bakery chock full of macaroni and haggis pies enhanced the experience, Jenkins said, recommending a picnic. The “massive” grounds provide plenty of space to roam, while indoors, guides are “more than happy to natter about history” as you examine Mary Queen of Scots’ bedroom.

Another incoming second-year, Corey Long, also found herself exploring a Fife castle this spring. Aberdour Castle offered a great afternoon of history and rambling exploration to Long, who walked there on the Fife Coastal Path from nearby Burntisland.

“It’s gonna be a perfect day trip this autumn,” Long said, enthusiastically.

There’s also an orchard open for apple picking later in the season, she explained.

If you’re looking for a more modern-day

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trip, the Kirkcaldy Links Market isn’t to be missed. Established in 1304, it’s Scotland’s oldest street fair and the longest in Europe. Only a couple of buses away from St Andrews, it provides plenty of “food that’ll make you feel kind of sick” and “really fast rides”, during a six-day stretch each April, said Long. High-speed thrills don’t usually scream Fife, but Long recalls her

pounding heart as she watched rides whirl her friends over the Kirkcaldy coast. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, you will find it in the flashing lights and sky-high rides of the Market. For those preferring to keep their feet on solid ground, Long recommends the candy floss.

As for a more earthy adventure, incoming second-year Honey Rothert recommends taking the Fife Coastal Path from St Andrews to Crail. At a respectable thirteen miles, Rothert and her friends spent one February morning exploring the trail, which takes you up and down beaches and cliffsides. If you make good time, you can end your walk with a fish and chips dinner.

Though Rothert says the path wasn’t too challenging, she has one piece of advice for any wannabe walkers: “Check the tides.”

Long seconded this: “You don’t [want to] end up hiking up the side of a cliff while hanging onto a barbed wire fence.”

Though Fife has plenty of old palaces and pretty towns to explore, Long offered an insider tip for anyone wanting a quick way out to the rest of Scotland: “Take a CityLink bus.” Lots of different bus companies operate in Fife, but CityLink is usually the most dependable option if you’re trying to get any further west than Dunfermline, any further north than Dundee, or anywhere beyond the Firth of Forth (and if you want to go east, I’d recommend checking out St Andrews’ wild swimming society).

The Scottish Citylink service offers frequent express rides between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Inverness, Aberdeen and Stirling. “CityLink buses are really pleasant, better than aeroplanes,” Long said, explaining that the beauty of Young Scot’s free bus travel is that fancier services come at the same price point (read: nothing) as other options.

Long discovered CityLink after an unfortunate evening, which began with a missed bus and ended in an eye-wateringly expensive taxi. She’s used it ever since. So far, she’s met up with old friends in Glasgow, tried new restaurants in Edinburgh and this year, her flatmate might even see how close she can get to the Highlands — all on a CityLink.

So, is St Andrews cut off from the world, adrift in our little university bubble? Maybe, but from Falkland to Aberdour to the Fife Coastal Path, students are good at finding places to do what they love, whether that’s history or a hike. And a Young Scot Card is good at making everything a bit simpler and softer on your wallet. If castles and coastlines aren’t your thing (though I might raise my eyebrows at why you chose St Andrews), the city skylines of Glasgow and Edinburgh are only a (free) CityLink away. Will I commit identity fraud on my twenty-second birthday in order to keep my free bus travel? I’m definitely considering it. As beautiful as the Bubble is, sometimes a day trip is just what a busy student needs.

Illustration by Sandra Palazuelos Garcia

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Features 9

Base Camp Britain

How international Freshers acclimatise to St Andrews Simon Ezra Jackson | Features Writer

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cots are a “version of Arabs”, KhalidHunbot, a Philosophy second-year from Saudi Arabia, told me. “They’re generous, they’re fun, they’re light-hearted, and they swear a lot.” Hunbot concluded this from watching Still Game, a Glaswegian soap opera. The show also helped him get used to the Scottish accent — a perennial problem for international arrivees.

I talked to Hunbot and Ariel Dodds, an American third-year Economics student, about accents and all the other cultural curveballs associated with arriving in St Andrews from abroad. Why do Brits say sorry when they walk into a doorway? How does one ‘blag a fag’? What’s the crucial yet subtle distinction between s l a g ging off and shagging on?

(Please do neither to The Saint).

The typical induction pack to help international freshers acclimatise to St Andrews might cover housing, an acerbic aside about Scottish weather, or a pathetic plug for British food — but no further. I present this humble article, therefore, as a ten-minute-before-the-exam-starts cram for those arriving internationals. Think of it as an aeroplane safety presentation. Except, unlike an aeroplane safety presentation, you’d better pay attention. If you tune out the air hostess fiddling with the whistle, you’ll statistically escape with your kneecaps intact.

If you go to the Scottish Independence Society and pronounce it “EdinBURG”, the numbers may not be in your favour.

Edinburgh noun pronounced /edin-BRUH/ not /edinBURG/ nor /edin-BURROW/ (American Freshers who get this right get brownie points) Slang wasn’t a huge problem for Hunbot — he picked his Scots up from Still Game and his foundation year spent living in a working-class neighbourhood in Dundee. But, when he got to St Andrews, that quickly changed. “The majority of people you’ll end up meeting are non-Scottish

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and non-British,” Hunbot said. “[St Andrews] is, like, 40% American, 40% Chinese, and 20% Eastern European,” he added. “I’ve only met an English student once, and that was while smoking.”

Hunbot’s experience isn’t reflected in the formal statistics of the University’s demographics — 53% of students are British, half of whom are Scottish. But it reflects an interesting way in which students segregate themselves — by nationality. Dodds noticed how many societies are overwhelmingly American or English.

“Every Scottish person I know is lovely,” Dodds told me. “That being said, because it’s St Andrews, I know two Scottish people. Maybe three.”

Lettuce noun A brassica. Also a former Prime Minister.

Both Hunbot and Dodds recommend reading up on British politics before arrival. Dodds strongly recommends doing that reading before getting the spiels from the political societies themselves at Fresher’s Fayre. (“They all kind of tell you the same thing”).

Outside our political debates, Brits are generally polite — famously, excessively so. Dodds, though, didn’t find the British habit of excessive apologising odd: “I’m Midwestern, we also do that.” Hunbot however, took a dimmer view. The extent to which Brits say ‘sorry’ “takes away from the emotional weight of the word”, Hunbot said. Nevertheless, Hunbot would advise Freshers to apologise anyway, just to fit in, “ridiculous though it may be”.

Shag verb Sex act. Also a rug type. Use context clues.

As the furniture-related sexual slang hints at, Britain is not renowned for its sexual liberation. That said, we’ve certainly worked through our Victorian repression about another vice: alcoholism. “You actually get to have fun,” Dodds was told when she first heard about British drinking culture. She arrived in St Andrews from her joint degree at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where drinking is prohibited for students under 21. In Scotland, she

initially went somewhat wild. After a rocky Freshers’, she advised similarly abstemious Americans to take it easy — avoid “diving too quickly into the going-out scene”.

Hunbot was more blunt: “Drink with moderation. Don’t be British about it.” He’d expected a reasonably restrained drinking culture, similar to the American movies he’d watched, where trips to bars were rare and self-contained. Instead, he found that the entire social life of many students and locals revolved around pubs. As a Fresher, visiting Market Street on a Thursday night was like being “surrounded by zombies”.

Half four noun Germans assume this means 3.30. It doesn’t. Don’t ask a German the time.

The quirks of British time didn’t faze Hunbot or Dodds (perhaps due to their blissful ignorance of the German language). The main surprise for Dodds, arriving to these three streets, was the lack of pumpkin purée in Scotland. She had to buy it in London. It’s “not normal, apparently”. Other than blended vegetables, though, she had done her homework. To prepare, Dodds watched Men In Kilts, a video series following two Outlander actors who drive a van around Scotland and interview locals, which helped familiarise herself with a lot of the place names. “It’s corny, but it actually did help,” she said.

She’d also been exhaustively advised by other students on the ins and outs of Scottish culture, from housing to Tesco Clubcards (get a Clubcard). Her pre-arrival briefings had even stretched to comments on the strange proliferance of Irn Bru in Scottish shops.

How should international arivees, who lack such extensive carbonated drink-related advice, best learn the ins and outs of Caledonia? Both Hunbot and Dodds emphasised the importance of talking to a lot of random people. For Dodds particularly, talking to elderly Scottish locals made her feel comfortable once she’d arrived: “They’re very chatty, and they remind me of my dad.”

Hunbot, on his part, recommended taking advantage of the liberties afforded

by British freedom-of-speech laws: “You owe it to yourself to be as outrageous as you want, because then people might counter what you have in mind — then you at least will have learned something.”

Illustration by Isabelle Holloway

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Beyond the Bubble

Escaping the Monotony of St Andrews Manraj Gill | Photo Editor

T

here’s a peculiar, unmistakable charm to St Andrews. Nestled by the sea in a windswept corner of Fife, the ancient buildings and colourful characters that weave the tapestry of this small Scottish town also infuse it with an immediate sense of intimacy. They call it ‘The Bubble’, and rightly so.

Within this medieval maze of cobblestones and coffee queues, time bends, the outside world can feel astonishingly far away. That’s beautiful — until it isn’t.

Sooner or later, you’ll need to escape. Not because you hate St Andrews, but because you love it enough not to let it consume you. And when the library walls start closing in, or the bartenders at the nearest pub have your order memorised, that’s your cue to step off this very aesthetic hamster wheel.

Below are three miniature expeditions you can embark on between deadlines, some even between lectures, and which guarantee to pop that bothersome bubble.

Start with the shoreline. If you’ve wandered West Sands already, you’ll know it’s an excellent place to think, to gaze at the

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stars, or to dramatically reenact Chariots of Fire. But follow the coast further, past golf courses and dog walkers, and you’ll stumble upon the Eden Estuary Nature Reserve. This shifting stretch of intertidal mud and sand flats, where the historic stone buildings of the town fade to grey specks on the horizon, is an ornithologist’s paradise. Autumn migration in particular turns the reserve into Heathrow-for-birds: black-tailed godwits probe the sludge like tiny jack-hammers; grey plovers and red-

shanks patrol the shallows; and shelducks preen with comic self-importance. If you’re lucky, you may also just spot an otter slinking between the reeds, or the head of a curious harbour seal bobbing up to look you over. Wave, but don’t wade — it’s highly illegal to intentionally disturb seals in Scotland, and nobody looks good in a mugshot.

Since we’re there, another quick word of warning: do not attempt to cross the river. Though the estuary may look navigable at low tide, the seemingly solid beach quickly dissolves into a patchwork of sinking mud and inescapable quicksand, while the current is strong enough to draw even the keenest sub-honours swimmer out to Dundee.

Remember, there are no awards for most dramatic disappearance during reading week.

Now shift eastward. Where West Sands is wide and windswept, East Sands feels more pocket-sized and personal. Just off the end of the beach, the sea hides something magical: kelp forests, swaying and undulating like a green underwater cathedral. Be sure to bring a thick wetsuit and gloves — the North Sea doesn’t care about your comfort, and if the cold doesn’t get you, the jellyfish certainly will. Likewise, if you don’t want visibility to be worse than a 9am lecture after a Sinners’ Wednesday, plan your dip for at least two dry days after the last rain. As you

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Photo 11

descend, you’ll find yourself immersed in a different world, one filled with scuttling crabs, shy shrimps, and sea anemones waving you rude greetings. For the particularly bold (and well-equipped), night dives offer an entirely different drama. Under your torchlight, the fronds of seaweed sway like velvet curtains, phosphorescent crackles at your fins, and flatfish — sole especially — burst from the sand in starry confetti.

You don’t have to dive to get involved, though. Wait until low tide, and the underwater jungle morphs into a maze of rock-pools, each a pocket universe of bizarre biology. Alternatively, join a seaweed foraging workshop — there’s one during Freshers’ Week — to learn which wrack tastes of truffles and which one is, essentially, slime. That said, respect the ocean and its rules. Lobsters are not souvenirs, and catching a berried or V-notched lobster can land you in more trouble than a badly referenced essay. Take only photos and a mild case of hypothermia, and leave everything else to the professionals.

Not every adventure needs a wetsuit or binoculars. Sometimes, a walk will do just fine. Right in town, tucked behind the West Port arch, begins the Lade Braes — a meandering 2.5-kilometre path that follows the medieval stream that once powered the town’s mills. As you make your way through trees and over trickling water, the merry stream winding gently away from deadlines, societies, and library shifts, you’ll find that it’s perfect for a quiet lunch, a solo stroll, or a low-stakes first date.

Keep going yet and you’ll stumble upon the Botanic Garden, a sleepy patchwork of green where ducks paddle and students nap under sycamores. Entry is free with your student card, and you’d be surprised how far a bench and a bit of sun can go in salvaging a rough week. Bring your course

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reading if you must, but consider letting yourself be briefly, gloriously unproductive.

These escapes are not far. None will take more than an hour or two. You don’t need a car or a complicated plan — just the

willingness to break out of the familiar. There’s a rhythm to student life here: lectures, essays, the Vic, the Union, the Pret queue. But stepping away, even briefly, helps you return with fresh eyes and a steadier pace.

You may not feel like you need escapes yet. You’ve just arrived, after all.

Everything’s new and glimmering and full of possibility. But the Bubble, for all its magic, has a way of closing in. And when it does, you’ll be glad to know where the edges are — and how to slip past them.

Photos by Manraj Gill

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Dying to Be Adopted?

A guide to choosing the right academic family

Anna-Marie Regner | The Relic Editor

T

he time has come, the time to choose (or be chosen by…?) your academic family. For some, this is a daunting challenge — for others, the most exciting part of their upcoming Freshers’ experience. Either way, it’s a whole new world you’re about to be thrown into.

A product of real-life divorce, I thought this was my opportunity to find a big kumbaya-style happy family — wrong, dreadfully wrong. In fact, academic families can be just as messy, if not messier.

From favouritism to alcoholism, incest to academic divorces, it’s the full soap opera deal. That being said, it’s also a wonderful experience — one unique to St Andrews.

My academic family experience wasn’t the advertised one. I didn’t stick with my first family, then the one I chose for ‘strategic’ purposes — and because I ran out of options — didn’t end up all that close.

Raisin was like a scene out of The Hangover. After that? We all met up maybe twice and made the usual “how has the first semester been?”, “I miss you, we don’t all see each other enough!”, “family event soon!” small talk at events thereafter.

So, following my slightly unfulfilling experience, here’s all the advice I wish someone had given me as a clueless F r es h er — the bad, the good, the cynical, and the strategic: a crash course in the art of being adopted.

If the prospect of an ‘academic family’ is completely foreign to you, here is a short explanation. Academic family: a make-believe kinship system where third-year students ‘adopt’ incoming firstyears as their ‘children’. The premise? To provide you with support, guidance, and the occasional bout of alcohol poisoning as you settle into the town; on Raisin Sunday, as is every St Andrews Fresher’s rite of passage, your parents get to haze you for a day. Though fear not, I hear most halls have now banned kidnapping.

The relationships begin casually. As much as you’re dying to be adopted, aca-

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demic parents are dying to adopt you. So don’t worry, there’s a family out there for everyone. Usually at society mixers, events, pre-drinks, or give-it-a-go sessions, prospective academic parents will approach you with the goal of adopting you. “Have you been adopted yet?” they will ask. The answer should always be “no”. Test them all out. It’s like a car — you don’t buy it till you drive it; I recommend you drive a few. Try the rugby family, the FS family, the reeling family, the hobbyless family, the French family, The Saint family (I hear they’re the best), and decide what fits you.

Finally, my advice on choosing your family once you’ve started the adoption process.

I’ll give you all of it — so pick your poison.

First of all, be open to every opportunity.

Anyone who tries to adopt you — give it a shot. Try the family event, no matter how strange it seems. Best scenario? You’ve found your dream family. Worst? You’ve got a story to tell. Equally, once you’ve given a couple of families a whirl, don’t be afraid to be picky. Don’t stay in a family that makes you feel uncomfortable, unwanted, or used (one family tried to recruit me and my prospective siblings as ‘promoters’ for their collective). Remember, this isn’t a real family — you can just leave and never look back.

Now, if you want to play the strategy game, there’s a method. If you wish to climb the ‘social ladder’ of St Andrews — or just want access to those elusive ‘invite-only’ dinners — do your research. Who’s trying to adopt you? What societies are they in? What committees do they sit on? Who are their friends? Can they get you into Welly Ball?

Ask not what you can do for your family, but what your family can do for you. I’m not saying this is the right method, nor do I endorse it, but I did promise to give you all the advice I had to offer. Some students choose to play the game, climb, fall, lose friends, and gain others. The point is: know what you want out of it. If it’s fun, take the fun.

If it’s networking, well… you know what to do.

Here’s another unconventional wrench: two-time families. Some people have multiple academic families until right before Raisin. And honestly? Who can blame them? Maybe your first one ghosted you.

Maybe you wanted a back-up for Raisin.

Maybe you’re just hungry for love. Whatever the reason — it’s not cheating, it’s survival. You don’t want to end up an orphan.

On family incest… the age-old question arises: to sleep with your academic brother or not to sleep with your academic brother? Is it weird? Absolutely. Will it stop people? Absolutely not.

Honestly, many academic families are inherently incestuous. You hear stories of people hooking up with their sibling — or worse, their parent — but you don’t often hear stories of it working out.

And don’t be the person who brags about it as if they were the first to do it.

One last thing — your academic family doesn’t have to be your best friends. Like real family, sometimes it’s just about showing up for each other, no matter how bizarre or brief the connection may be. You might never speak again after Raisin, or you might end up living together in thirdyear. You won’t know until it happens.

All this aside, this isn’t the be-all and end-all of your St Andrews experience.

If it doesn’t work out, there are dozens of other traditions to be part of — May Dip, Pier Walk, or having a family of your own one day. You’ll find your people no matter what — on the pitch, in the library, or six pints deep at Aikmans.

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Kaganskaya y Vera

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a r i P s n S i t y A l i a l n ’ s o i i t n a t r n o r d e t u ction nd m An in to S E cot re tis w ht ra s

Luana van Oranje | The Relic Writer

S

t Andrews prides itself on being a loudand-proud international university.

With 135 nationalities travelling across the globe to our little corner on the North Sea, critics are not wrong about the general lack of knowledge many have about the wider country that they will come to call home.

Incoming Freshers will hear enough throughout these coming weeks about the beaches and pubs in our little town, the golfing culture (and crazy tourists), and unique traditions such as the Pier Walk and Raisin Monday. However, this article — by an international, for an international — instead hopes to give you some starting insight into Scotland beyond St Andrews...

For those who drink, a successful Freshers’ Week is incomplete without a pint of Tennent’s (liquid gold, vitamin T), an iconic Scottish lager since its creation in 1885. Want something stronger?

Many nearby breweries offer whiskey tours and tastings — a brilliant way to get out and see some more of the country. For a non-alcoholic alternative, give the carbonated soft drink Irn-Bru a taste.

To fuel yourself in preparation for the boozing, turn to traditional foods and snacks.

Be adventurous with the fishy Cullen skink, or play it safe with shortbread, which was created in Scotland during the twelfth century.

Sticking with the

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sweet tooth, make sure to grab a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer or Teacake, and I’ve also been told the deep-fried Mars bar is an unskippable treat. One thing you must try is haggis: minced sheep’s ‘pluck’ that is often served with ‘neeps’ (turnip) and ‘tatties’ (potatoes).

No fear if you don’t get around to having haggis immediately — you won’t avoid it in January, with the celebrations of Burns Night on 25 January. Commemorating the national poet Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns, who is most famous for his poem ‘Auld Lang Syne’, Burns Night centres around his ‘Address to a Haggis’, recited whilst the haggis is cut. The evening is, of course, incomplete without a taste…

The other holiday to note is the national St Andrew’s Day, celebrated on 30 November. The festivities start early, and I encourage you to don your red gown and head into the streets on 29 November for the ‘Big Hoolie’ — an evening of music and ceilidh dancing. On 30 November, make the most of the day by visiting the many institutions that uniquely open their doors to the public, free of charge. This includes our own exclusive Royal and Ancient Golf Club!

As already mentioned, dancing is a significant part of Scottish tradition, and something I advise every fresher to try out.

Ceilidhs are social events that you will inevitably come across throughout your time at St Andrews, and include dances such as ‘Strip the Willow’ and ‘The Gay Gordons’.

They are easy to learn, and ceilidhs are often hosted for free at the Union. Keep an eye out for this in the Freshers’ Week programme!

For the more formal, lively alternative (which will inevitably get you giddy with the amount of spinning!), you should turn to reeling. This is led by the Caledonian Society, which works to preserve and promote Scottish culture. The popular society hosts weekly practices and two standout events throughout the year — the Martinmas and Candlemas Balls. Visit their stand at the Freshers’ Fayre for more informationabout Beach Reels, the free welcome

event for beginners and returners alike.

As you embrace the festive side of Scottish culture, you will quickly come across the vibrant music central to it. To prevent being the lone mute at many Scottish events, consider brushing up on the lyrics of songs such as ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and ‘Loch Lomond’. For the unofficial national anthems, listen to ‘Flower of Scotland’ and ‘Scotland the Brave’.

Scotland is also known for the woodwind instrument which you will certainly hear before you see: the Great Highland bagpipe. They are composed of a bag, chanter, blowpipe, and multiple drones, and the sound is indescribable — go have a listen!

One thing any article on Scotland would be incomplete without is the infamous kilt. This wrap- around knee-length skirt is worn by men, with the tartan plaid pat tern unique to the various Scottish clans.

It is a part of Highland Dress, which also includes a kilt pin, sporran, and sgian-dubh.

You might also see tartan plaid on trews or sashes, which will certainly steal the show at the aforementioned reeling balls! Check who’s a ‘true Scotsman’ (goes underwear-less under their kilt) at your own peril…

I hope this small slice of Scottish tradition makes you excited for the year to come, and that you take the initiative to learn more about this amazing place, its history, and its culture! One easy place to start? Apply for your YoungScot card, which gives you free bus travel and discounts to countless heritage sites. If there is one piece of advice I can give... speak to everyone beyond those in our university, travel this beautiful country, and love every minute of it!

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | SciTech 15

Scotland’s SunniestMatteo University Veratelli | SciTech Editor I

f you are reading this, there is a good chance you are one of the almost 2,000 incoming freshers embarking on the (hopefully) great experience that is studying here. For the rest of you who already call St Andrews home, I’m glad to see you again.

No matter the case, I hope you are enjoying the un-Scottish nice weather that the town so kindly offers as a welcome gift at the beginning of term (hoping I have not jinxed it in writing this article).

Indeed, many of you are likely positively surprised. Ask any Scotsman to describe his country’s weather, and, nine times out of ten, the answer will be the same: dreich (that is, the stereotypical dark and wet climate that most of us would expect). But not here. You, in fact, currently find yourself at the sunniest university in Scotland.

If you were to look at St Andrews on a map, you would notice that it lies on the same latitude as Moscow and Labrador, two places known for their freezing climates and heavy snowfalls. One would — understandably — expect to find something similar here. Instead, Fife rarely falls below zero and is blessed with one of the driest climates in the country. Especially at the beginning and end of the academic year, students can enjoy long sunny days with warm temperatures of around twenty degrees, conveniently occurring when exam season is still far away or already over.

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How is this even possible?

This unique micro-climate is due to a combination of geographical features held not only by Scotland, but regions as far away as the Caribbean.

As the summer season ends in September, wet oceanic wind currents from the Atlantic Ocean arrive on the western shores of Scotland. These currents push eastwards, giving rise to the characteristic heavy rains.

However, before reaching St Andrews, they are stopped by the mountainous region known as the Scottish Highlands; as the humid ocean air is forced upwards against the Highlands, it cools down, causing the rains to unload. This effect is known as the ‘rain shadow’, for which the east of the country ends up being significantly drier.

Furthermore, since the oceanic currents are mostly blocked by Scotland’s west coast, St Andrews primarily experiences the dry winds blowing from continental Europe, and this also contributes to those unusual sunny days that occur during Freshers’ Week.

But how can it be that, on the same latitude, Moscow and northern Canada experience close-to-zero temperatures, whilst in Fife students are beach-ing and swimming?

The answer to this question comes all the way from the other side of the world — the Gulf of Mexico to be precise. Water from western Africa is pushed towards the Caribbean, where it warms up via solar ra-

diation and flows to Iceland and the North Sea. From there, it moves south, hitting Scotland’s eastern coast and Scandinavia.

This warm water current, known as the ‘Gulf Stream’, is why northern Europe goes through a milder cold season than its location would suggest. As the stream makes its way south from Iceland to the Scandinavian peninsula, it moves along the Scottish coastline, down to Fife, before drifting east. This, combined with St Andrews Bay’s Y-shape — which funnels the warm current towards the town — allows for longer-lasting summer temperatures.

Unfortunately, despite these peculiarities that bless the town, the inevitable dreich weather eventually arrives in St Andrews. When this happens, the same coastal location that protects us from rain and freeze now causes strong, cold winds to hit the bay at the arrival of winter.

Nonetheless, St Andrews can be considered a unique gem in Scotland. With a large amount of sunlight due to its northern position and the protection of the Highlands, along with milder temperatures thanks to the Americas, the town truly offers a pleasant meteorological surprise to anyone who comes here. The fact that all these elements combine during Fresher’s week creates the perfect opportunity for all incoming students to start their new experience at the University in the best of ways.

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Events 16

The (Bubble) That Builds You

Why the way you spend your time at St Andrews matters Olga Alonso Blanco | EVents Editor

B

ig ideas can come from small places.

St Andrews, in my humble opinion, proves exactly that. It comprises three rainy cobblestone streets, two dubious nightclubs and one Boots — yet our bubble boasts of over 150 societies and student-run ventures working around the clock to create and contribute. In a sea of musicians, fashion show executive directors, investment fund analysts, and catering team adjuncts: extra-curricular events and societies have taken on a whole new meaning: They don’t simply enrich our academic and personal experience, they define it. Whether you’re living in your polo teammate’s academic sister’s neighbour’s cat’s old flat or you’ve picked up painting after a spontaneous session of Japanese calligraphy, these events forge indispensable connections and ignite staunch reflection.

As the returning Events Editor, I have oftentimes found myself circling back to the same conundrum: What are the best events, and what makes them so great? Confronted by blistered toes and a pitiful Monzo feed, I frequently slip into a pattern more cynical of thought: Is it even a worth it? At university where a single event ticket can exceed double digits, a degree of skepticism is inevitable.

Before you, too, spiral into this bout of pessimism, I hope to offer a flicker of optimism — and a fair few words of guidance.

As a silly fresher, you’ve likely grown accustomed to the sweat-slicked glow of the 601 dancefloor. You’ve boogied to Lady Gaga’s beloved ‘Just Dance,’ belted out ‘Mr. Brightside’ and — for those bravest amongst us — dabbled in the tongue-staining spectrum of VK fla-

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vours before calling it a night. Like it or not, the Union remains a St Andrean staple. Gripes aside, queues still snake down Market Street for its many themed Bops and the riotous Wednesday Sinners. If it’s still not a bit of you, brace yourselves for Sunday’s pub quiz or swing by on a Thursday for a calmer pint at Jazz Night.

For those keen on a more civilised sit down, a wide variety of pubs allows for good chat and a chuckle — all before tomorrow’s 9am tutorial. Molly’s needs no introduction, with its warm atmosphere, occasional live music, and swarms of fresher banter. And if you prefer your pints with a side of political theory, Aikmans rarely disappoints.

As you meet new friends and your interests mature, you’ll likely find yourself oscillating between the many adored pubs throughout the years, each one marking a new era and fresh set of questionable decisions. It is our duty to embrace them altogether.

In terms of other forms of artistic expression (and, yes, plenty of art does go into selecting my choice of ale for the evening), our town holds its own. Endless music and visual art collectives help satiate your creative cravings. F r o m plays and short film sagas, to acapella and life drawing — our stu-

dents do it all.

You’ll find film, photography, and poetry in all forms, showcased through a vibrant lineup of fes-

tivals, exhibitions, and magazine launches.

What about the academics? A scope of more traditionally academic societies help you stay sharp and knowledgeable. Consider this a reassurance to all the parents frantically calling after the third gin and tonic hits the family group chat. For those willing and able to secure your eighth banking internship, take your pick between Investment Society, GIG, Mercury Capital Management, and more. Those who fancy an argument (it’s called healthy debate) can take their pick between more formal styles like the St Andrews Union Debate Society or slightly hotter takes at The 1984.

Is journalism calling your name? Besides The Saint, of course, there’s plenty of other outlets like The Stand or The St Andrews Economist who, too, churn out articles.

There’s no shortage of intellectual sparring.

“We are what we repeatedly do,” writes American author Will Durant, paraphrasing Aristotle. And while he may have had Nicomachean Ethics in mind, the point holds well beyond philosophy lectures.

If you haven’t heard of this before, you’ve likely been graced by these words in any other of their tangential forms: you are what you eat, you are what you read, you are who you surround yourself with. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider. The St Andrean social scene might be shaping us more than we are shaping it. The committees you join, plays you watch, and songs you dance to all subtly shape the version of yourself you’re becoming.

The choice is yours. Whether you sign up for weekly salsa beginner classes on a Tuesday or fork out 80 quid for Scandinavian Society’s Nobel Ball — there is no right way to do it. But I can assure you, it’s worth every second.

So, yes — join, attend, and apply away — but amidst the hustle and bustle of our small town, make sure to slow down, and allow your exploration to wander into contemplation.

Illustration by Maya Marie

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History, Hospitality, and a Pint A toast to tradition at Ham’s Hame Arnaz Mallick & Alden Arnold | Deputy Editors-in-Chief This by

article is the Old

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kindly sponsored Course Hotel.

erched proudly at the intersection of the Scores and aptly-named Golf Place stands the historic Hamilton Grand.

Boasting views of the Old Course, sea, and town, the Hamilton Grand represents one of St Andrews’ nexus points, bridging the town’s recreational and residential aspects.

Standing at this corner, nestled in the ground floor of the Hamilton Grand, you will find Ham’s Hame, a tidy, homely, but modern spot. For twenty years, the bar has served both locals and visitors alike, offering a menu of elevated Scottish pub classics including a selection of pies, burgers, sandwiches, and chips; their extensive list of appetisers and desserts are no item to skip, either.

Much to many students’ reprieve, and in delighted contrast to St Andrews’ abundance of libraries, computer rooms, and study halls, Ham’s Hame is decidedly non-monastic. In other words, 21 Golf Place provides what tedious revising, long essays, and reading lists cannot: fun, to put it simply. Ham’s Hame opens its doors to ‘the evening out’; whether it’s offering reservation bookings for society events, hosting weekly quiz nights, or, more fundamentally, serving hearty, mouthwatering food and beer, the bar advertises an ample diversity of post-(golf, revising, class, work, swim?) entertainment.

What’s more, with the flash of a student ID, Ham’s Hame offers a pocket-friendly fifteen per cent discount on food and drink, for a maximum of four guests.

As alluded to earlier, centrality is one of Ham’s Hame’s many appeals. Via the Old Course, a warm meal is a literal stone’s

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toss (not even throw) from the 18th hole.

From central Market Street, a mere tenminute walk will find you knocking at its door. Five minutes from the bus station will have you seated with a pint in your hand.

The pub was bustling and full of people as we walked in. Despite being at a fairly lowered level, the area was still full of light flooding in from scenic windows during the middle of the day. We were taken to a table for two, up against a wall full of framed photos of bygone times in St Andrews. One of Ham’s Hame’s

finest qualities is the rich, historic, and ambient atmosphere it offers to guests.

All the framed pictures were in blackand-white, of St Andrews’ oldest and most historic buildings, set against the wood panelled walls. The pub boasted a retro but cosy appearance to its many visitors on the August day of our visit.

The Ham’s Hame menu is concise and easy to look through and choose from. Each dish available is well-selected and freshly made; the burgers that the two of us ordered were authentic and filling, and even more satiating when served with the several sides on offer. Prior to the arrival of our food, we were able to choose from a selection of cocktails and drinks, which all came promptly before our meals were served.

In addition to Ham’s Hame’s excellently made pub food, there was moreover an inviting and tempting array of desserts to choose from. The food, drinks, and service on offer is both student and family-friendly, as all meals are reasonably priced, and the pub offers plenty of room and atmosphere to its customers. The waiting staff was friendly and prompt, and the meals we had ordered came in hardly any time, despite the large number of clientele present.

Of course, aspects of the restaurant experience such as the menu, food, and drinks all contributed towards making an enjoyable and pleasant afternoon — yet it was the pub’s atmosphere and environment that set it apart from other similar institutions in St Andrews.

In Ham’s Hame, one gets the sense of being tucked away from the contemporary, everyday happenings of this town and its three streets.

Instead, to sit with a friend on a table next to a wood-panelled wall full of old photos, we could easily imagine ourselves to be in the St Andrews of yester-year. Being inside the pub takes you back to a simpler time, and, more importantly, offers an ambience that is unique to this town and its culture.

Its cosy and scenic interiors are a fitting contrast to the pub’s proximity to both the Old Course and the Scores, nestled in one of the most prime locations in all of St Andrews. With its rustic look, vintage furnishing, and beautiful windows, Ham’s Hame offers its visitors and customers an atmospheric and picturesque getaway, despite how centrally located the restaurant is.

Photo Provided by the Old Course Hotel

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The Saint Freshers’ Magazine 2025 | thesaint.scot | Sport 19

Education is Important, but Sport is More Important-er The Saint’s picks of the St Andrews Sporting Calendar

Ben Bagley | Sport Editor

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s any balding investment banker will tell you, St Andrews and golf are synonymous — and with the Open Championship returning to the Fife fairways for the 31st time in 2027 — there’s every reason for the university’s golf enthusiasts to be excited.

Beyond birdies and bunkers, the university’s sporting calendar is action packed. From drizzly Sunday league fixtures to performance-level water polo, there’s plenty to keep sports fans entertained from the bleak midwinter through to the mildly less bleak Scottish summer.

Over the course of the academic year, student athletes take part in competitions organised by the British Universities and College Sports (BUCS), with the university’s finest competing against other top institutions in a multitude of sports. As ever, The Saint is here to keep you up to date across the board. Here are a few of our standout dates for your semester planner: The Scottish Varsity Match Date: 20 September 2025 Location: The HIVE Stadium, Edinburgh First semester curtain raiser, the Scottish Varsity is as historic as it is fiercely competitive. St Andrews and Edinburgh’s men’s rugby clubs have played since the 1860s, making this the sport’s oldest varsity encounter.

The Saints will be aiming to defend their title in the looming shadow of Murrayfield, iconic home of Scottish rugby. St Andrews students cross the Forth Road Bridge in their droves for this one, bringing a lively atmosphere to the capital.

There truly is no better way to kick-off the academic year than with a trip to the rugby. Tickets are online and, as ever, selling like the proverbial freshly baked goods.

BUCS Big Wednesday Date: 24-25 March 2026 Location: Loughborough University BUCS Big Wednesday is appropriately marketed as ‘the biggest day in university sport’ with finalists from across the UK competing for national honours i n sixteen sports over a 24-hour period. That’s 57 finals in one day — you do the math(s).

This year’s event returns to Loughborough, a town as

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steeped in university sporting tradition as it is difficult for American students to pronounce. St Andrews will be looking to repeat the successes of last year where the Saints picked up titles in both the women’s football and men’s rugby.

The round journey is not for the faint of heart, but well worth the trip for those partial to a long stint on the Megabus.

Jonny Wookey Memorial Varsity Game Date: March / April 2026 (Date TBC) Location: Fife Ice Arena, Kirkcaldy Held annually in memory of Jonny Wookey — a much-loved student who passed away in 2012 — this fixture has become one of St Andrews’ most well-loved sporting traditions.

Students descend on Kirkcaldy (another difficult one) for the most intense hockey rivalry this side of Hadrian’s Wall.

The St Andrews Typhoons got the better of the Edinburgh Eagles last time round and will no doubt be looking to reassert their dominance next spring.

This year marks the Typhoons’ fifteenth anniversary and club captain Andy Benstead insists they will be pulling out all the stops for a memorable weekend: “Expect the same low prices, packed stands, and great atmosphere the game is known for,” he told The Saint.

Saints Coastal Regatta Date: 11-12 April 2026 Location: East Sands Beach, St Andrews For those more nautically inclined, the Saints Coastal Regatta graces the Fife coastline in the spring. As one of the UK’s largest coastal rowing events, the event attracts top-tier crews from across the country.

For many student rowers, the regatta acts as a stepping stone to representing Scotland or Team GB. Over the summer, Saints rower Sophia Issberner represented Great Britain at the World University Games hosted in Germany — no mean feat.

The Saints Coastal Regatta is all the fun of the Oxbridge Boat Race without the prospect of ingesting several tonnes of Thames raw sewage.

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The St Andrews Challenge Date: November 2025 (Date TBC) Location: The Scottish Clay Shooting Centre, Leuchars At the static end of the sporting spectrum, the St Andrews Challenge boasts the title of the largest university clay pigeon shooting event in the UK. Hosted just down the road in Leuchars (pronounced loo-kuhz), the Challenge is a long day of shooting for competitors from universities up and down the country.

Acting as a prelude to the much-anticipated Welly Ball, it’s a date firmly pencilled in the diary for shooters and partygoers alike.

The Boyd Quaich Memorial Golf Tournament Date: 24-26 June 2026 Location: The Old and New Courses, St Andrews We probably should mention golf…

Honouring Quentin and Anthony Boyd — St Andrews alumni who gave their lives in World War II — the Boyd Quaich has attracted student golfers from around the world since 1946.

Now in its 78th edition, the tournament offers students the chance to compete on the world’s oldest course. Admittedly, very few of you will even be here in June, but it’s a good day out for the summer lingerers.

Of course, this is but a snapshot of the sporting calendar. Whether you’re competing, supporting, or simply there for a refreshing can of local lager, there’s always healthy competition taking place at St Andrews. Stay up to date with the best of university sport with The Saint both online and in our bi-weekly print editions. As a wise rugby player once told me: “education is important, but sport is more important-er.”

Illustration by Isabella Abbott

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