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'As a Study Abroad Co-ordinator, I sometimes hear from fourth-year students who regret not applying for study abroad when they had the opportunity. Many students never get round to applying, for various reasons. In the early years of your university course, it is easy to miss the right moment: you may be focused on your studies here at St Andrews, you may have made important friends, or perhaps you just think study abroad is not for you. But I would encourage any student to talk to their Study Abroad Co-ordinator to find out what opportunities there are, and this should best be done towards the end of first year - or you might regret it later! You do not need the most fantastic academic results to be eligible for study abroad. Your departmental contact can tell you which exchanges are open to you, so grab the opportunity and talk to the right person. It may change your later career and your entire life!'
Dr Christine Rauer, Study Abroad Co-ordinator, School of English
Speak to your Study Abroad Co-ordinator
If you are interested in Study Abroad, we advsie that you speak to your Study Abroad Co-ordinator(s) about your available options toward the end of your first year or at the beginning of your second year. Several programmes have application deadlines before Christmas, so you need to be organised and be thinking about your options when you return to St Andrews for your second year.
Speak to the Collaborations & Study Abroad team
From 2-4pm, Monday to Friday, you can drop in to talk to CSA staff at St Katharine's West on The Scores. As we try to keep consultations to 10 minutes at one time, so that we can speak to as many students as possible, please come prepared with your questions and ensure you read the information on our website thoroughly first. If you have questions about the St Andrews Abroad programme, please note that these will likely be answered during the information session in October, date TBC.
You can also email CSA with any questions about studying abroad.
Attend information sessions
If your Department/ School runs its own programmes as well the St Andrews Abroad programmes, it is likely that your Co-ordinator will arrange an information session early in your second year, so try to attend this. CSA will notify all students about the St Andrews Abroad information session via the Wednesday Memos (this will be held toward the end of October). Most information sessions will include a Q&A session, and often involve students who have studied abroad already.
Research online
Our partner profiles under Where can I go? and partner websites will be extremely useful in helping you decide if an exchange is right for you. Do research your options carefully.
Find out about the student experience
As part of your research, read what other students have written about their experiences abroad. See The Student Experience for profiles and photos of St Andrews students who have studied or worked abroad as part of their degree programme.
You may wish to get in touch with our Student Ambassador for Study Abroad, Emily, who can answer your questions or put you in touch with students who have studied at a particular institution.
The At Home and Abroad (AHA) Society may also be a useful source of advice.