Social Sciences and Humanities (International Year Zero) September 2026

0:11 
Hello, my name is Constance and I did the International Year One Science Foundation programme focusing specifically on biomolecular science, and currently I'm on my third year studying biochemistry and I'm doing Bachelors of Science Honours in Biochemistry.  
0:29 
My name is Nasir Albashrawi, I'm from Saudi Arabia and I'm a third year medical student at the University of St Andrews. 
0:36 
I did the foundations of medicine and I'm now doing my BSc honours medicine course.  
0:42 
Hi, I'm Tamar Imerlishvili from Georgia. 
0:45 
I started out with a foundation programme in social sciences and humanities and currently I'm pursuing an MA in Financial Economics.  
0:54 
I chose St Andrews Foundation Programme because St Andrews is one of the few high-ranking universities that offers a foundation course, and for me that felt like the right choice because it allows me to focus on science, which is something I knew I wanted to study.  
1:11 
When it comes to higher education, UK is one of the top contenders and St Andrews is one of the best universities in the UK.  
1:21 
It has a long history, it has great ranking, great variety of degrees and subjects, but I was mostly drawn to it because of its foundation programme and its flexibility.  
1:32 
I believe the system just makes sense for me.  
1:35 
And on a more personal note, I just love Scotland and I like the scenery in this beautiful town of St Andrews and the beautiful architecture, stunning beaches and all.  
1:47 
So it was just a perfect match for me.  
1:51 
The change from high school to university is obviously very drastic change regardless of which course you do, but the International Pre Med course gave me the opportunity for a stepping stone.  
2:05 
I loved how Foundation helped me establish a social circle here in St Andrews because when you are an undergraduate student you are in a group of hundreds of new people and it can be overwhelming.  
2:19 
But here we had smaller sizes of groups and it was a bit more of a personalised space, which was really helpful for me.  
2:30 
St Andrews really attracts me because of its traditions, for example like academic family and Raisin, and this is something I can't find in other universities.  
2:41 
Academic family is basically a tradition in St Andrews where third year and fourth year students adopt first year or second year students as their “academic kids” and together as a family  
2:53 
they would have gatherings and they would go to events together like the Raisin and it's just basically a way of making friends and connecting people.  
3:03 
I suppose my favourite thing about doing the International Pre Med course was I felt that it gave me the tools for success.  
3:15 
I suppose a good analogy would be let's suppose you wanted to be a car mechanic. 
3:20 
If someone first gave you a tour of all the tools you're going to be using and how to use them, then started you off on your course learning how to work on cars, you can imagine that would be a lot more beneficial than just going in the first day blind. 3:34 
Foundation programme prepared me really well for my university studies because it provides me with the foundational knowledge that I need to directly enter into my second year.  
3:46 
The contents were very similar to what the first years were doing and I get so much more support in foundation compared to, like, doing university straight away.  
3:56 
I learned how to look for credible sources and how to do references, how to engage in seminars and tutorials, how to do presentations, which really helped me and provided me with advantage when I entered my university.  
4:12 
Speaking from very personal experience, I think I wouldn't be as thriving here in St Andrews without Foundation programme because it's really established a pathway for me.  
4:24 
I already had a social circle, I already knew my way around, I already knew how the education system worked when I became an actual undergraduate student and without this experience I think it would be much, much, much more difficult.  
4:40 
My favourite thing about St Andrews is it's very peaceful and very scenic.  
4:45 
A lot of things are just a short walk away. After a difficult day studying, adifficult exam, just walk down to the beach, you can reconnect with the fact that life goes on and everything will be OK.  
4:58 
My favourite thing about foundation here is that I get equal privilege and access to other university students while I was in my foundation year.  
5:09 
So I have equal access to facilities like libraries and I could join societies.  
5:16 
I remember in my foundation year, I joined the Music Fan Society, as a committee member and that provided me with experiences and I gained some transferable skills like communications, leadership, and I managed to connect with university students as well and knowing what running a society is like and that was a really good experience.  
5:39 
So for anyone considering taking foundation, I would say go for it.  
5:45 
Be confident and you're not going to have any regrets.  
5:49 
Honestly, coming to St Andrews is one of the best decisions I've made.