Strategic Studies (MLitt) 2021 entry

[Music]

>> PROFESSOR KISHAN DHOLAKIA (School of Physics and Astronomy): By having a very strong research-active University that competes with the best internationally, we can teach our postgraduate community how to evolve as researchers, how to work with our peer groups, in a way that wouldn't happen were we have to focus solely on teaching.

>> ETHAN (PhD Philosophy, Illinois, USA): The research interests of the academic staff was the most important thing when deciding to come here.

>> WEBSTER (PhD Divinity, Malawi): I find being in this place academically challenging, stimulating, and the community is captivating.

>> JULIA (MLitt Museum and Gallery Studies, New York, USA): As a student, St Andrews is a world of its own. I just think it is the most brilliant and other-worldly place you could ever have.

- To be a student in St Andrews is the ultimate of student experience in higher education.

>> Professor JUDITH WOLFE (School of Divinity): St Andrews is a very special university because it is so small and intimate, and yet punches so far above its weight in terms of research, in terms of the calibre of students that we get, and in terms of community.

>> FIONA (PhD Medicine, Forres, Scotland): The postgraduate community in St Andrews is quite a close-knit one.

>> HOI CHUN (MLitt Marketing, Hong Kong): Very warm and welcoming. Really easy to get to know them just because you are in a small town. You get that sense of belonging.

>> DR DHARINI BALASUBRAMANIAM (School of Computer Science): St Andrews is a research-intensive University. Most of the teaching staff are research active. So their interests feed into teaching.

- The research really is the life blood of the University.

>> NICOLE (MLitt Terrorism and Political Violence, Minnesota, USA): The professors are always putting out new pieces of research. They really are pioneers in the field.

>> JULIE BROOKS (School of Management): We're very lucky at St Andrews. We have really the best of the best applying, and it means we really get a very, very, high-quality student.

>> DR JAMES RAE (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences): We want people who are curious, who are motivated, who want to understand the world around them.

>> DR CHARLES WARREN (School of Geography and Sustainable Development): People who are willing to be challenged, and also to challenge, and people beyond their studies, people who are keen to contribute to the wider life of the University.

>> GABRIELLE (MSc Marine Mammal Science, Chia, Columbia): I've learned a lot of things, and I've made so many contacts.

- It's been the best experience of my entire life. I've loved every second of it.

- One of the things that is really important is that we are a community of scholars. The staff, and the students.

>> HANNAH (MLitt Museum and Gallery Studies, Nottingham, England): Life at St Andrews is wonderful. I think it's completely unique. There's so much to do. You cannot be bored.

>> MORAG (PhD Modern History, Forfar, Scotland): I have so many ideas about what I'm going to do when I graduate. I've had loads of opportunities, and I've met so many new people.

- St Andrews has an excellent track record of seeing their postgraduates move onto illustrious careers in all walks of life.

- Students make a lot of contacts during their studies, and that can lead to career opportunities once they graduate.

>> PROFESSOR FRANK LORENZ MULLER (Dean of Arts and Divinity): We have everything from lawyers, to diplomats, to journalists. They come with this great mark of quality onto a market that wants to take them into either professional or academic life afterwards.

- When I was studying biology, I read a book written by one of the professors here. Getting to have classes and meet him was, like, amazing for me!

>> KARA (MLitt Terrorism and Political Violence, Edinburgh, Scotland): It was really a no-brainer when I went to look for my Masters degree. I really wanted the international community that St Andrews offers as well as they've got an international reputation.

- Before studying at St Andrews I have always lived in a big city. Moving to St Andrews was definitely a change of scenery. It didn't take me too long to get used to it, and it was lovely. It just makes me feel like I'm home.

- I have loved every second of being in St Andrews, and I recommend it to everyone I meet now. It is welcoming and diverse, and you get so many different people, and new ideas, and experiences that you would never have anywhere else.