Ask HN: University of St. Andrews? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: University of St. Andrews?

2 pointsEugeleo4 comments

I'm in the last year of high school. I've been programming a little and thoroughly enjoyed it and thought about studying computer science on a local university (I'm from Czech Republic, EU).

However, recently I somehow realised that I don't have to choose only from universities in my country. I started thinking about studying abroad, which I hoped would bring a better quality of education (according to university rankings) and also a better study-experience (new culture, foreign language).

When I did a small research on the topic, considering only UK as it seems to have the best study-loan policy for Europeans, the university of St. Andrews came up as a good choice.

Did anyone here study there, or does anybody have at least any second-hand information about it? Would you recommend any other university, considering my affection for computer science and (later) AI?

Thank you very much.

Very good reputation, though a little 'posh' if that bothers you. It has a good college system and social life, though the town itself is very small and I imagine that the student life can become a bit of a bubble.

If you interested in other universities then I'd recommend Edinburgh University. It has an incredible Computer Science program (referred to as Informatics) and the university is world-class. The city is awesome and you have a great mix of student life and regular life in Scotland's capital.

Drop me an email (in profile) if you want more info on it :)

Can't add much, aside from the fact you might want to consider 1) that a local Czech university might be cheaper (e.g. a UK university might not add much but might be a lot more expensive -- student debt sucks, and if you can get a free education at home, you should probably opt for that), and 2) to consider how they are being funded, since once Brexit happens, these funding mechanisms might dry up. Also, you might not be able to stay in the UK once you graduate, again due to Brexit and potential visa issues.

St. Andrews (the name) is generally seen as one of the better universities according to a UK friend. But that doesn't say much about the CS programme.

I have a good impression of it, for whatever that's worth. This is from occasional mentions of it in a good light, that sort of thing. I know somebody who went there and he wound up paying something like £30 for an annual pass to all the golf courses.

I'd highly recommend www.thestudentroom.co.uk if you have questions about St.Andrews or studying CS in the UK

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