I’ll be the contrarian here.
St. Andrews is a favorite in my neck of the woods for affluent families who would rather have bragging rights than have the kid enroll in the US colleges which are the likely admits. For the most part, these are NOT Holy Cross/Wake/Lehigh students-- definitely a step down in US based “prestige”. These are not people toting up every nickel-- I’ve known families who have flown the kid home for the weekend to say good-bye to the dog before it is put down, or have had the siblings and parents fly over for the weekend because “he’s sad after his break up”.
I think St. Andrews is terrific academically. But US parents who see it as the budget option need to answer several questions:
1- Is my kid extremely well organized, self directed, manages with zero scaffolding from parents either academically or daily living?
2-Does my kid have mental health issues (even just plain vanilla anxiety) and if so, are we comfortable with a long waiting period before kid can get an appointment with a professional?
3-Can my kid successfully advocate for him/herself? Dietary needs/food allergies, tutoring/learning support, learning issues? There is MUCH less of ANY of this compared to even a community college in the US.
4- Do we have a flexible budget- recognizing that being the only kid who isn’t going to the Seychelles/Malaga/Canary Islands over a break isn’t likely to be much fun (depending on the kid of course).
5-Can we afford four full years back in the US if the kid crashes and burns and comes home at the end of year 1 with no credits? (this has been the biggest shocker for the people I know).
6- Does our kid understand international and local law-- and is our kid prepared to follow the letter of the law? I know a kid (a good kid, no trouble at home) who carried a package for “a new friend” which turned out to be some illegal drug, caught by a dog at Kings Cross station in London. Parents had to hire a local lawyer-- the charges were NOT possession but “possession with intent to sell” or something of that ilk- because the notion that someone would choose to be a drug courier just to be a nice person struck local law enforcement as not credible. Kid got lucky (thanks to the lawyer) and ended up “being asked to leave” and not deported.
There are fabulous overseas opportunities but for a very small and self selecting group of US students. Parents see this as an exit ramp for kids with “issues” and it most certainly is not that.
Hate to provide reality to this rosy picture y’all are painting.