Just a warning, I visited a friend at St Andrew’s (many years ago) at the end of April and it snowed! It’s cold up there 
And gorgeous.
We have a good family friend whose daughter is in her 3rd year now at SA and loves it. She’s studying international relations and has interned in the coolest places.
It will be great… seriously. Cozy peat fires, whisky, history.
So we travel a lot (it is kinda our thing, and explains other things, like the ages of our cars). And we have grown to like doing really focused trips that dive into a specific area, visiting smaller towns and various off-the-beaten-path sights at a leisurely pace. We were actually in Oxford, Bath, Rye, and London in 2022. We’ve also been to Scotland before (although S24 was just a baby, and D30 was still a “heck no, we’re never doing this again, I want to sleep!”), but that was mostly Highlands.
So . . . we’re thinking we will stick just to staying in St Andrews and Edinburgh, with lots of possible day trips around Fife and other Lowlands destinations convenient from those locations. That way we can also make sure he can do any sort of Offer Holder events that St Andrews might provide in our window, which they will not be scheduling for a while apparently.
Of course if he actually goes to St Andrews, we’re likely to cover that whole island like shrink wrap before he is through.
“Killing” bc willing/wanting to wait until RD results? I know your REA school did not defer all that many applicants in the grand scheme of things so it’d make sense. Just want to make sure I understand.
We may join you in Scotland btw.
Exactly. He was already wavering on ED II, not least thanks to his expanded RD list including some really great colleges we had not had a chance to visit yet (and then there was one in Scotland . . . .). So being deferred pushed it over the edge, and now ED II is off the table. Unless he changes his mind back in the next couple weeks.
First sticky toffee pudding is on us!
It’s a deal!
Btw make sure to put Dundee on your exploration list. Everything I’ve read from St Andrew’s kids is that because it’s far more easily accessed than Edinburgh (30 minute bus vs 2+ hours bus or train), it’s sort of the default place for kids to go when they want to leave the cozy confines of St Andrews itself.
ETA: I’ve also read accounts of StA grad students living in Dundee rather than Edinburgh for this reason.
Absolutely. Part of the thinking to sticking close is also to give him a taste of what life outside of uni would be like, and we have heard the same thing about Dundee being the main destination for city-type fun.
Now, that doesn’t mean we are going to be clubbing in Dundee at 2 am (although what better place to check your college decisions back in US time zones . . . ). But I agree he could get a feel for the distance, the vibe of the city, and so on.
Copy that.
For better or worse we’ve already made somewhat non-refundable plans for spring break (ours is earlier in March), though if things truly get real, we’ll make it happen somehow. That said, if we cannot, and frankly either way, I do look forward to your full report!
I’ll be happy to serve as CC’s foreign correspondent in Scotland as necessary (although at a certain point I expect there will be some questions about the frequency of dispatches about ale, gin, or both).
You know what’s funny? Given that much of an impact on ones perception of a school may fall to a single undergrad tour guide, who may or may not be having a good day, with whom you may or may not vibe, and who may or may not be a particularly reflective distillation of the school itself, deciding to go to St Andrews “because NUM said it’s awesome!” seems pretty valid to me. No pressure though 
I’d call that a win! I love Scotland!
No whisky?
At least the days are much longer in March. I was in the UK last week and in midwinter the sunrise after 8am and sunset before 4pm can be pretty depressing.
Today St Andrews has sunrise at 8.39am and sunset at 3.33pm!
I know I am about to lose all my booze cred, but I am actually not particularly a fan of Scotch.
Good point! I think like 12-13 hours at that point? Totally respectable.
If there is a statistically-significant uptick in accepted offers or US applications, I am definitely demanding a commission.
I’m really looking forward to it. We have some Scottish heritage, and my Dad in particular was always into that part of our heritage (in fact I and S24 have some Scottish in our names) . . . plus I am just glad to see a different part of the country.
And so that’s how it went. I was not allowed to tell S exactly when decisions were released. (Meanwhile, I was at sibling dr appt anyway, so I didn’t even know for sure that they had been released for a while.) He checked the portal in the afternoon and didn’t tell us the results until late at night when he returned from his activity.
In order to build suspense, he says :/. Meanwhile, of course I was preparing to soothe a disappointed teen and join the deferred gang.
I still can hardly believe it. Accepted ED!
One t-shirt ordered from Amazon late last night and perhaps I’ll order a second one from the bookstore.
Congratulations! What school is he headed to?
She loves basketball!!! She also hopes to dance on the dance team while there!! 
Thanks! (I sent a DM)
We did a family road trip last summer and I think it’s safe to say it was everyone’s favorite. I hope you make time to go to Skye during your visit. We stayed two nights but really wish we had time for a third night there.
Blockquote (very positive, if you ask me . . . or even if not, since you all are a captive audience)
(Someday I’m going to accurately quote things on CC.)
I was discouraged about all things college last night, so I needed to chuckle this morning. And I laughed out loud. Thank you!
ETA: apparently, not only did I need to chuckle, I needed to proofread. Oops.