Elitism At St Andrews University

ChrisR777

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/sep/27/st-andrews-university-class-divide-american-students

I have to say I have never encountered such a feeling of master and servant, as I did driving coach loads of these students to and from dinners and parties. I found it quite unsettling.

WhatThe

Thanks for sharing @ChrisR777

“Yes, some students do arrive here in St Andrews, and at every other university, with immature, offensive and classist views. But they tend not to leave with them,” said the vice-principal Niall Scott.

Rasmus, a Danish student, said he was bemused by the social dynamics at the university.

“It took two weeks for me to meet a Scottish person. They are surrounded by people here who have the money for international tuition, which is quite narrow. I can imagine that being quite a difficult experience,” he said.

ChrisR777

And these silly people who act in this way, they fail to realise it's their parents with the money, they are so far, just the lucky beneficiaries.

Mary_Scope

Thank you for sharing this @ChrisR777. It is a really interesting read. The uni I went to wasn't an elite or top university but there was definitely still classism there so I can imagine it being worse further on up you go unfortunately.

ChrisR777

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1150953#Comment_1150953

A sibling's child/young person is to start at an 'Oxbridge' college, i suppose they already have by now? I can't understand this desire to attend an elite institution, not when their parent, my sibling, they went to a bog standard school and university, but achieved what they consider to be success.

The cloistered university, following on from a cloistered school environment, I don't see how that adequately prepares one for life in multi cultural; in their case, England. But then I suppose that will continue into their career, where again they won't have to rub shoulders with oiks like me.

My daughter has had to work in a supermarket to fund her university education, and she flat shares with a very diverse mix of people, at least one from a poor, Eastern European background. If I had money, or indeed any influence over her life, I wouldn't have it any other way. She is now started her Masters degree, which i have learned recently, is postgraduate level.

bookrabbit

My Dad did his PhD at St Andrews. Some of my first memories are of living there in a little rented cottage called Moonsie Mill.

He is Irish and definitely not posh. That was in the 60s.

ChrisR777

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1151287#Comment_1151287

Working class people go to the university, but these rich kids from the US and elsewhere, they are attempting to shame them for their humble origins, and inability to partake in the imported sorority/fraternity rubbish. That was the subject of the article.

Emilee

I think as the wealth divide gets worse, more and more places will end up this way. I can see it being the case at all the 'top' universities and even towns and cities. It is such a shame.

Epistle_Rich

Elitism has to be the worst thing about institutional academia…

Knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely.

Even (if not especially) those who regard themselves to be conscientious and moral, very often do let their education status go to their heads 🙄

I guess its the inherent danger of any self-betterment: "Better than whom?" 🤔