Reflections on an education
Abigail Peters, MLitt 2023, looks back fondly on her last-minute application to St Andrews and reflects on how this sudden decision created the fork in the road that led to her becoming a prize-winning writer.
My St Andrews journey can be summed up in one word: unexpected. I had always been aware of the University, but it had never been on my radar until – quite suddenly – it was. After completing my BA in New York, I decided to return to the UK and applied for a place on the MLitt Creative Writing programme (on the very last day before the deadline). I was thrilled when I found out that I had a place!
Abigail Peters
It was my love for studying writing that brought me to St Andrews. I was excited at the prospect of embarking on the course, but the reality was that I didn’t know what to expect. I grew up in a very isolated rural area of England, then moved to Manhattan at the age of 18. There I was back in the UK, yet almost as far away from home as I had been when I was in the US!
The first time I saw St Andrews was the day I moved here, and I was immediately entranced by the beauty of the beaches. Very soon that turned into inspiration for my writing. In fact, it worked out rather well that my writing naturally centres around themes of nature, water and seasons. All in all, my work was very well suited to the natural rugged beauty of the beaches of St Andrews.
My time at the University flew by, but with so many fond memories made along the way. The workshops that formed the bulk of my course were inspiring and creative, led by fantastic professors and full of insightful reflections from my classmates. But small moments – walks on the beach before and after class, listening to music, watching people much braver than me wade in for a bracing November swim – stick out just as much. Then there was the gutsy seagull that took my perfectly crafted sandwich right out of my hand and, of course, the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had from the wonderful Northpoint Cafe. Those are the moments that come together to really make up an education.
Abigail with her mum at graduation
The impact of St Andrews on my life didn’t just end when I left last May. I put this down to the strength of the relationships I formed and the strength of the teaching on my course. This autumn Professor John Burnside won the David Cohen Prize for Literature. I was honoured that he selected me as the emerging writer whose work he wished to support through the Clarissa Luard award and overjoyed to receive a prize of £10,000 to support me in my writing career.
This time last year, I couldn’t have imagined that my time at St Andrews could be quite so instrumental in my development as a writer, and I have the excellent guidance I received while a student to thank for that.
It is largely due to my experience with the professors at St Andrews that I have formed part of my plan for the future. While I await the publication of my first book – a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Fens – and work on my second, I am in the process of applying to Creative Writing MFA programmes with the goal of one day becoming a professor of creative writing myself. Learning the art of writing changed my life completely and I would love to be a part of that change for future students.
Recently, I returned to St Andrews with my mum for graduation. Being back walking the cobbled streets, strolling along the beach, feeling the brisk cold, brought back so many memories. There are lots of feelings that reflecting on an education can bring: nostalgia, happiness, or perhaps moments of regret. But for me the overwhelming feeling was gratitude. Sometimes your journey can bring an unexpected twist to the story – a fork in the road – and St Andrews was that for me. I will be forever grateful that I followed that path and allowed it to take me to where I am today.