SaintsCall: my St Andrews story
Alex Barton is a third-year undergraduate studying mathematics and specialising in statistics. Alex is one of our student callers who will be speaking with alumni as part of our telephone campaign – SaintsCall 2025.
I’m originally from Gloucestershire in the southwest of England and was attracted to apply to the University of St Andrews by the really high student satisfaction. I also loved the look of the town and had read about student life here online while researching my options.
I applied and was offered a place at St Andrews during the Covid-19 pandemic, so had only visited the town once, for a couple of hours, before moving here to start my course. I am so glad that I took the chance on somewhere so different to home – and so far away.
I have lived in both Whitehorn Hall and David Russell Apartments and enjoyed life in both. St Andrews is so small and friendly, and I loved how quickly I felt at home here. It’s so nice being able to know every road and every shop, and to be within walking distance of everything.
Sea swimming and societies
My friends and I can often be found on Castle Sands, swimming in the sea at the tidal pool (even in winter!), or recovering in a café afterwards!
I’ve also been on the committee of the Doctor Who Society for three years now. It was one of the first societies I joined when I came to St Andrews. It’s really relaxed and a great way to de-stress after an intense day. It has been so much fun watching the new series air together.
I also do seated archery at the sports centre. It has been so cool to be able to start a new sport that hasn’t been accessible to me before.
My course is mathematics, and I have chosen to specialise in statistics. There’s so much range and flexibility in the courses at St Andrews. Most people start their undergraduate degree not having any idea what they’ll specialise in, and I was just like that. I loved getting to try a bit of everything and now I’m in Honours I can really dive deep into applied statistics and take specialist courses.
SaintsCall and my scholarship story
One of my friends took part in SaintsCall as a student caller last year and really enjoyed it. I receive a scholarship which supports my studies at St Andrews and relieves the financial burden. I found out that fundraising through SaintsCall – collective giving – is one of the ways that my own scholarship was funded, and I immediately knew that I wanted to help others to be able to access the same support.
Scholarships like mine allow people like me to have this amazing St Andrews experience. Without it I wouldn’t have been able to study here, and I want as many people as possible to have the chances I have had. I am really looking forward to speaking with the global St Andrews community as part of this year’s SaintsCall telephone campaign, and to hearing their stories and encouraging their support.
Looking to the future, I’d love to complete a Masters here at St Andrews in statistical ecology. The University offers a course than is so unique and specific that I couldn’t imagine wanting to go anywhere else for my postgraduate study!