The Distance Dilemma: DRAFP vs in-Town

A half-hour walk or a hop across the street to reach your lecture: which one would you prefer? 

St Andrews has accommodation for everyone: singles, doubles, ensuites, catered, or self-catered. Students have all those options in their accommodation applications, but they can’t choose one thing: location, location, location. What’s it like for Freshers housed outside of town?

Some halls are right in town — St Salvator’s (Sallies) and McIntosh are minutes from Uni buildings. Other halls, though, are a 30-minute walk or a ten minute bus ride from town, like David Russell Apartments and Fife Park (DRAFP). How does this affect students housed outside of town?

One complaint of far-flung students is getting to their hall during the Uni day. Andrew Chinn, a fresher and Fife Park resident explained the challenges of living farther away from town than many of his peers. He has to plan out his days meticulously and only rarely comes back to his room in between classes. He even purchased a bike to cut down travel time. 

“Having a bike, I still find [the distance] a problem because…I have to think [about] going back and forth between places. For example, I know [for] students from McIntosh [it’s] much more accessible to go back to their dorm room if they forgot something. Whereas if you’re in DRA, it feels like you're forced to be on campus or in town,” Chinn said. 

Freshers living in town had different thoughts on their daily routines. Isla Campbell, a Sallies resident, explained she can often head back to her room in the day to work or hang out with friends. 

“I spend most of my free time during the day in Sallies, especially since it is so close to my lecture so returning only takes a few minutes. Most of my friends are also residents so we end up staying together in the hall, rather than going out for coffee in town we tend to spend time together in our rooms, the common room, or Sallies’ library,” Campbell said. 

What’s more, in DRAFP lunch isn’t served during the week — unlike in other halls. While it might be hard for many students to come back to DRAFP in the day, it still felt unfair to some of my interviewees. All the other freshers who live in halls in town get catered lunches, why can’t they? Both Chinn and Audrey Copeman, another DRA resident, said they often buy food in town for lunch. But that’s not something all DRAFP residents might be able to afford — Copeman normally spends £12 on her lunches. “I eat in town and I do that because I’m not trekking back to DRA, and they don’t even serve lunch,” Copeman said.

As an athlete, Chinn has another issue with the DRAFP  dining schedule. “I know for a lot of other students it’s way more inaccessible. That also includes dinner. I know students in some of my classes who also have athletic commitments during the night and they can’t make it to dinner. Just because certain students are catered doesn’t mean they have easy access to food,” Chinn told me. 

Campbell and Fiona Zimon, a McIntosh resident, have the opposite experience. They both only rarely eat out and come back to their halls for lunch. 

“Unless I have to be somewhere else, I'll always choose to have lunch in the hall,” Campbell said. “Mealtimes with friends are some of my favourite parts of the day, and it helps to save money… I only buy food or go out on Saturday or Sunday evenings.” 

Can your hall hamper your nightlife? As freshers, there are a lot of evening events and pub meetups. For Zimon, it’s a short hop from McIntosh to town. “What’s nice is after I get some studying done like we have a little study area in Mac, and people will be like, ‘Oh, want to go get a pint?’ and it’s not a big deal,” she said. “Going out looks a little different every night, but it can also be between as little as 20 minutes to hours on end. But I never am like, ‘Okay, when I go out I really have to think about how this is going to work,’ because I’m in town it’s just so much easier,” said Zimon. 

Campbell agreed: “Living so close to town sometimes helps push you to go out more often since it is so easy to make impromptu plans and be there in minutes. It’s also easier to go out and feel safe, being so close to the hall and knowing that you don’t have to plan your journey home,” Campbell said. 

Nightlife in DRAFP looks a bit different. Chinn and Copeman told me the distance often puts them off from going out. If it’s late, students often have to get a taxi or take the bus home.

It’s expensive, it’s annoying: distance certainly seems to be a problem for out-of-town students especially as the bus only runs every 30 minutes. On the other hand, Chinn mentioned that DRAFP is a good option for students who want to be away from the hustle and bustle of town, want a single, or like to cook for themselves. Generally, my interviewees agreed that living in town is more convenient but other than the distance, DRAFP provides sufficient accommodation at St Andrews.

Illustration: Isabella Abbott