How to get ready for life after St Andrews

The first few weeks of the semester have always been heavily focused on welcoming St Andrews freshers into our community, as they very well should be. Conversation is St Andrews-centric, and the town is filled with excitement for the year ahead. Fourth years in particular are rallying to make the most of ‘the last Freshers’ Week of their lives’. However, hidden in the shadows of conversation, yet looming ever closer, is the shadow of The Future. Is there life after St Andrews? There must be.

St Andrews is unique, in that it is an artificially constructed community. More so, perhaps, than most universities. Realistically, few of us will remain in this beautiful town we call home. Change is imminent, and deciding what comes next may therefore be that much more daunting. But not to worry – to help put your minds at ease, here is a guide on how to plan your lives. Some of the options may seem more appealing, some less. Avoid ending up at your parents’ for eternity (but no pressure or anything).

1. Get a job. For those with drive and purpose. Not much elaboration necessary here.  

2. Apply for a grad scheme. If you’ve been doing your homework, then you may have spent your penultimate summer accumulating work experience through an internship. A popular option for the forward-thinking.

3. Do a Masters. A loophole to postponing real-life responsibility while still doing something seemingly productive with your time.

4. Get married to someone from St Andrews in St Salvators Chapel and have two babies before your 5-year reunion. Pretty popular, according to statistics.

5. “Take a year off” to avoid “burn-out” (note: quotations imply disapproval). Beware: risk-factors include ending up in your parents’ basement forever while working at the local supermarket.

6. Run for a St Andrews sabbatical position. If you’re not ready to let go and have been exceptionally involved in extra-curriculars over the past several years, this may be the path for you. It’s a great way to justify procrastination for exams, too!

7. Do something entrepreneurial. This is the ideal time to start up that business venture that you’ve been joking-but-serious about all these years. Start local: everyone thinks of those untapped niches that could change the St Andrews experience forever. The establishment of a Mongolian grill to replace one of the ugly shoe shops on Market Street, for example.

8. Move to London. St Andrews is obviously irreplaceable, but with variety large enough to cater to all tastes, London is a strong contestant to become your new center. Relocate all your friends first, think of career choices later.

9. Subsistence farming.  Ideal for those looking to reject conformity and the demanding lifestyle that society has in store for the average yuppie. Before testing this one out, get a taste of the lifestyle through a short stint of “woofing” (http://www.wwoof.org.uk/). This may seem like a very specified niche, but when you take a closer look, the possibilities are endless (alpaca farming in Scotland…need I say more?).

10. Win the lottery. Best to keep this option as a backup.