The Stand
For students, by students 

For someone who writes a column about sex and dating, I can't lie: my love life has felt like it's been on life support recently. I have exes so odd, stories so humbling, you would rather assume I’m lying than believe they could be true. The last guy I dated ended things because he got circumcised and needed time to mourn the loss of his foreskin. I had a boyfriend fake leukaemia to avoid a breakup! (Although, I will say, that's on the extreme end of awful boyfriends. I think

St Andrews has been full of new faces lately. And yet, for returning students, the dating scene doesn’t seem to have been as rejuvenated by the town’s new blood as some may have hoped. Why is this? Credit: Pinterest Allow me to begin to answer my own question with a personal anecdote. I was recently in Spoons with some friends when, to our great amusement, a handsome young man struck up a conversation with one of them at the bar. They seemed to be hitting it off – until he r

It's the complaint that comes up time and time again, lamented on by students until entire friend groups are blue in the face: what is it about this town that has caused the dating scene to wither away to the sad state we find it in today? Credit: Pinterest My friend group consists of beautiful, interesting, talented women – none of whom should struggle to find partners, should they be seeking them. Yet only two of these women are in relationships, with both of these relation

Katseye at the 2026 Grammys (From Left to Right: Yoonchae, Megan, Lara, Manon, Sophia, Daniela). Image Credit: Getty The future looks uncertain for Katseye. Perhaps we should let them disband. On 20 February 2026, K-pop conglomerate HYBE announced that Katseye member Manon Bannerman would be going on a temporary hiatus due to health reasons. An hour later, Manon herself posted that she was doing well and was healthy, leading to a month of media speculation and serious accusat

by Millie Tougher Image Credit: Getty We have all felt it at some point or another, or at least that’s what I tell myself as I spiral deeper and deeper into my LinkedIn feed. Imposter syndrome, which is prevalent in universities across the country, produces feelings of inadequacy in sufferers because of the perception that they are not clever, qualified, or good enough for a particular role. Recent studies have highlighted that up to 70% of the population feel this way at l

With winter at its height, there are many rainy days ahead of us, and to relieve us all of hours of doomscrolling, here are 3 book recommendations exploring themes of life and death. Comemadre by Roque Larraquy, No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, and Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin can be read in one day and I deem to be a 4 or 5-star read. Let’s all take a break from our usual consumerism habits and endless scrolling. Reading is so much more worth your t

St Andrews is definitely not short of cafés, but it is short of space. It becomes almost impossible to find somewhere to meet a friend for a chat, or arrange a meeting with a colleague. Two venues serving very different functions are often forgotten amongst the rest of the town’s coffee spots and restaurants. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to The Hide - I only went for the first time recently, and I wish I had known about it sooner. The cosy nook sits snug above Mitchell’s

By Marni Hill Nostalgia is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘a feeling of pleasure and also a slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past.’ This is a simple way of explaining the bittersweet nature of nostalgia: the cherishing of a memory you are fond of, whilst being aware of the very fact that it is a fragment of the past and not a part of the present moment. That it’s gone. And so we are forced to accept the longing, sometimes even the yearni

By Prisha Jain 500 Days of Summer gave us many things – a template for romantic reels, a resurgence for fans of The Smiths, hope for office romances and an early indicator of the male loneliness epidemic. Right off the bat: yes, the movie is the man’s experience of his relationship with Summer, she must be portrayed through his gaze. I’m just not a fan of that gaze. 500 Days of Summer gave us many things – a template for romantic reels, a resurgence for fans of The Smiths, ho

By Olivia Kendall Cece Allentuck’s I’ll see you tomorrow is a collection of 30 poems exploring grief, change, and nature. The poems are written beautifully, ranging from short and punchy to long and deep. The poetry is bittersweet and picks at the heart of the reader, reminding them of what once was and the pains that come with change. It is clear from the start that these poems are more than just a creative writing hobby for Allentuck. It seems to go beyond this, reflectin

Diaries of a Dead Man by second-year student Eva Lewis is a novella exploring the importance of memories and identification with the past. Using the setting of 1960s America, Lewis discusses topics such as queerness, regret, and suffering. Charlie, who is struggling with onset dementia, is writing to his daughter about his past with a hope of preserving his memories. His writings quickly become a confession of his past and a farewell to both the present and his memories. All

Credit: Penguin Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy, simply put, is an account of the author’s relationship with her mother. What it also is, is an exercise in perspective. Fraught with tension, it is a retelling I devoured in a single sitting. Its narrative is fairly chronological, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. But what truly sets it apart from the saturated field of autobiographies and memoirs is Roy’s style. Often, it reads like a novel; sometimes, it re

By Geordie Coles On seeing Men Should Weep by Ena Lamont Stewart, it was always going to be a tale of two cities for me. One was the play’s own setting of Glasgow. The other was my Grandfather’s Edinburgh. Both set in 1930s tenements, the gruelling post-depression era was an economic bludgeon to the entire world and was particularly felt by the lower echelons of society. When I was watching this ambitious play, first performed in 1947 and now at The StAge, I was watching my

By Misha Lauer Stay Upscale: For a sophisticated stay, steeped in St. Andrews character, check into the Rusacks Hotel , where views of the Old Course meet interiors that are equal parts country club and countryside chic. For something lighter and airier, Seaton House sits right on the seafront, combining its sleek style with a calm coastal charm. Homey: For families or groups wanting more space , No.1 Apartments offers a home-away- from-home feel in the heart of town. Each

Source: Rolling Stone Remember when Oasis reuniting felt like a fever dream? Until it wasn’t, and they were back, swaggering and...

The New Picture House on North Street, St Andrews As Independent Learning Week approaches, many of us have settled into old routines or...

Each image has been beautifully hand-drawn and crafted by Chloé

By Nicholas Davy Credit: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot Taylor Swift’s music soundtracked my adolescence. Therefore, it pains me to admit her...

By Marni Hill Credit: Instagram / @wildscottishsauna If the word ‘procrastination ’ stirs up some feelings of familiarity, or maybe even...