Academic families are one of St Andrews University's most well-known and fun traditions. This practice allows third and fourth year students to 'adopt' incoming freshers to act as their mentor and introduce them to life as a student in St Andrews. This can be a great way to gain insight and advice from your parents who have been through the same things as you, but it also means that you have the advantage of brothers and sisters in your family. Right from the beginning of the semester this can help you get to know other freshers and make friends. So, whilst you might be leaving your family at home to begin your new life at university, another family awaits you in St Andrews!
First things first, it's all about finding the right family for you, and there are various ways to do this. A poll run by the students union suggested that the majority of freshers find their academic families through society events, hall events and even nights out. (If you're interested you can find the poll here: https://www.yourunion.net/freshers2020/families/ ) Finding parents that match your interests is a great idea as they can give you advice as you find your way through your first year! Whether that's sharing similar hobbies to you or taking the same academic subject as you, this can definitely help. It's also good to get an idea of how your family intends to run things. A lot of families may only meet for Raisin weekend, whilst others have weekly socials. Similarly, some families will regularly go on nights out together, whilst others prefer dinners and movie nights. Take your time and don't rush into any one family, and you'll definitely find the right fit for you.
So, what's next? Once you've found your academic parents and settled in, each family will run things in a completely different way! Many will add you to a group chat on Facebook. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, be active and get to know some new people. You'll be introduced to your siblings (which can range from just a couple up to about 20!) A lot of families will run some kind of social near the beginning of the semester so that everyone can get to know each other. This will often be a dinner or drinks of some kind.
Then in October, the big weekend arrives: Raisin. This normally occurs on the first weekend of Reading week. However, due to distancing restrictions this has been moved to the first weekend of Spring Break for the 2020/2021 academic year. Raisin weekend consists of a number of actives over the Sunday and Monday.
Traditionally, on Raisin Sunday, your mother would invite you for tea, and your father would host a party in the evening. Although nowadays, this is often combined as a whole day event with the entire family together. The day is filled with fun activities, scavenger hunts and challenges around the town of St Andrews. This often includes drinking alcohol, but absolutely doesn't have to! Families will have an alcohol free alternative if you'd prefer.
The weekend then culminates on Monday morning with a foam fight in Sallies Quad. Academic children are dressed in fancy dress by their parents and asked to walk to the quad holding a 'raisin receipt'. This stems back to the creation of the tradition, in which children would present their parents with a pound of raisins to thank them for welcoming them into St Andrews. The parents would respond with a receipt. Nowadays, the raisin receipt normally consists of something to carry or an activity to do on your walk to the foam fight.
After your first year, you stay in the same family and use the raisin weekend of your second year to 'revenge' your parents. This can be anything from creating fun challenges and activities for them, to repaying them for what they've done for you by inviting them to a family dinner. Some children even force their parents to do the same challenges that they were put through in their first year! Once you finally get to your third year, it's your turn to adopt a family of your own and then be revenged by your children in your fourth year! This cyclical tradition is the perfect way to meet new people and take part in some of the conventions that makes St Andrews so special.
Whatever the circumstances, your academic family will be there for you to help you and guide you through your first year at the university. They can be lots of fun and a fantastic way to meet people, but also a great way to gain advice or ask questions to experienced third years. I hope you enjoy your time at St Andrews and good luck finding a family!
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