Paige Dickerman ‘28 Receives St. Andrews Scholarship

I did it, I did it, I did it. Me. I did that.
That was the inner monologue racing through Paige Dickerman’s head as she received a life-changing phone call at 11:37 A.M. on April 2nd. The call, from the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia (SASP), informed Dickerman, ’28, that she had just won a scholarship that grants her acceptance and funding to one of the “Four Ancients” in Scotland.
Scotland has a rich history of higher education and is home to the ‘Four Ancient’ distinguished universities: St. Andrews, founded in 1413, Glasgow, founded in 1451, Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and Edinburgh, founded in 1582. Dickerman is one of five Ursinus scholarship recipients in four years. Trey Dykeman ‘25 attended St. Andrews for the 2023-24 academic year, Cassidy Denning ’26 (the writer of this article) attended The University of Edinburgh in 2024-25, Kelsey Lyons ‘27 is currently attending the University of Glasgow, and Dykeman won the scholarship a second time, and returned to St. Andrews for his master’s degree. Dickerman, and all the previous scholars, have set a precedent for Ursinus College to send qualified applicants excited to take on the challenge of studying at these prestigious institutions.
The SASP is the oldest continuously running charity in the United States. The society’s main charitable focus is their scholarship program, which provides Philadelphia and Scotland’s finest students an academic and cultural exchange. Selected from a pool of 30 Philadelphia-area universities, typically a range of three to seven applicants are chosen to study at each of the “Four Ancients.” Each scholarship is valued at $40,000, which provides money for tuition as well as travel and living expenses. Where this program differs from most cultural exchanges in the United States is the length: the scholarship requires a full one-year exchange instead of the typical one-semester. A full academic year provides scholars the opportunity to immerse themselves within Scottish culture and build an appreciation for the beautiful country and its people.
For Dickerman, St. Andrews provides her a chance to study at one of the best colleges for her major—International Relations—in the United Kingdom. The application process to earn this scholarship, however, is an extensive and winding road. Dickerman was initially informed of the scholarship from an email from Dr. Kelly Sorensen, Interim Provost and VP for Academic Affairs. Initially unsure of whether this was something she could pursue, Dickerman submitted her application the day before the deadline.
To be considered as an applicant by the SASP, Dickerman first had to be nominated by Ursinus. This part of the application was more straightforward, requiring basic information and a personal essay. Once nominated by Ursinus, however, was where things became more intense. First, the SASP requires a personal essay, various short answer questions asking the applicant’s future plans, and two letters of recommendation from professors at Ursinus. Upon submission of these supplements, the applicants are invited to a luncheon and interview at The Union League of Philadelphia. During the interview, each applicant sits in the center of a horseshoe-shaped configuration where the members of the scholarship committee pepper questions one after another.
When asked about how she felt, Dickerman replied, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that interview. I was terrified…As I walked to my seat, I had no idea how it was going to go, I just knew that it had to do well. My future depended on it.”
Dickerman received the call from SASP two days later relaying the news of her acceptance. Excitement and nerves are bundled into one for the current sophomore. “I’m equally terrified and excited,” Dickerman stated. “I’ve never been out of the country before, so going solo across the Atlantic for a year is something I never imagined myself doing. But I know I’m going to come out of this experience a completely changed person, and I think that’s a rare gift to have.”
Dickerman looks forward to taking classes at St. Andrews pertaining to human rights and international security. She holds a lot of respect for Scotland in particular: “…as a politics student, I think the country offers a unique lesson I can learn from regarding governance and political progress.” In addition to her focus on academics at St. Andrews, Dickerman looks forward to joining various clubs and societies such as the Christian Union, Law Society, History Society, Order of the Crow, Inklight (a creative writing society), and Gaming Society.
While academics will take up much of her time during each semester, Dickerman also plans on traveling throughout Scotland to gain the cultural experience in which the SASP endorses…and what better way than to start in a pub. With the legal drinking age in the UK being eighteen, Dickerman plans to frequent the social heart of the country, not to get drunk, but to be among the community that gathers there so often. Some of the other places she wishes to visit are the Isle of Sky and the Scottish Highlands. In addition to traveling in Scotland, Dickerman also has plans to visit mainland Europe a couple of weeks before classes begin. Dickerman states, “I’m currently planning a trip with a very close friend of mine, where we’re going to visit about a dozen countries. I’m especially excited to visit London, Athens, and Germany.”
Paige Dickerman continues a legacy of Ursinus students winning this prestigious scholarship and there is no doubt she will return to the United States having grown and learned so much about the world, but also herself. “As a nineteen-year-old college student,” Dickerman said, “I want to grow as a person and figure out who I am in the world.”