NSA Alumna Attends St Andrews

The liberal arts program at NSA equips students with the tools needed to work in various vocations and careers. Alumni go on to law school, business careers, sales positions, and being fathers and mothers. NSA graduates have also studied at educational institutions such as Oxford, Harvard, Princeton, Duke, and Notre Dame. Elise Goodwin, who graduated from New Saint Andrews in 2022, is studying in the master’s program at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, a world-renowned university. In a recent written interview, Elise talked about her graduate work at St Andrews and how NSA prepared her for that work. 

Elise is pursuing a Master of Letters (MLitt) in Medieval History. The program includes skill-based classes such as paleography (deciphering manuscripts) and Latin Translation, a theory class on historical sources, and elective courses based on personal interests. 

One common question about NSA’s program is how it prepares students for other academic programs. Elise explained that NSA prepared her well for the language work she is now doing at St Andrews. She commented, “Practically speaking, I use Latin almost daily. Greek and Hebrew (and Biblical textual criticism from those classes) also come in handy.” 

Elise also discussed how NSA taught her a strong understanding of various historical theological positions. The broad readings at NSA prepared her for work at the master’s level. She added, “During my time at NSA, I studied and interacted with a wide range of historical theological perspectives, concepts, and forms of exegesis, which are very helpful in navigating the fascinating world of medieval sources.” 

“During my time at NSA, I studied and interacted with a wide range of historical theological perspectives, concepts, and forms of exegesis, which are very helpful in navigating the fascinating world of medieval sources.”

Elise explained that Dr. Edwards, former provost of NSA, had pointed her to St Andrews because of its excellent reputation in Medieval History and Theology. Elise wrote, “I have thought for a while that if I were to get another academic degree, I'd do history—particularly, medieval history focusing on church history. You must look overseas to find a medieval history department with more than a small handful of teachers.”

The University of St Andrews was founded in the 15th century and is Scotland's first university. The campus is home to several old buildings, including St Salvator’s Chapel, a beautiful example of Late Gothic architecture. The website notes that the cobbles beneath the bell tower are marked with the initials 'PH' to keep the site where 24-year-old Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for his Protestant beliefs in 1528.

Elise also talked about the preparations she made to live overseas. She wrote, “You never know what small tasks will be surprisingly complicated when another country comes into play.” She specifically mentioned setting up a phone plan and banking. She also noted that she took some time to focus on reviewing world geography. She added, “I should have done more because that ended up being very helpful when meeting people from all over the world.”

After completing the program at St Andrews, Elise plans to continue in the world of classical Christian education. She is looking at possible teaching positions and hoping that will develop into an administration or curriculum development position. She said, “I'd love to help Christian schools better introduce students to the first 1500 years of Church history.”

NSA alumni have continued their studies at several different institutions. Read more about those who went to Hillsdale and Liberty University. Knox Merkle is another NSA alum who is currently studying at St Andrews.