A lot of fun and independence in Edinburgh Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I thought the academics were pretty good, but I definitely left with a newfound appreciation for my home university and the American academic system at large. Edinburgh courses are less structured than American courses, which means that a large degree of your learning and studying doesn't come from the professor and is based more on what you're interested in researching. Course reading lists are several pages long--you aren't expected to read all of the books, but you need to reference at least a few of them in essays and on exams to show that you've done your own research.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Darroch Court, which was the best housing option, in my opinion. Many of my friends lived in other flats throughout the old town. Darroch is very centrally located (less than 10 minutes to the main University Campus, and 2 minutes from Cowgate, where many nightclubs and bars are located), the facilities are new, and it's right next to Edinburgh's fantastic gym. Try to live there if you can. If not, I'd recommend Kincaid's Court or Robertson's Close--good locations right on Cowgate. Pollock Halls are really far from the campus, but some people liked the camaraderie and meal plans.

I lived right near Tesco (a small but decent supermarket), and I was walking distance to a ton of cheap restaurants. Any eateries near campus are pretty cheap and really good--lots of Asian places, Middle Eastern, Indian, etc. Make sure to try traditional Scottish food a few times!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It's really up to you--join clubs and try to get involved as much as you can. My closer friends ended up being other study abroad students because these were the people I wanted to travel around Europe with. Edinburgh has a culture all it's own and there is so much to explore. Don't be ashamed of doing things on your own--some days I'd want to wake up early and walk to the outskirts of the city, and these are some of my best memories of my day-to-day life abroad.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt very safe here--in fact, I felt safer walking a main road in Edinburgh at 9 pm than I do walking one block away from my home university's campus at night.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I ended up spending a ton of money abroad, but most of this was on travel to other European countries. You just need to go in assuming that you're going to spend a lot of money, but that every experience is worthwhile (you're young--when else can you do this?) Be wary of bank withdrawal fees! I have Bank of America, which lets you withdraw for free at Barclays (there is one on Princes Street, approx 15 minutes from where I lived). You should definitely register with a bank that has affiliate banks in Europe, if possible. If you're going abroad for the whole year, I'd recommend opening up a Scottish bank account. Since you're cooking for yourself (if you live in a flat), you could end up spending excess money if you eat out too much. Budget yourself so that you have more $ to spend when you're traveling.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• The city
• Living in such a central location
• Meeting people from all over the world

• Course structure

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