Completely in love with the city of Edinburgh...I'll definitely be back! Past Review
By Sophie D (English and Classics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 09/16/2013 to 12/21/2013 with
University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I had the most amazing semester. I have a hard time being away from home and I'm so happy I didn't let that hold me back from studying abroad. This city is completely magical and the people I met here and the things I experienced (three days in the Highlands, Christmas fair, friends, trip to Rome) were absolutely incredible. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very different having such large class sizes but I really enjoyed it and the professors were brilliant. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone in the visiting student department was very helpful and sent out plenty of emails to keep us updated. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Beautiful new building with my own room with a full size bed and three other flatmates with a big shared kitchen - loved it. |
| * Food: |
Self-catered so I got pretty good at cooking...and ordering takeout. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The vocab was the hardest part but once I got the hang of that I fit right in. Everyone was really nice and seemed to like Americans. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't have any experience with healthcare but I picked up a couple of types of medicine for coughs and colds and the pharmacists were all very helpful. |
| * Safety: |
I personally always felt very safe but I wouldn't walk around some of the side streets by yourself at night, especially as a girl. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I lived in a self-catered dorm so I had to buy my own food. Being of legal drinking age means you spend a ton on pubs and bars and things are a bit more expensive anyway. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $150 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Lots of bars and clubs have free vouchers for entry so look into those. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Travel, travel, travel! Look at the academic calendar before you arrive and start planning weekend trips before you get to Edinburgh. It's so easy to get to Dublin and London, make sure you go (it will never be cheaper!). |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Roman World 1A: Rise of Rome |
| Course Department: | Classical Studies |
| Instructor: | Dominic Berry |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | My favorite class - definitely the most interesting. A wide range of knowledgable professors and engaging tutorials. Grade was based on one short essay, one long essay and one exam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Haven't done that yet but don't anticipate any issues! |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Scottish Literature 1A |
| Course Department: | English |
| Instructor: | Tutor was Deirdre Shepherd |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | Some of the lectures were boring as it was a class for freshmen but I LOVED my tutorials and really learned a lot about the rich history of Scottish Literature. Grade was based on tutorial participation, three essays and a final exam essay. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Haven't done that yet, but don't anticipate any problems. |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Scottish Studies 1A: Conceptualizing Scotland |
| Course Department: | Scottish Ethnology |
| Instructor: | Gary West |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | A bit dry at times but very interesting for the most part. I would definitely recommend this class just to be able to appreciate Edinburgh and Scotland more while living there. Grade was based on 50% from an essay and 50% from a final exam. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | Haven't done that yet but don't anticipate any issues! |
