Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Incredible Experience!! Past Review

By (Economics., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/13/2014 to 05/24/2014 with

University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Best five months of my life! During my semester abroad, I became more independent, learned about Scottish culture, and made incredible friends that I'm sure I'll keep for the rest of my life. I fell in love with Scotland and the city of Edinburgh. I also loved traveling around Europe during breaks from school. Still, I was unsatisfied with my courses. As my home institution, Wellesley, is a small liberal arts school, I found the transition to a large, research institution difficult. I disliked the large lectures, inability to develop relationships with professors, and lack of regular assessments. However, I'm sure that I would have had similar issues with any large, research university. I definitely think that my incredible cultural and social learning outweighed my academic disappointment. I would strongly recommend this program to anyone!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
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?
  • Edinburgh as a city
  • Opportunities to meet other international and exchange students
  • Perks of being a direct enrollment student, like involvement in student societies, classes with local students, etc.
* What could be improved?
  • More opportunities to meet local students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had thought more about the courses I was going to take in Edinburgh. I talked with my Personal Tutor before my course selection, but it was hard for him to compare my classes at Wellesley to courses in Edinburgh and I ended up in classes I felt a little bit underprepared for.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

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The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.