Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

A Lovely Life! April 04, 2024

By (Economics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/14/2023 to 12/22/2023 with

Arcadia: Edinburgh - University of Edinburgh

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about where I was to go in life and the experiences I value.

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

As much as the educational experience, for me, was less favorable than what I receive at Middlebury, as well as more stressful considering my grades directly transferred, Edinburgh was such a great city I wouldn’t change my decision. I hope to stay for even longer at some point.

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)

I was off the meal plan and went through my food budget fairly quickly, along with travel. I had to rely on gracious parents to fund my food.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $400
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eat lunch at home! Switch to tea in the mornings instead of coffee

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* 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?
  • The city
  • Scottish culture
  • The students
* What could be improved?
  • Grades should be credit/no credit
  • Housing
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? How difficult the university was going to be

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 Nearly Native or Trail Blazer
Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Celtic Civilization 1A
Course Department: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Instructor: Kate Mathis
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was moderately challenging but overall incredibly interesting and a great experience to learn the history behind the people of Scotland. I learned so much about a culture and people which I have been and continue to be interested it. My professor was a really great lecturer as well.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

History of Art 1A
Course Department: Edinburgh College of Art
Instructor: Barony Coombs
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was more challenging than the art history courses I’ve taken at Middlebury in regards to grading structure. At the university, only the top 10% of students could receive an A in this course which made it difficult to preform well. However, my educational experience in this course was really great and I enjoyed my lecturer as well as the weekly tutorial sections, in which we met with small groups to have discussions of class topics.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Business Economics
Course Department: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Instructor: Agusto Voltes Dorta
Instruction Language: English
Comments: The course was interesting and a nice elective to take as an economics major, however, I have reservations to the administration of the course. The overall grade for the course was divided between two assignments, each 50% of your overall grade. On the final paper, I sadly had laptop problems in which my laptop completely broke the day before the assignment was due, so I couldn’t access the things I needed to to complete it on time. I communicated this but unfortunately received no leeway and had to incur a 20% penalty on my assignment for the amount of days late I submitted it. This greatly hurt my final grade and is now affecting my Middlebury GPA.
Credit Transfer Issues: