So much to see so little time Past Review

By (Business Administration and Management, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater) - abroad from 09/14/2015 to 12/18/2015 with

Heriot-Watt University: Edinburgh – Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Studying abroad has made me a much more confident and outgoing person, and it has made me more self sufficient and competent. I gained an appreciation and love for Scottish culture and it was extremely eye opening. It was absolutely 100% worthwhile and I definitely plan on returning

Review Photos

Direct Enrollment: Edinburgh - Heriot-Watt University Photo Direct Enrollment: Edinburgh - Heriot-Watt University Photo Direct Enrollment: Edinburgh - Heriot-Watt University Photo Direct Enrollment: Edinburgh - Heriot-Watt University Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 0-2 weeks

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Lectures were interesting and educational, professors were kind and funny and easy to contact for help. However, the tutors for the tutorials were not as helpful in assisting with papers or help with revising

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Administration at Heriot-Watt was sometimes frustrating to deal with, people would give me different answers for the same issue making it a goose chase. Staff members often did not have the best attitude as well which is a poor quality when dealing with people who are from another country.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing was not made available to me because I was only here for one semester, even though I am an international student. I did find housing nearby the school so it worked out pretty well as I could easily get the bus into town and to the university.

* Food:

On campus food was really good and reasonably priced! lots of options. Tons of great restaurants within Edinburgh as well

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Thanks to my Scottish friend Rachel she helped me feel more integrated into Scottish culture and society by showing me around and inviting me to do things with her friends! I felt like I had many opportunities to be apart of the culture and really experience it. At Heriot-Watt the chaplaincy offered great cultural trips and events throughout the semester. The university itself did not do much to integrate the international students however.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

At first it was frustrating because people kept giving me different answers with registering for healthcare, but once it was sorted the healthcare system in Scotland is fantastic. Healthcare and prescriptions are totally free for all students, all you have to do is register with a GP and you can be seen anywhere. I had an ear infection near the end of my trip and I was able to be seen in Aberdeen in an emergency room and get antibiotics that day with no charge.

* Safety:

Edinburgh is a very safe city, guns are illegal and there is a soft police presence but occasionally you see a couple walking around. But overall there is no real threat and I have always felt comfortable walking places by myself

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)

3, its relatively easy to live on a student budget here. Groceries aren't too expensive and if you cook for yourself during the week then its okay if you eat out and go out on the weekend. Eating out and going out were my biggest expenses besides travelling or taking trips. And topping up my bus pass every 4 weeks

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? around 80-100$
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Cook for yourself during the week, use the student discounts and deals when you can and try not to go shopping too much!

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? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* 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?
  • Being able to study in another country
  • Being able to spend an extended amount of time in another country
  • How helpful the study abroad office was in keeping in touch and updating us while abroad
* What could be improved?
  • Nothing that is within your control
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That Heriot-Watt would not allow me to live on campus while I was here, it would not have affected my decision to come but I could have planned a little bit better to account for that if I knew sooner.

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.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Fundamentals of Marketing

Course Department: Business Management
Instructor: Norin Arshed
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Course was stimulating and interesting, Norin used real world marketing examples to make material more easy to absorb. Course was 50/50 final exam and paired marketing report
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Human Resource Management

Course Department: Business Management
Instructor: Robert Graham
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Course was mediocre, consisted more of theory than facts which is not what the course title suggests. Robert makes it as interesting as possible with his good nature and humor but material is dry and all over the place
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Management in a Global Context

Course Department: Business Management
Instructor: Kevin O'Gorman
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Lectures were interesting as we had many different guest lecturers, material was relevant and useful. Its nice that you can gain exemption from the final if you make above a certain score on the assessment paper
Credit Transfer Issues: