Edinburgh is Amazing (but Beware of IFSA) June 23, 2022

By (Political Science, Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/12/2022 to 05/27/2022 with

IFSA: Edinburgh - University of Edinburgh

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Lot of independence Relationship management in a brand-new environment

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.

Classes easier than Middlebury, only meeting 1x weekly with comparable work per class section as Middlebury Semester much shorter, plus faculty strikes shortened the semester further. Only half as many weeks as Middlebury actually in class, and each week had half as much class as Middlebury

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

IFSA was TERRIBLE - Poor communication before the trip, repeatedly misled me about what to expect in terms of courses despite me repeatedly stating my academic requirements (and their reassurement before I committed to the program that I would be able to satisfy my requirements). I didn't know whether I could actually go until less than a week before the program started - Orientation was largely non-existent, just 3 MS Teams meetings that failed to provide any useful information - Working with IFSA throughout the semester was a headache IFSA charges $3k for 3 hours on MS Teams, 15 minutes in-person, and a whole lot of unnecessary hassle

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Pretty nice room, convenient location. Bit dirty and WiFi didn't work too well

* Food:

Not sure how to rank as no dining hall. Edinburgh has great takeout options around (haha)

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Very difficult to meet locals, my friends were all Americans on exchange / living in the same accommodation

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

No experience, not applicable (feel free to discount this)

* Safety:

Edinburgh felt very safe, never had incidents or episodes of feeling unsafe

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

IFSA is SO bad. Would return to Edinburgh in a heartbeat but via direct enrollment / another program

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)

No dining hall so buying food all the time

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Maybe ~$400? That said could definitely do it more frugally than me
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Partying is a waste of money Learn to cook

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?
  • Close to Europe
  • Cheap flights
  • No class Mon or Fri
* What could be improved?
  • IFSA's communication
  • Academics were easy
  • Tough to meet people
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Spend more time doing valuable things in Edinburgh instead of partying

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 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:

Energy Policy & Sustainability

Course Department: Science, Technology, and Innovation
Instructor: Kirsten Jenkins
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Class was okay, too big to be effective No reason to do readings Assessments (2 essays) seemed appropriate
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues, ES department approved promptly
Course Name/Rating:

Politics and Public Policy

Course Department: Politics
Instructor: James Mitchell
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Loved it, Prof Mitchell very engaging, class small enough to facilitate participation, readings highly relevant to class, interesting topics
Credit Transfer Issues: No issues, prompt approval from PSCI department
Course Name/Rating:

Politics of the Middle East

Course Department: Politics
Instructor: Jamie Allinson
Instruction Language: English
Comments: Interesting enough, pretty big but discussion courses offered 1-1 attention Could tell prof was very well-prepared
Credit Transfer Issues: No, Midd has a very similar class so approval was prompt