Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

University of Edinburgh: what an experience! Past Review

By (Environmental Economics, Middlebury College) for

University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
absolutely!

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.

The educational experience was significantly different from the system at Middlebury! First of all, I only took 3 classes. Each of those 3 classes had very little work throughout the semester (suggested weekly reading, but no assignments or tests of reading comprehension). All of the work came in the last 2 weeks of the semester. For two of my classes, %50 of my grade was one paper and %50 of my grade was the final exam. The paper was due at the beginning of the sit-down exam, so basically %100 of my grade was determined in one day! The professors were friendly enough and very knowledgeable in their given subject areas, but definitely a bit more removed than Middlebury professors. The grading system was also a bit confusing (with 80% being a very high grade meaning that your work was publishable quality!), but Middlebury helped to sort that out seamlessly and get it all translated to the standards we are used to.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

There was basically no personal attention paid to me as a visiting student, which was fine with me as I had no real problems, but I could see how it would be a bit scary! I had an advisor who I talked to once upon arrival but never heard from or saw him again.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Loved my housing situation (Robertson's Close). Heard about it through a friend and it worked out really well. Great location between school and downtown.

* Food:

I was self-catered, and really enjoyed it!

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We traveled all over Scotland (St Andrews, Peebles, the Isle of Skye, Sterling, the Cairngorms) and I loved every minute of it!

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

I felt very safe in Edinburgh, even walking around at night etc.

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)

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

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
  • International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • being in Edinburgh/Scotland
* What could be improved?
  • really nothing off the top of my head, there are obviously ups and downs, but you just have to take them in stride!
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? Definitely come to study at Edinburgh! Wonderful people, loved the University. The city of Edinburgh is fantastic and I Scotland in general is a lovely country!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:

Archaeology 1A
Course Department: ARCA08004
Instructor: multiple instructors
Instruction Language: english
Comments: great overview of a very interesting subject and the myriad components of this field of study. The in-class powerpoint presentations were particularly helpful and were available online.
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Conceptualising Scotland
Course Department: SCET08006
Instructor: Dr. Gary West
Instruction Language: english
Comments: I really loved this course. It gave a general overview of some parts of Scottish history, culture, music etc and helped to put things in context for me. It was also good because the main goal was to dispel the many rumors and ideologies that have become 'traditions' in Scotland. The class was boring at times, but Gary West was really great!
Credit Transfer Issues: no
Course Name/Rating:

Archaeology 1A
Course Department: ARCA08004
Instructor: multiple instructors
Instruction Language: english
Comments: This course was very interesting! Such a neat topic, it was fun to get a basic understanding of the many facets of archaeological study. The in-class powerpoints had pretty much all of the necessary information and were available online so that was nice.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

Economics of Developing Countries
Course Department:
Instructor: Martin Fransman
Instruction Language: english
Comments: This course was a fourth year economics course. It was very very different than any economics course I have ever taken in the states! It was a 2 and a half hour lecture once a week and a tutorial every other or every third week. The tutorials were very informal and very informative, that was my favorite part! No numbers or models really, just discussions of the issues. Very interesting and the readings were well chosen. One short presentation and two short papers made up the final grade.
Credit Transfer Issues: I had this course fulfill a major requirement at Middlebury so there were a few more signatures involved, but it was still pretty easy.
Course Name/Rating:

Economics of Developing Countries
Course Department: U02463
Instructor: Martin Fransman
Instruction Language: english
Comments: This econ course was very different from any other econ course I've ever taken in the states! It was a 2 hour lecture once a week with a tutorial every other to every third week. The tutorials were very informal and informative, probably my favorite part of the class. No numbers and very little models. Fransman is a really great and knowledgeable man and picked very interesting readings. One short presentation and two short papers made up my entire grade. Really enjoyed the class!
Credit Transfer Issues: This fulfilled a major requirement so there were a few more signatures involved but all in all it was pretty easy.