Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Great experience in Edinburgh! Past Review

By (HISTORY., Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/16/2012 to 05/25/2012 with

University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a great deal about Scotland and its culture while meeting some great people (with whom I'm still in contact). I learned to work with different professors and their teaching methods. My semester abroad was absolutely worthwhile - I wish I could do it again!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? None

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The Informatics Department had some issue with their student database and they were never able to get me on the professor's email list; it seemed to be an issue with all of the study abroad students.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Great location near the University and the city center. They had cleaners come in every week for the kitchen bathroom.

* Food:

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I was placed in a flat with 3 other Scottish girls which helped a lot.

* 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)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No

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? Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local 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?
  • Learning more about Scotland and its culture.
  • Meeting locals!
* What could be improved?
  • There weren't many clubs represented at the societies fair. There were some I had been interested in but they weren't easy to find
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I'd actually listened to everyone who had talked about the different teaching style at the University. The transition from classes at Wellesley to classes at Edinburgh was more difficult than I had anticipated.