And I'll Be in Scotland Afore Ye Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I give Edinburgh a three-star rating because though I thought that the course instructors were very knowledgeable on the materials they taught, sheer class size made it difficult to forge a personal relationship with any of them. For the most part, I felt that the course load was far more manageable (and perhaps easier) than what I'm used to at my home university (albeit, that may result from a bias of my home university already being academically rigorous). I wasn't a fan of how large the science lab sections were. Just the magnitude of students alone really translated into just how limited we were in actual scientific investigation. I did appreciate, however, the responsiveness of my professors whenever I had a problem. I fell ill with salmonella and broke my ankle while on vacation away from Edinburgh in France, and, despite having to miss labs and even midterm examinations, my professors were very easy to work with to get me back on schedule once I arrived back on campus and returned to health.

On-site administration of your program

I was in direct exchange, so I was pretty much left to fend for myself. If I had any questions, however, my home study abroad office was pretty keen to answer, due to the sheer number of students who have studied at Edinburgh in the past.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I didn't receive any of my housing choices -- I had initially preferred to stay near the Kings Buildings so I would be close to my science classes, as the campus is 45 minutes away from George's Square, where central campus is. That being said, I was placed in the most convenient flat in terms of its proximity to the bus stop that picked up for the Kings Buildings, so I'm happy about that. I lived in a twelve-person flat (single sex, but no problems with that -- all of us got along really well and became really close friends) with three bathrooms to share between the lot of us, and all single bedrooms. Very large common room and a fully stocked kitchen. Two fridges between twelve people was a tight squeeze, but we managed. I was happy with it.

I made the right choice and did not opt into a meal plan (heard the food was bad, anyway). My flat was right in the middle of Old Town, so there were plenty of restaurants and grocery stores both within my price range and out when I felt like splurging. Food is overall more expensive than the US, but I blame that on Britain having to import much it, as well as the exchange rate.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I lived right in the middle of it. Old Town, especially, has tight ties to deep Scottish heritage. It wasn't uncommon at all to wake up in the morning to the sound of bagpipes (nor was it uncommon to not be able to sleep because of drunken Scots angry over another loss by the country's rugby team). In general, locals were very genial. Yes, Edinburgh is a tourist trap, but I felt that I was able to bypass that when I wanted to go experience Scotland as a true local would.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had quite a few issues getting registered for a health clinic (apparently the University's own health services was registered with a maximum number of patients and wouldn't accept anyone else), but I was directed to a local one within a 10 minute walk of my flat and had no problems thereafter.

Edinburgh is much like any other city. There are safe parts, and there are unsafe parts. Though I'll admit that I lived in probably one of the unsafest parts (Cowgate in Old Town), I never felt that my safety was ever in jeopardy. Though I did often walk alone late at night, I felt that I was never in any immediate jeopardy if I minded my own business. Yes, there are a lot of drunken people roaming the streets just about any night of the week (that's Scotland for you, though), I never got the impression that anyone I passed ever had any malicious intentions. Watch out for broken glass, however. For whatever reason, it's become an unspoken tradition in the city to smash empty alcohol bottles once a person is finished with his or her beverage.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

The UK is an expensive place. There's no way to cut that corner. I had to take out quite a bit in loans to cover my living expenses. At the end of study abroad, I was able to force myself to live off under £20/week (not including rent; I paid all of that up front -- which equaled about £3000), but it was definitely a stretch.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• living arrangements
• the city of Edinburgh, itself
• hairy coos! (aka highland cows)

• subsidized activies for university students
• Wellesley paying for my university gym membership (flatmates' home unis did)
• exchange rate

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer