Kind of regretted studying abroad here, wouldn’t come back. Past Review

By (Wellesley College) - abroad from 01/10/2018 to 05/25/2018 with

University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Learned a lot about other cultures and experienced what it was like to live in the UK. Parts of Edinburgh are magical.

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.

Considering I only had 5/11 classes, I felt like the academic intensity wasn’t there. The work load is probably 1/4 of Wellesley’s.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

On-site administration was very helpful, efficient, and kind. They always made it easy to get answers to questions, and made my move-out especially efficient.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I was happy that my room had a bathroom and I liked being between the city and Leith. My room was a decent size and the bathrooms were nice. However, having the room directly next to the kitchen/common room wasn’t great because you can hear absolutely everything, listening to groups play music and be rowdy until 1-2 am every night. My flatmates were also really messy and it became disgusting trying to cook in there.

* Food:

Food in the area was good, there are a lot of options nearby—both cafes and restaurants.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

It was difficult for me to feel comfortable in Edinburgh socially and culturally.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Safety seemed relatively fine until I was mugged on a bus my last day. It was a full bus and was just frustrating that not one person stepped in to help.

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

Weather is horrible. Unluckily my semester, teachers were on strike so most of the “learning” was on your own. Difficult to make friends and I did not enjoy my living circumstances.

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)

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? 100-150

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

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
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?
  • Sociology professors were generally very dedicated and engaging
  • Pretty school in the heart of the city
* What could be improved?
  • Immersing international students
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That Edinburgh is a really small city.