Ate my way through Edinburgh but didn’t make any friends January 18, 2020
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 09/08/2019 to 12/20/2019 with
University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned a lot of cooking and did some amazing travelling through Scotland. Definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Easier than my home institution but without the resources that I now know are important to me. Almost none of my professors had office hours and do not care to know your name. Maybe because it’s a large university? The lecturers knew their stuff but in my team taught immunology course (team of seven) few seemed to know what content the others were covering. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Fantastic location in the old town, but I lived in a wing of a hostel that the university rented out, which I don’t recommend. The hostel was poorly managed and it would have been easier if the university was in charge. I did have an amazing single room with en suite bathroom. |
| * Food: |
Self catered |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You won’t feel integrated in the social culture if you don’t join a society. I didn’t join and I regret it because I didn’t really make any friends there. I did feel welcome in pubs etc though as a foreigner. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Healthcare is free as long as you register with a GP when you arrive. The university GPs and many others nearby filled up before I got to register so I never did registered at all. When I got really sick at the end of the semester I couldn’t see a doctor so definitely register. |
| * Safety: |
You can walk around old town Edinburgh at night safely. There’s lots of night life and people about. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
I would have chosen a program for more guidance than direct enrollment offers. |
Finances
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* 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) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Cook for yourself and pack lunch instead of eating out. Save your money to go out to dinner because Edinburgh has lots of great restaurants. |
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
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | You need to put effort in to make local friends. They won’t come to you. |
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 Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
