Is University of Edinburgh good?
Now let’s dig deeper into life as a University of Edinburgh student!
I am a third year undergraduate student from Amherst College, currently spending the fall semester abroad at the University of Edinburgh. My experience here at the University of Edinburgh contrasts Amherst in many different ways, largely by design. Amherst is a school of less than 2000 students situated in rural western Massachusetts. For my one semester abroad, I wanted to experience college life as different from my own as possible. UoE was able to offer me just that being a large university situated in a bustling city. Additionally, the great game of golf was created here in Scotland, making the decision to come here a very easy one for me.
Edinburgh
Is University of Edinburgh good?
Edinburgh is a beautiful city with rich history, culture, and architecture. The medieval architecture dominating Edinburgh Old Town complements the cloudy rainy days, of which there are many. Because of the Telfer walls built in the 1700s for defense, the city was never able to expand despite growing populations. This has resulted in the city being incredibly compact, which makes it particularly convenient for all city residents. I live on Cowgate street, in the middle of Old Town where all the pubs and clubs are located. All my classes in George Square are within a short 10 minute walk.
Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile, and New Town are all within a 15 minute walk. The city is also filled with grocery shops such as Tesco’s, Lidl, and Sainsbury that make grocery shopping convenient and affordable. Edinburgh is a great city for college students as it offers a friendly and lively atmosphere while being incredibly safe.
Is University of Edinburgh good?
Academics
As with any large university, the responsibility of showing up to class and keeping up with class falls on the shoulders of students. All of my classes operate in a lecture/tutorial structure. Lectures are held 1-3 times a week with the professor for every student enrolled in the class. This usually consists of the professor going through slides, with not much engagement from students. The tutorials are discussion based sessions held by tutors intended to allow students to further engage with class material, usually split into groups of 15-20.
While the professors and tutors accessible to an extent. It does not compare to the constant communication and support offered at my home institution. This leads to the class material being less rigorous, simply because students do not have the same amount of resources at their disposal. Another huge difference remains the amount of assignments given for a course per semester. Homework and problem sets (of which very few are given) almost never count for a grade. Thus, leaving 1-3 assignments constituting the entire grade. Due to the nature of the class structures, students are able to balance school with many other extra-curriculars.
Extra-Curriculars
The University of Edinburgh offers over 300 clubs and societies for students to choose from.
There is a large range of societies, including sports, pre-professional, activity, hobby oriented, etc. I am a part of the Edinburgh University Golf Club, where we compete in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) league, which is the British version of the NCAA. Having joined numerous different clubs, one common theme I have noticed is how intertwined drinking culture is with the university. Likely because of the 18+ drinking age here in the UK, many University sponsored and affiliated events include alcohol, something that is incredibly rare in the US. These societies almost all have “socials” hosted at various pubs throughout the city weekly. This set up allows for a lot of opportunities to socialize with new people, discover new hobbies, and build a college network.
The University of Edinburgh is a great university situated in the center of Old Town Edinburgh. Additionally, offering a huge variety of studies and a diverse and welcoming student body. Spending a semester at UoE has been a life changing experience. The numerous societies and clubs allow one to form lifelong connections with local and international students. With the country being incredibly well connected by public transit. As a result, visits to the Scottish borders and highlands are incredibly convenient. The easy access to mainland Europe has allowed me plenty of opportunities to immerse myself in different cultures and embark on amazing adventures. Overall, students at the University of Edinburgh seem to be happy as they have a well rounded and balanced lifestyle. This allows me to confidently recommend becoming a study abroad or full time student at the University of Edinburgh.
