This past spring semester, I studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I decided to go abroad after my sophomore year and, after talking to a friend who previously studied abroad in Edinburgh, felt that it was the perfect city for my semester. This ended up being the best decision for me, as Edinburgh is a beautiful city with easy connectivity to the rest of Europe. It felt small enough to be intimately acquainted after a semester, while big enough to feel independent in a city rather than a college town.Â
Edinburgh
I was really worried about the gloomy and cold weather, but I found the temperature in Edinburgh to be a lot milder than Providence would have been. While daylight was certainly limited in the first few weeks, it drastically improved a month into the program, and there were still more sunny days than expected. Edinburgh itself is an international and touristy yet historic city with a lot to see and do, from hikes up Arthur’s Seat to exploring Old Town, shopping in New Town, and wandering around Leith, Stockbridge, and Dean’s Village. I had many visitors who did not expect to love Edinburgh as much as they did!
Travel
I spent the first half of the semester in Edinburgh and the UK, getting to know the city and settling into my new University schedule. I took day trips to Glasgow, the Highlands, St Andrews, a weekend trip to London, and also hosted friends who came to visit! The University had a one-week break in late February, where I travelled around Italy and Switzerland, taking advantage of the winter weather and going skiing. The second half of the semester involved more travel, including a trip to Dublin for St. Patrick’s Day. Finally, after classes ended, I traveled even more with friends from Edinburgh and Brown friends to new countries, including Morocco, France, and Spain, before going home in mid-May. The structure of traveling locally and getting acquainted with my base city before exploring more in the warmer months worked perfectly for me!
The University
Academics are structured very differently in the UK than at Brown. There is a bigger emphasis on independent work with less face-to-face time with your professor. Because of this, the semester was only 10 weeks long, and classes concluded by April. Grades are mostly based on one or two projects, essays, or exams. I took a class in the business school, one about Scottish history, and a seminar in science and technology. This provided a great balance of fulfilling one of my Brown concentration electives and learning about where I was studying, without being overly challenging and allowing for time to travel! Because I was a direct-enrolled study abroad student, I felt really immersed in the university, taking classes and living with full-time students, as well as using University facilities and joining societies.
My semester abroad in Edinburgh was absolutely amazing, and I had the best time exploring Scotland, traveling all over Europe, and being a student at the University. I would recommend studying abroad and a trip to Edinburgh to everyone!If you’re interested in studying abroad, check out the programs Brown has to offer.