Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University 2014-2015 Report 1
PREPARATION exchange application process The application process required a lot of research and filling in forms. Firstly, you have to decide what university you would like to go to, which depends on what you want to study and what countries appeal to you. I wanted to go to the UK or Ireland. On the list of universities that I received from the International Office, I noticed the University of Edinburgh. This university offered an exchange on the subject of linguistics, which is exactly what I wanted. Scotland appealed to me, because I love to listen to different English accents, and Scottish is awesome. Edinburgh became my first choice, but I also needed a second choice. I chose Trinity College Dublin, because I'd already visited Dublin once, and I loved it. (I'd never been to Edinburgh but it just seemed nice.) The University of Edinburgh has a very good website offering a lot of information on studying abroad. I could even search for courses I would be able to follow, which got me really excited for this university. I also found out that the University of Edinburgh is one of the best universities in Linguistics! :) For a while, the International Office in Utrecht wasn't certain whether anyone would be able to go on exchange to the UK or Dublin - which stressed me out. In January, I completed my application on Osiris, including a Financial Plan and Study Plan, signed by my tutor, among other things. It took some time before my application was approved, but in the end I got an email that said I was nominated by the University of Utrecht to study at the University of Edinburgh! It turned out it was no problem to go to the UK, pfew! Now that I was nominated for exchange, I could start the applying procedure at the University of Edinburgh through their website. Again, it took some time before I had completed their forms, and uploaded all the documents they required. A motivation letter was part of this. When I completed this (second) application, I had to wait for another few weeks before they approved it. Hooray! I got an account on their website, a student number, an email adress through which I was able to contact the Visiting Office in Edinburgh, and I could review my course choices online. All in all, it takes time and effort to go through two procedures at both your home university and your exchange university, but this is a small price to pay. :) counselling & support at Utrecht University I went to a lecture on studying abroad which was organised by the International Office in Utrecht. This was very helpful, as it made me aware of the possibilities and deadlines. A girl that had just returned from France told us about her experiences studying abroad. My tutor was also very helpful, and stayed positive when the International Office informed me that exchanges to the United Kingdom were not possible. I went to a second information evening just before the deadline in January. This time the International Office was more hopeful about the UK (though nothing was certain yet). When I emailed or visited the International Office they were always glad to help. academic preparation Nothing, really. The University of Edinburgh is academically very similar to the University of Utrecht, so I did not really need to prepare for it. I did not have to buy any books because in Edinburgh nobody buys their study books, they're all in the library! I would advise to buy a 'collegeblok' at home, though, they are expensive in Scotland. language preparation finances In January I had to make a Financial Plan, which was a very good thing to do, because pounds are expensive! Though I didn't have to pay tuition to the University of Edinburgh because I was on an Erasmus exchange
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
programme (only the normal tuition to the University of Utrecht), other things like housing are really expensive! Make sure you get a public transport compensation (ov-vergoeding). I earned some money subletting my room in Utrecht, and my parents also helped quite a lot.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) In Edinburgh, the courses I followed were interesting and well taught. The teachers really knew what they were talking about (mostly) and were very helpful answering questions. You could almost always contact them through email. A difference between Utrecht and Edinburgh is that you have to fill in some forms when you're handing in coursework or essays. Also when you're taking exams you have to fill in all kinds of different forms in a special way. It was so formal, it reminded me a bit of taking finals in high school, haha. academic quality of education activities I had chosen advanced courses, because I study linguistics and I wanted to do linguistics courses. I had very few contact hours, and you're required to read a lot at home (or in the library whatever you like). The teaching style is very similar to Utrecht. Powerpoints are used, and appear on Blackboard after class - yes, they do use Blackboard, though they call it Learn, it is the same website. counselling & support at receiving university abroad In Edinburgh there is a Visiting Student Office (VSO) and you are assigned a tutor. For formal stuff like signatures and course changes, go to the VSO. They can help you right away without appointments. They are also very kind, and they really try to be there for you if you have any problems or difficulties. Your personal tutor, PT for short, is also there for you if you need any advice. The first conversation with your PT is obligatory, after that you can request an appointment. I was lucky and got a really nice tutor. He was also one of my teachers for one of my courses. transfer of credits I don't know about this yet.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme The welcome and orientation programme was amazing. I was in Edinburgh for the first semester, and in September they have Freshers Week, which is for first years but also for exchange students. :) There is a booklet full of activities, and it goed on for a full week. It's a shame I couldn't do everything! Be prepared to be exhausted at the end of the week, haha. Most activities take place in Teviot, the Student Union building, which is an amazing place. I met so many people in Freshers Week! There is also a societies and sports fair, they have more than a hundred societies to choose from! The ISC also organised activities to meet other exchange students. And make sure you go ceilidh (pronounce cay-lee) dancing! accommodation FInding accomodation is difficult. Beware that, if you’re only staying for one semester, you're not guaranteed housing from the university!! So you have to search for something yourself. Good sites are gumtree and easyroommate, and facebook groups, but watch out! There are a lot of scammers who say they have rooms but they only want your money! Don't ever send money to a stranger, whatever the situation. I spent all summer trying to find something, but I wasn't succesful, no matter how many letters I wrote to people. It even got to the point where I had to book a hostel for the first few nights. But actually this was a very good thing to do. It is useless looking for housing when you're not able to come for a viewing. People don't want Skype conversations, they want to see you, meet you in real life. Understandable, of course. It's advisable to begin your search
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
before you leave, but it doesn't have to be months before! On my first and second day in Edinburgh I had planned two viewings, and I also kept writing to people. Make sure that your accomodation is not too far from uni! In the end, staying in the hostel wasn't bad at all, it was a very nice hostel, and I wasn't the only one looking for housing! You make friends very quickly in a hostel, and that was a really nice start to my abroad experience. In the end I got a room - though I decided to move into a better flat after one month, which was a good decision. :) leisure & culture There is a lot to do in Edinburgh. So much, you can't possibly do everything. Join societies! Explore the city as much as you can, it's beautiful. Visit (free!) museums, statue of Bobby the dog, st Giles Cathedral, go for tea and millionaire shortbread to The Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter (check out the toilets!), taste haggis neeps and tatties, dance the Ceilidh, listen to the sound of the bagpipe while walking down the Royal Mile. Go shopping (if you have money left) at Princes Street. Go to Princes street gardens or George Square to lie on the grass and watch the squirrels on a sunny day. Listen to folk music in Sandy Bells, or other live music every Friday and Saturday while enjoying whiskey or cider in one of the many pubs. The ISC also organises trips to places outside Edinburgh every Saturday. (Be on time buying your tickets if the destination is a popular one!) I also did a highlands bus tour, which is really worth the money, Scotland is beautiful!! It's so remote in some places, with beautiful glens and lochs, it's amazing. At Teviot, the Student Union building, there is always something to do, Jazz every Monday, Open Mic every Tuesday… In Scotland they love to celebrate things, and you get a fireworks display every once in a while. :) suggestions/tips Buy a bike! :) Though Edinburgh isn’t very bike-friendly (there are a lot of hills and there are few cycling lanes) I really enjoyed exploring the city and it's surroundings by bike! It's also a lot cheaper than buying a monthly student bus ticket. You can buy a cheap second hand bike at The Bike Station, and they also sell really good 'Spokes' cycle maps, with which you will never lose your way. :) Another tip: deadlines for essays and exam week were all in the same week for me. Make sure you start writing your essays on time! Also, I found that I met a LOT of people every day, but most of them I saw only once… And that's a shame, because you will not get to know them better. So try to see people regularly.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain Yes, definitely! Edinburgh is an amazing city, the University of Edinburgh is really good, and Scotland in general is great. Studying abroad is amazing! Go go go!! do you have any additional advice or comments? Adding milk to black tea isn't as gross as it sounds, milk actually takes the bitter taste away. Try it and be a real Brit, haha! ;) And don't worry too much beforehand, everything will be fine! If you're thinking about going abroad and you have any further questions about Edinburgh or studying abroad in general, feel free to contact me! Report 2
PREPARATION exchange application process When I had made the decision to study abroad for one semester, I already knew that I wanted to apply for a university in an English speaking country, in order to improve my academic (and also my every day) English. A second condition was that it was a high quality university, as I did not only want to apply for the 'Erasmus-
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
experience' but also for a challenging academic experience. My first choice was Edinburgh University, followed by UCL London and Dublin. There were a few other candidates for the position, but I think that spending a lot of time and effort on a motivational letter helped me to get my first choice, even though the courses I initially applied for were not in my own field of study. After changing my course choices (as I was obliged to choose courses in Linguistcs due to the specifications of the contract between the two universities), I got accepted. As for the different parts of the application process, the study plan and the financial plan eventually did not match my final study plan and expenses at all, but I think it was good to fill out these forms as an initial orientation of what was possible. The motivational letter was, as I said before, a very good way to see what you actually want and expect from the exchange, both for yourself and for Utrecht University. Finally, having an upto-date CV ready is always useful! counselling & support at Utrecht University I can only be positive about the way the international office has supported me before ad throughout my stay in Edinburgh. There was a pre-departure meeting that made everything very clear and I was well aware of the things I should take care of and be aware of. Whenever I had a question, I always got a reply very quickly after I sent an e-mail, also during my stay in Edinburgh, whenever I was worried about courses or other kinds of things. academic preparation As I did this exchange in the fourth year of my bachelor, I could basically choose every undergraduate course in my subject area. I did not need any additional academic preparation in order to follow the courses I wanted. language preparation Obviously, all the courses in Edinburgh are taught in English. As I just completed a minor Social Neuroscience that was completely taught in English before I left, and as most of my linguistic literature was also in English, the language did not form any limitation for me to study in Edinburgh. If this had been a problem, there was a free TEAM language test that you could take at the beginning of the semester. Edinburgh University has a language centre that offers language courses for students who do have problems with the English language. finances Studying abroad is expensive, especially in the UK. The living costs are higher, accomodation is expensive, you need at least two plane tickets… But also the fact that you're on exchange and want to meet as many new people as possible can bring costs with it, as you don't want to miss out on occasions where you can get to know the city and the other students better. I think the only thing you can do, is to be prepared and to not underestimate the expenses you will (want to) make. I set my DUO student loan at the maximum limit from september until december, my parents contributed a little bit more than they normally do and of course the Erasmus grant helped a lot. I do realise I created big debts more quickly than I would have done if I would have stayed in Utrecht, but in my opinion, the experience is worth the money.
STUDY ABROAD PERIOD study programme (content and organisational issues) In the first week of the semester, you could still change as many courses as you wanted. At the University of Edinburgh, you are assigned a personal tutor and you are obliged to arrange a meeting with him/her in the first week. After a conversation with my personal tutor, I decided to change one course that I had already signed up for. My final study programme consisted of three courses of each 10 ECTS (that is, 20 Edinburgh credits). The University of Edinburgh highly recommends not to choose more than 30 ECTS per semester, and looking back on my experience now, I can only agree with that. The courses I took were Statistics and Experimental Design, Linguistic Fielwork and Language Analysis and Origins and Evolution of Language. The University of Ediburgh has
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
a very good website with course descriptions under 'Course Finder', but I will shortly describe the courses here. The statistics course gave a good insight in the basics of the statistic research methods that you need as a social scientist. In my opinion, the content was way more thorough than the statistics course that I followed in the first year of Linguistics in Utrecht. The projects were very challenging, but I learned a lot. In the fielwork course, we had the opportunity to do actual fieldwork with a speaker of an Indian language: Dogri. We had elicitation sessions every week and we had two write two papers on our findings on the language system, based on these sessions. It was a great opportunity to be able to practice with research in such a challenging and 'real' way and I can only recommend this course. The third course was built up exactly like a regular course at Utrecht University. It consisted of both lectures and tutorials in which language was considered from an evolutionary point of view. We looked at language from the perspective of a lot of different disciplines, in order to create a broad view on the most important debates in language evolution. We were graded based on a 50% exam and a 50% essay. The marking system in the UK is something to be aware of. Even though Edinburgh University uses percentages from 0% to 100%, it is almost impossible to even get a 90%. I would highly recommend to have a look at the grading table that the international office uses to transfer the grades to the Dutch system, before being disappointed with your grade! academic quality of education activities Edinburgh University is a top university in the area of Linguistics, and that is reflected in what is expected from the students. The essay assignments are usually very broad, and in general a big part of the assignments is 'up to you'. This can be stressful, but in my experience, the final grading was always reasonable. As for the lectures, the quality was usually quite good, although it was new to me that most of the lectures were only 50 minutes long. Academically I can say that I learned a lot, but it surprised me that at a top university like this, some practical things within courses are still sometimes unclear and unorganised. The assignments in statistics were not only very 'open', but also just unclear, and the professor for fieldwork could be very unprepared and confused sometimes. counselling & support at receiving university abroad I did not experience a lot of personal support from the teachers themselves (as opposed to what I'm used to in Utrecht). It is clear that they are there to teach you and to grade your assignments, but I was a little disappointed in the way they were not always concerned with the way you had difficulties with the course. Fortunately, the university provides you with a personal tutor that you can always go to. Additionally, there is a help centre runned by EUSA, the university's student association, that you can go to with questions and problems. transfer of credits I already mentioned that the grading system in Edinburgh is different from the system in Utrecht. The international office provides a table with the transformation to Dutch grades. The exam commission in Utrecht has to approve the courses taken before they can be included in your degree. At this moment, my request is still being processed, so I can't give any information on whether this was successful.
STUDENT LIFE welcome & orientation programme Every beginning of the year, EUSA (the student association that you're automatically a member of when you study at the university) organises the Fresher's Week one week before the actual start of the semester. I think this week can really make the difference between you building up a social life or not, because I met so many amazing people during that week! None of the activities were mandatory, you just had a booklet full of the activities that were organised each day, and you could choose yourself wherever you wanted to go. EUSA has a lot of sub-societies (sports, music, crafting, theatre, politics etc.) that all had there own evenings that you could
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
attend, and other activities were organised to get to know the city (with all its buildings, coffee places, attractions etc.) a little better. Additionally, there were a lot of 'clubbing' events that mostly actual 'freshers' attended. I was however positively surprised with the amount of exchange, master and bachelor students from later years that also attended the events during this introduction week, so it was easy to find your own 'kind of people' among all the beginning students. The university also oranised a couple of welcome and information meetings that you could attend to get to know the academic environment. Unfortunately I had to leave after semester 1, but I do know that EUSA also organises a Refresher's Week for semester 2, so you don’t have to miss this experience when you start your exchange during the second semester. accommodation If you are from Europe and only in Edinburgh for one semester, you almost certainly don't have a chance to get accepted to University accomodation. Therefore, I had to look for private accomodation, which is quite a challenge if you're still in the Netherlands and you have no idea which area you would like to live in. On EUSA's website there is a pdf file with a few good suggestions for websites that you can find student rooms on, but I finally found my accomodation via www.gumtree.com, the UK equivalent of the Dutch 'Marktplaats'. I was very lucky to be chosen out of a 100 replies to one ad; that shows perhaps how hard it is to actually find a room. I ended up living in the (fantastic) area Stockbridge, 15 minutes from the West End of Princes Street. I lived with one Polish flatmate, that is now one of my best friends, and her cat. I had an amazing time in this flat, but some of my friends were also less lucky. On of them stayed on other peoples sofas for more than a month, others stayed in hostels for a long time, and one of my other best friends lived in a flat with a 'live-in landlord' with whom she could not really get along.. It made me realise that it's very important where you live. Even if it is for four months, if you don’t feel at home, it will certainly make your Erasmus experience less positive. leisure & culture Edinburgh is a very lively city, and at the same time not too big and overwhelming. Every day again I was amazed by the beautiful views that you can get from Princes Street, Calton Hill, Arthur's Seat and even from the main Library. The fact that there is an enormous castle in the middle of the city already made me love Edinburgh from the first moment I arrived, but there are countless of other things that you absolutely cannot miss. As a coffee and food lover, I discovered the most amazing cafés and restaurants, but also culturally there is a lot to do. I unfortunately missed the big Fringe festival that is held every summer, but the museums, concert halls, historical graveyards, parks, seaside districts, churches, gardens little streets and underpasses make the city exciting every day. I was lucky to live in Stockbridge, the area close to the historical 'Dean Village' and the amazing Water of Leith walkaway. Stockbridge once used to be a separate village, and it still has a cute and cosy atmosphere. Of course I got to know this part of the city the best, but Edinburgh is full of nice areas that each have there own character. suggestions/tips It's hard to give suggestions how to build up the 'best' social life, or how to have the 'best' student experience, as every person is looking for different things in an exchange. For me, the fact that I found such a nice accomodation was very important, as feeling at home at your own place will definatly help to feel at home in the city as well. In my experience, everybody that I met was very open to new people, because in fact everybody is looking for friends. This made it easy to find people that I could get along with very well, and that will now be friends for the rest of my life. As long as you have an active and open attitude towards both people and the things that you can do in the city, it will most certainly become a period in your life that you will always remember.
CONCLUSIONS would you recommend this university/destination abroad to others? please explain
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University
I would definately recommend and exchange in Edinburgh to everybody. Edinburgh is an amazing city, and the university is very internationally orientated, so you will meet a lot of people from all over the world. Most of the people I met were not even exchange students, but were doing their masters or undergraduate degrees there. The EUSA student association provided fantastic opportunities to fill your week with nice activities, not only within the different societies but also for all students in general. Also, the student union building (the Teviot Row House) is a place that you can always go to to have a drink or to just relax or study. This kind of student life experience is way stronger than in the Netherlands, and makes you feel welcome and at home immediately. Also, scottish people that you meet on the street are generally very nice and caring, which made the whole atmosphere in the city very pleasant. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the amazing Christmas Market that Edinburgh turns into from November until January! You see, I can talk about Edinburgh for ages, but I hope I succeeded to give a general idea of what the city and the university are like. Best is to just go and see it with your own eyes, and I hope you'll have an experience that is just as good as mine was! do you have any additional advice or comments? I think I metioned the most important things in the answers above, but I am always open for students that think about going to Edinburgh to send me an e-mail with further questions.
2013-2014 Report 1 preparation exchange/placement application process The exchange application process was explained into detail which facilitated the process. The official documents which I had to fill in were easy to find on the university's website counselling/support at home university There was plenty of support at the home university. Emails were answered straight away, and if you preferred personal contact, an appointment could always be arranged. Furthermore, the international office had open office hours as well, so an appointment wasn't even needed for minor questions. academic preparation I did not neet academic preparation. I assumed that the level of education in Edinburgh would be similar to that of the Utrecht University language preparation I assumed that my English was good enough to participate in the curriculum, so I did not participate in a language course whatsoever. finances Life in Edinburgh was very expensive, so the Erasmus grant as well as my student financing (Studiefinanciering) came in handy. study/placement abroad period study programme/work plan (concerning content and organisational issues) I only had 3 courses in Edinburgh in one semester, opposed to 4 in Utrecht. Each course was worth 20 credits which is the same as 10 ECTS. Each course only had 3 contact hours, which does not seem like a lot, but we had to read a lot, which we had to do with
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University the rest of our time, so in the end, 3 hours was enough. We also had to opportunity to switch courses within the first 2 weeks of the semester which was great. I made use of this opportunity, and I liked that course the best in the end. academic quality of education/placement activities The quality of education was very high. The teachers expected a lot from all the students, and all assignments were marked strictly, they were also marked anonymously which I really liked, as it seems the most fair to me. counselling/support at host institution/organisation The university of Edinburgh had great support facilities. The international office was open every day, and you could always walk in to ask a question. They also had a special support office which was called "the advice place", they answered any question, from council tax to health care. An office like that is great for an exchange student, as a large number of question arise once you're in a new city in a foreign country. transfer of credits I haven't received my officialy transcript with my grades yet, so I can’t comment on this section student life welcome/orientation programme I participated in a buddy programme where I met lots of exchange students from all over the world. Especially in the begin a large number of orientation, welcoming activities were planned for all exchange students who were going to study at the University of Edinburgh. Everyone wanted to meet new people which made it really easy to make friends. Meeting Scottish people was a bit more difficult though, as you mainly meet exchange students, but I did not find that a huge issue at the beginning, as I had already met so many great new people. After settling down, it became easier to integrate with the Scottish students. accommodation I first applied for university accomodation, but the university did not give me a room, so I looked for a flat myself which turned out to be very easy. I contacted a landlord, and I emailed my personal details + a reference and he accepted. I reckon that I was quite lucky, but I do not think it is very hard to find a flat in Edinburgh. It is expensive though. leisure/culture The University of Edinburgh has got a large number of student associations.I was a member of the wine society, who arranged wine tasting once every week. Museums in Scotland very often have free admission, so I visited a large number of musuems quite regularly. Furthermore, Edinburgh city itself is almost a museum. It is such a pretty city, and I could fill days just walking around. There is always a lot going on; it's such a vibrant city. suggestions/tips Try and explore the country you're going to as much as possible. Be interested in the culture and the language; the locals will really appreciate that. conclusions would you recommend this host organisation/destination to others? please explain Absolutely. The University of Edinburgh is one of the top universities in the world. The quality of education is excellent, and some of the buildings are magnificent. It's the best
Exchange Experiences
International Office
UK – Edinburgh University feeling to have a top quality lecture in a Harry Potter-like building. do you have any additional advice or comments? Start preparing as early as possible, and try to save up enough money as well. It's the worst feeling if you have to watch your money when your abroad. It's not only about studying when you're an exchange student, it's about the whole experience.
