Did you know that Edinburgh was the home to the inventors of the first telephone and television? It was even the birthplace of Harry Potter – JK Rowling began writing chapter 4 on after she moved to Edinburgh to be closer to her sister. Did you know that there are more trees per head in this city than any other city in the UK? How about that Edinburgh gets less rain annually than New York, Rome, or Frankfurt. And everyone loves a great animal story! Edinburgh is the only city to have an awarded dog (Greyfriar’s Bobby – a great book too) on its list of citizens. These are just some of the fun anecdotes you are in store for if you head to the University of Edinburgh.
Going to college abroad – as opposed to study abroad for a semester – is an incredibly enriching experience. Having lived outside of America for almost half my life, The College Sage encourages students to give an international college experience considerable thought. Many students don’t realize that it’s also surprisingly affordable! Most international college costs are equivalent to attending an out-of-state public college in the US.
I recently caught up with a University of Edinburgh junior Katie Cole. Katie was on official business with a University of Edinburgh club in Charleston, SC. Her home university club had sent her to learn about a similar club at the College of Charleston. Here’s Katie’s story of how a teen from Savannah, Georgia found her way to an amazing college experience across the pond.
College Sage: Katie you’re from Savannah, Georgia – what drew you to college in Scotland?
Katie Cole: I was supposed to go there on a school trip in junior year to see the Fringe Festival, which is the huge annual, international theatre festival held in Edinburgh. Our trip got cancelled and I had already been really excited to go after researching the city and the University dorms in which I would have stayed, so it was in the back of my mind when I went to apply to colleges during senior year. I think I was really more attracted to the city than anything else; it has so much to offer and depending on what part of town you are in, it can feel like a big city, a small college town, or the middle of the highlands—each option just a few blocks from each other.
College Sage: So you’re an American and you land in Edinburgh – how did you start making friends and what is the social scene like?
Katie Cole: I would first of all suggest to anyone to stay in the catered accommodation! It forced me to find people to eat in the cafeteria with and be social, whereas some of my friends who lived in self-catered apartment style accommodation had trouble meeting people outside of their flat. I really had to be proactive in orientation week and I just sat in the common kitchen and chatted to people who were also on my hall and I made some lifelong friends. The University also sets up classes so that you are in lectures of 300 for one module, and then they break you down into smaller classes of 20 people for “tutorials” to review case studies. I met a ton of people there as well with whom I’m still good friends. There are so many different clubs and societies, as long as you make the effort to find ones that you want to join, you will have no problem finding good friends. I will say, the sports culture is very different and definitely not important to the UK social scene. The sports clubs are for the socialization for the players, no one really goes to sports games as a big social event like they do in the USA.
College Sage: What have been your favorite experiences studying at the University of Edinburgh?
Katie Cole: I genuinely don’t know if I can pick just one experience! I’d say just the opportunity to live in the city itself. On the rare sunny days (in my opinion, the city is still beautiful in the overcast weather), the city just glows and I feel so incredibly lucky to live there - it almost makes me cry in the middle of the sidewalk. I get to walk through the Meadows (almost a smaller version of Central Park in NYC) everyday on my way to class and I get to study or grab coffee in the oldest student union building in the world, which is an actual castle! I get to walk 10 minutes from my flat and escape the city life and climb an extinct volcano in the middle of the city, which makes me feel like I’m in the highlands. I get to walk around these amazing Christmas Markets with friends and walk under the extravagant street of lights. Furthermore, I have the opportunity to travel all over Europe for relatively cheap prices. I’ve been able to fly with friends to Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan, Verona, Lake Como, Venice, Florence, Barcelona, and Mallorca. I’ve also been able to hop in a car with friends and go to the north of Scotland for freezing beach trips, and I’ve been able to travel with visiting family to the Isle of Skye for the most picturesque scenery of all time. Scotland is the most amazing location and it truly makes every experience 10x better!!
College Sage: If you could change one thing about your college experience, what would it be?
Katie Cole: Because it is such a big university, there seems to be an invisible wall or barrier between the students and the staff. It depends on the teacher as to how willing they are to help. I’ve had lecturers who will never respond to my email and I’ve had ones who pull all-nighters with me to email back and forth and give feedback on rough drafts of papers at 4am the morning of the deadline. And it varies from school to school. We have implemented Peer Support and Peer Assisted Learning Schemes to help students with that issue. But there is also a University-wide mission to improve that issue and reform the way that our “personal tutor” system works.
College Sage: You’re visiting Charleston this week with a group from the University of Edinburgh – how in the world did that happen?
Katie Cole: I volunteer with the University’s Peer Assisted Learning and Peer Support Schemes, in which older students assist the freshman’s transition into University life both academically and personally/socially. I applied to come to this conference and discuss with peer mentors from the College of Charleston’s peer support scheme to help solve some problems in the student experience at both of our schools. If you make the effort to get involved, the University can truly offer some amazing opportunities to build your resume and get some amazing experience. For example, thanks to my great education and because of my involvement with the peer support schemes, I was able to secure a summer internship with JP Morgan Chase.
College Sage: How is the academic system different?
Katie Cole: So first of all, no one goes into University as an ‘undeclared major.’ You apply to a certain area of study or school in the University and write one personal statement about why you want to go into that field of study. Once you get to University, the schools are all so different that I can only give your readers insight into the Business School. We take about three modules per semester, the classes meet multiple times per week, either in lectures or tutorials. As you get into the later years, you only meet once per week for a two hour lecture and you’re expected to do the type of research into case studies and examples on your own instead of in tutorials. As a forewarning, the grading system is completely different!! A 70-100 is an A, a 60-69 is a B, 50-59 is a C, and 40 is the passing rate. It’s a bit easier for STEM students to get in the 80s or 90s because their work is all math or multiple choice based exams and so there is a correct answer. However, in the business school, all we do is write essays, and that is so subjective that if you get a 65 or above on your paper or exam, you are ecstatic!! Furthermore, if you get something like an 85 or above on a paper, the University may decide to publish your paper in a scientific journal, so don’t feel discouraged if you are not getting the same 90s and 100s that you got in high school - the UK system has its own grading system and UK employers recognize that.
The College Sage:Thanks Katie for all your insights! I hope you enjoyed your few days in Charleston. And for all you internationally adventurous teens out there – contact thecollegesage.com to find out how you can make the University of Edinburgh or other international colleges a reality!
