Hey guys! I am halfway through my semester and wanted to touch on my accommodation, classes and how exchange has been so far.
My accommodation is East Newington Place and it was been great. I share a flat with 3 other students (a mix of exchange and first-year students). The location is great as it’s close to the central campus (15 mins walk) and not too far from King’s campus (30 mins walk), plus super accessible bus routes. What is great is that Edinburgh University guarantees accommodation for visiting students, so there’s no worry about finding housing in a new country. My accommodation is self-catered and I paid roughly 2200 pounds for one semester. The suburb I live in, Newington, is amazing and filled with so many charity shops and at least 3 supermarkets within walking distance.
I take 4 classes here, 2 are worth 20 credits and 2 are worth 10 credits each (a whole semester equates to 60 ETCS). These are the courses I’m enrolled in:
- Engineering Project Management 4
- Environment and Sustainability 2
- Water Engineering, Transport and Treatment 3
- Honours Differential Equations
As you can see, I take a range of second, third and fourth-year papers here to match back to my curriculum at home. My classes are all located on King’s campus and are largely exam-based. All lectures are recorded and it is compulsory to attend labs. In my experience, I think UoA has more assignments as I’ve felt that there is less workload here during the semester. Overall, the classes are very interesting here and I’ve learned lots!
My journey so far here has been an absolute blast. I have loved the city of Edinburgh during autumn it is absolutely gorgeous. Some recommendations to explore the city are to check out farmer’s markets at the weekends, Victoria Street and the National Museum rooftop terrace. The paella at the farmers markets is the best I’ve ever had and I can’t stop craving it. Some memorable events are Halloween and Diwali, and I went to flat parties to celebrate with friends. Another plus about exchange is that I am so close to Europe, so I do weekend trips to do travelling! I have visited Malta, Italy, France, and it has been a blast.
Top Tip: On a good day, check out Pentland Farms! You can see Highland cows and Exmoor ponies.