Edinburgh, one of the most charming cities I`ve ever visited, full of mysteries and warm, open-minded people, who despite the rainy weather, can really make you feel at home.
I studied at the SAC (the Scottish Agricultural College) and I am really satisfied with this experience. My advisor helped me carrying out many different short researches on food policy, consumer behaviour and agricultural economics, coming up with a project almost every day. I was glad I did not have to work on just one single project for the whole period of my stay, so that I could see everything under a bigger prospective. I focused a bit more on the CAP (the Common Agricultural Policy) reform, since it was a hot topic for the European Union at the time, and analysed all the implications of the reform for the main Member States. The data we used to analyse the different policies came from publications of European research centres, official documents of the European Commission and a specific and rare database that the SAC had in its archives. I had the chance to talk with many researchers at the college and from them I've always received very useful insights. I am also really grateful for all the help and suggestions my advisor provided me with. I think this experience will be a guideline and a benchmark for my future career.
When not working in Edinburgh there is plenty to see: dramatic castles, old underground tunnels, beautiful gothic churches, interesting museums, florid gardens and so on and so forth. The highlands are also an unforgettable experience. The landscapes there are so stunningly beautiful that they do not seem even real. The food is not that bad as in the rest of the UK, at least as far as my Italian taste is concerned… The Scottish salmon is a delicacy, then for less sophisticated palates, there is the traditional haggis, which is better not to know how it is made, but it tastes really good, especially with a whisky cream on top! Drinks are much more famous than the food; there are probably more types of beer than the whole Scottish population and it is well worth trying them all!
The accommodation was really comfortable from the second week on, with very large rooms and close to the city centre. I had some troubles during the first week due to an overlapping of students, coming (another girl and I) and going (other students who had almost finished their projects), but nevertheless we managed to survive and after some moving, I got along very well with my housemate.
I would definitely recommend this experience, I enjoyed myself improving my skills at the same time, just a small advice, do not forget closed waterproof shoes and an umbrella!:)

Make sure to tell everyone involved exactly what you want to get out of the program (and make sure you know as well!). The only way to know what you're getting into and if it's right for you is to ask questions until you get answers.

This has been a great experience! My supervisors at the internship that I was placed gave me plenty to do and I learned a lot from them. I spent the first few weeks researching and visiting different sites around the city that the supervisor had scheduled previously. Then the last few weeks were spent working on a study that they allowed me to run! Definitely a great resume building opportunity all around! Additionally, the living conditions were also phenomenal, I was certainly not expecting to be living in such a nice apartment in such a good part of the city. It was right near the bus stop, all the good restaurants and grocery stores. The only problem that I really had from the living situation was the fact that our apartment didn't have Wi-Fi for 3 weeks, but other than that it was pretty luxurious! The only complaint that I would really have is that it is pretty expensive, not to mention the fact that the city is expensive to begin with. All in all, I had a great time and I'm sure anyone who was looking to intern abroad would feel the same!

This program was amazing! Not only did I get lots of experience in my field of study but it also opened my eyes to new aspects of my field. Conducting research studies really made me think about a different approach to what I am planning on studying. It was exciting and I learned a lot. Not only was the educational part extremely interesting and useful, the location of the apartment they gave us was in a perfect spot in the city and was close to everything. It was truly an amazing experience.

Scotland was a great experience. At 9 am we would catch our bus to go to work. During the 30 minute ride to work, we would talk with each other and the locals. We arrived at work at 9:30 and stayed until 5. At work, we had various projects which needed to be completed at the end of our 6 week stay. The people were amazing and kind. On the weekends, we went on tours and explored Scotland. We did have one major problem; it took 3 weeks for us to get wifi at the apartment.

The ecological program in Scotland was a great experience for me. I really loved seeing all the scenic parts around Scotland- the Highlands, nature reserves, castles and so much more. Even the campus itself that you stay at has some gorgeous landscape. The two program courses were very informative and showed me a lot about habitat management and conservation.

Overall, I had an amazing time in Scotland and in this specific program. The other students in my program were definitely the highlight, since we all got along so well. I have made so many new friends who I hope to see in the future. Seeing Scotland was even more beautiful than I remembered it to be, and we got to see many areas of Scotland that I would not have seen if I was just on a regular tour. The college itself is a wonderful agricultural college with really cool opportunities for students in a beautiful area of West Lothian.

This experience has overall been very rewarding. The program was a bit a more unstructured than I had thought, but looking back that is what should have been expected as this was the first time this program was being run.

I love how there were cultural visits built into our weekly schedules alongside our coursework activities. Also, the coursework largely consisted of conducting outdoor fieldwork - which I was very excited about. It was a good way to cultivate this fieldwork skill as well as spend time outdoors in the beautiful Scotland countryside.

I'm not sure how the selection process worked for accepting students into this program, but whatever you're doing you're doing it well. All of the ecology students were very fun to work with and we got along well. They were also pretty low maintence and able to go with the flow - an important trait when dealing with a new program such as this.

A few unfortunate things:
The canteen/dining hall was under construction nearly the entire time we were here. The food selection was not what I expected, not a lot of fruits and vegies which can be difficult for people, like myself, with dietary resrictions such as gluten allergies and vegetarian options.
The airport pickup was a bit uncoordinated as well. I was told to arrive at certain time and that an Adelante/Oatridge representative would be there with a sign for me to meet until we had a large enough party to head back to the college. There was no one waiting, and I ended up just having to blindly seek out students in the airport who might be part of the same program. And we were waiting for a while. Which would've been fine if we knew that some help was on the way. The phone numbers we were given to contact Oatridge upon arrival weren't working either - which made it even more difficult to tell if anyone was on their way to get us.
Some of the coursework was not explained in full. There was a big project at the end of the course and everyone in our group thought we were doing something different than what was actually assigned. The organization/coordinatino between different instructors seemed to be lacking a bit - but not too much.