Arcadia Abroad in Scotland

Overall, my time in Edinburgh was a dream, filled with magical moments and friendships that I will treasure for the rest of my life. It wasn't always perfect, however. During the dark, winter months, I found myself isolated, depressed, and unsure what to do with my days. Because of professor strikes, I did not have many classes or homework. This meant that many days, I did not have any real reason to get out of bed in the morning. This, coupled with the bad weather trapping everyone inside, made for some tough days. The mental health resources were there, but not super accessible or helpful. Luckily I made two great friends with whom I explored the city and traveled with. Once the weather got better, and classes resumed, I felt more like myself again. For the last month and a half, I fell completely in love with the city and had more adventures than I thought possible. I met someone in the meadows, who that same day lent me her camping gear, I hiked Arthur's seat to watch the sunrise (highly recommend!!), I explored Crammond Island, I backpacked/camped in the Pentlands, found secret gardens throughout the city, barbecued on Portabello Beach, walked through Deans Village and the Botanical gardens, volunteered in people's gardens, discovered countless cafes and hole in the wall restauraunts/bars, traveled to Glasgow and the Highlands, and so much more. I learned how to confidently connect with strangers and put myself out there. I learned how to make things happen, execute ambitious plans, and work through crises. Although I wasn't pushed academically as much as I would have liked, I developed many valuable life skills. I wouldn't change anything about my semester abroad; I had the time of my life.

This was a wonderful experience. I met so many people from all over the world, travelled to cool places, and learned a lot about myself. The most enriching thing from this experience was meeting people from different countries. Since Edinburgh is such an international city, it was easy to meet people not only from Europe but from Asia as well. I'm glad I didn't hang out with Americans as much. Meeting all these people helped me realize it's impossible to really understand other people and yourself without meeting people who have been brought up in completely different cultures and environments. The Arcadia Global Studies program facilitated a few trips that I took advantage of. I really appreciated that the trips were well though out, subsidized, and informative. I was also really pleased with how kind the program staff was. Although I never really sought out help, I wouldn't have hesitated if I needed it.

I thought Arcadia did a great job of getting us all to Scotland, hosting an orientation, and getting us to our individual accommodations. They were very organized, and were always there to help if you needed someone. Their excursions were very fun and well organized. Arcadia made the transition from America to Scotland much easier and fluid. I really appreciated having them as my program advisors.

One of the best experiences I had abroad was the 'reading' week we got off in the middle of February. While most people I knew went to Portugal or Greece, a friend and I decided to fly to the arctic. In the northernmost part of Norway, we went on a midnight dogsled through the wilderness. That alone would have been an incredible experience. But as we returned to camp, I noticed a faint silver thread floating through the sky. I stopped. I let go. I sat into the snow as the darkness opened to greens and pinks drifting through the sky. Before, when I pictured the Northern Lights I always pictured an overwhelming magnificence that was, for some reason, loud. But out there, I was struck by the most beautiful silence. Pure and soft. Everything else disappeared.

Having never traveled overseas, I suffered some culture shock upon landing in Scotland. First, no one mentioned that Scotland is actually on the same latitude as Alaska, and so the sun makes a VERY short appearance during the winter days. This in combination with cloudy skies, rain, and a relentless wind, made my first few weeks in Scotland a tad miserable. In addition, coming from a small rural liberal arts school, I had to quickly adapt to big university life in a relatively small, but still urban environment. For me, studying abroad wasn't about falling in love with the place, but about pushing myself to try new things. Don't get me wrong--Scotland is absolutely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In fact, I can't wait to go back to the Scottish highlands in the future. But, studying in Scotland taught me that I don't want to live in a city, that I don't want to live where the sun only shines for 5 hours during the winter, etc. Regardless, I'd still do it again.

I met some amazing people during my time abroad. And yes, the miserable weather and lack of sunlight was a huge talking point. But, what I liked most was that Edinburgh attracted people from all over the globe. I met so many people from Australia, I could travel around that continent just sleeping on friends' couches.

The academics are comparable with U.S. universities, but the workload is distributed differently. With three classes and only two assignments per class, I had to manage my time very efficiently to ensure that I got the work done and done well.

I encourage anyone interested to go to Edinburgh in the fall semester. You get better weather and plus you'll be there for the Christmas/New Years festival, which is world famous. While the program is longer in the spring, just be aware that spring break leads into the exam period, which together lasts 5 weeks. So, that's five weeks of just living in Scotland (after you've already been there for 4 months) which can get pretty boring if you have exhausted your financial resources.

Arcadia was extremely helpful in helping us transition and get comfortable in a new country. They also had many great trip opportunities to exciting places throughout Scotland. The city of Glasgow and the University were beautiful, with an amazing culture, and neverending list of fun things to do. The education system is a little different from what I expected. I was graded pretty much on only one or two exams per class, and it required a lot more independent studying than my US classes. Basically, the teachers don't hold your hand as much. However, the professors were wonderful. The Pre-Medical anatomy class for study abroad students was the best class I've ever taken, incomparable to anything US schools typically offer to undergrads. The social life in the city was great, and I found students to be very welcoming to foreign students. Glasgow University has tons of clubs, and I joined the running club. It was a great way to make new friends in a new place.

Glasgow was amazing. I wouldn't give up a day there for anything. The Arcadia staff provided a pretty good orientation, as well as opportunities for smaller trips within Scotland on weekends and what not. There was also an opportunity for a weekend homestay, which I would highly recommend because it was a great part of my experience abroad! It can be hard to meet Scottish students because housing generally puts you with other international students but there are so many clubs and societies at the university that it's easy to meet Scottish students that way! All in all, it was a fantastic experience.

I went to University of Edinburgh because it was one of 3 programs offered for my major so I did not know what to expect, but the University, city, and people more than exceeded my expectations. The Arcadia staff thinks of everything you could need like a historic Scotland and rail cards, which come in very handy. They are always available and provide awesome events to get to know students studying at other programs throughout Scotland. There is always so much to do and the city is so beautiful I never got tired of walking around exploring the sites.