An Amazing Semester in Scotland

My semester abroad was an amazing experience! I was able to keep up with my necessary credits for school and travel Europe. I was enrolled simultaneously at Baylor and St. Andrews. While there, I took Arabic, Middle East History, a class on Tolkien, Scottish Hiking, and Scottish Music. I learned a lot in my classes there, but I learned far more outside the classroom. The program provides a BritRail pass; so I was able to travel around the UK all the time. I made multiple trips into Edinburgh and went to Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Inverness, Stonehaven (home of the best fish and chips in the UK and also boasts the castle where Hamlet was filmed), and other locations I can't think of at the moment. Most weekends I spent in St Andrews though. I made great friends there and we spent weekends exploring the charming town and taking in the night life. While it is a small town, the VIC is the club frequented by most St Andrews students and there are many pubs. St Andrews is the birth place of golf and it has three courses. St Andrews is also surrounded by water and has three beaches on the North Sea. There are cathedral ruins and a castle. There is a beautiful walking trail and the shops are adorable. The scones and macarons are amazing! I can't put into words how much I miss it right now. I did most of my traveling during Spring Break and during the two week review period before finals. The trip provides a 5 day trip to London during spring break. We stayed at a fabulous hotel and were given tickets to see Les Mis. On my own, I explored more of England; I went to York, Nottingham, and Penzance - all places I could visit with my BritRail pass. I also went to Paris and Dublin. I also had the opportunity to participate in the historic tradition of May Dip, where you plunge into the North Sea on the first day of May at dawn. This program is definitely one I would recommend. It is affordable, it's the same cost as normal tuition and I made lifelong memories. You have the opportunity to travel, you will get a great education, you will feel emersed in history, and you will make great friends!