Renowned for its world-famous festivals, vibrant nightlife and picture-perfect scenery, Edinburgh offers the ideal blend of culture, nature and bustling city life.
Rated one of the top student cities in the United Kingdom, second only to London, Edinburgh is home to some of the highest-rated universities in the country. As a whole, Scotland has an outstanding reputation for education, so you’ll have access to some of the best education the UK has to offer.
We know that moving to a new country for your studies is a giant leap, that’s why we’ve put together a handy guide to introduce you to the city ahead of your move.
Studying in Edinburgh
When studying in Edinburgh, you can expect to learn through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, independent study and various other methods depending on your course.
One of the primary ways you’ll study in Scotland is in lectures. Lectures typically last one or two hours and will be delivered by a member of academic staff. Generally speaking, you can expect to join anything from 50 to 300 students in the lecture theatre.
To accompany lectures, you’ll likely attend tutorials too. Tutorials are much smaller than lectures and will help you develop a better understanding of your course subjects.
Other teaching methods may include practical and lab sessions, art or design studio sessions and researching, depending on your course.
As you know, studying at university is very different from college or school, so you can expect to put in plenty of hours of independent learning too.
Getting around Edinburgh
If you need to travel to and from university, it’s good to know your way around the city. Thankfully, Edinburgh is well-connected with the option to take the bus or tram or cycle or walk to university.
If you plan on using public transport, several of the transport providers in the city offer discounted travel for Students. One option is to purchase a Student Ridacard from Lothian Buses. The cost of their travel card starts from £17 per week or £45 a month. The travel card includes travel on Lothian city buses, NightBus services, East Coast Buses (city zones A and B), airport buses, Lothian Country (city zone and WEST zone), and Edinburgh Trams.
To familiarise yourself with the city, you can download the Transport for Edinburgh app, which will help you plan your journey and give real-time updates on services in the city.
Unmissable Edinburgh
When it comes to must-visit attractions, you’ll be spoilt for choice in Edinburgh. With the likes of the historic Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat and the National Museum of Scotland within easy reach, you’ll find plenty to do in your free time.
Perhaps one of the most exciting attractions in the city is the world's largest arts festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Running across 25 days with over 55,000 performances and more than 3,500 different shows across hundreds of venues, it’s an experience of a lifetime.
Bars, restaurants and nights out
As if all of the attractions weren’t enough, the city also boasts an impressive array of bars, restaurants and clubs, promising a great night out.
From BrewDog Edinburgh to Bar Soba and McSorleys, the city centre is bursting at the seams with bars hosting plenty of student nights. You can take your pick from the likes of Shanghai Club at Le Monde, Sneaky Pete’s and Bourbon Bar and Club for clubbing.
If you’re a foodie, there are plenty of restaurants such as Tupiniquim, The Pakora Bar, The Coffee Mill Café and Mr Nicks serving up delicious food and drinks.
Plus, with plenty of activities on campus, you can expect to work hard and play hard in Edinburgh.
To us, Edinburgh is truly a city that has it all. So now we’ve covered the basics; all that’s left to do is enjoy student life in one of the most exciting locations in the United Kingdom – good luck!
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