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Student at University of Edinburgh
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The Edinburgh FAQ and 'Ask a Student' thread

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Reply 160
Original post by Snapescape
- 4 contact hours a week doesn't seem like very much time. Do you feel like you spend more time out of class, working by yourself and researching the topics you're discussing, or debating them in seminars/tutorials? And do the teachers make themselves available for you if you have queries? Are there any open office hours?
-How many works would you say you did on average per day/week?

Well NHI and Oxymoronic have covered the most important points, but you'll have one hour-long tutorial a week where the tutor will pick a selection of texts (or one longer text) taken from the main reading list/lecture readings. One week you might be asked to read a couple of poems, the next week you might be reading Ulysses. It really varies. Lectures will usually concentrate on one text (or a few related texts) so you could end up having lectures on 3 texts (of varying lengths) per week although some complex texts get more than one lecture and there's no pressure to read everything for lectures if you don't want to or don't have time.

Honestly I feel as if four hours of contact time is fine in the first two years. The reality is most of your time will be spent reading primary texts and criticism and then coming up with stuff on your own and whilst tutors are always able to help, it's a very independent discipline.
Student at University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
Reply 161
I've just received my offer to study applied linguistics at Edinburgh and was wondering if anyone has some information on the department that might be helpful to an international student, e.g. what's the atmosphere like? are there a lot of international students? are there classes that MA students and BA students take together? Thank you
Reply 162
Which courses are more likely to have vacancies?
Reply 163
Original post by EvaLuna93
Which courses are more likely to have vacancies?


None of them?
Unless you want to do graduate entry law, which I'm guessing you don't. That always has spaces as its self funded.
hey all,

How would you qualify the night life in edinburgh?? I've checked the residences and they look quite average comparing to bristol and it doesn't seem that there are social events happening in the halls.

thanks for your views
Reply 165
Original post by pinouche13
hey all,

How would you qualify the night life in edinburgh?? I've checked the residences and they look quite average comparing to bristol and it doesn't seem that there are social events happening in the halls.

thanks for your views


That's what societies and the rest of the city is for.... !

Edinburgh accommodation is different to Bristol in that from what I understand, the postgraduate resident tutors are responsible for arranging a lot of social activities and events. Whilst there are resident assistants at Edinburgh what they actually do is variable and beyond Pollock Halls my understanding has always been that they're there to help sort out "practical" issues you might have with your accommodation rather than organise nights out as everyone is perfectly capable of doing that on their own accord.

At Edinburgh you're very much left to your own devices when it comes to arranging your social life (and so you should be, you're an adult!) so your social life will come from joining societies and arranging things like flat parties on your own rather than having some social event arranged for you by someone else. I never had an issue with the night life or the social life but I guess it depends what you're looking for - if you want to be part of a "big" and created community whereby everyone aligns themselves to their accommodation in terms of big going out events, social/charity things and inter accommodation sporting events that you'd get if you were at a collegiate university, for example, then Edinburgh probably isn't the place for you as there isn't that forced sense of friendship like there can be at other universities. People at Edinburgh live in their accommodation but they don't define themselves by it, in general from my experience, people place more prominence on things like society membership or your academic subject. If you want to be someone who is very much part of a city and feel like a resident in a big city cog, then Edinburgh is the place for you. Students at Edinburgh are part of the city scape and are very much residents of the city, we're not isolated or separate like students can be at other universities as there isn't a central hub or base which is the university like there is with campus universities or college based institutions.
I'm considering applying for social anthropology - does anyone mind giving a quick overview of what the course is like, what a typical week might entail?? Also any recomendations for good books to read to show my interest would be greatly appreciated.


EDIT__ Sorry for putting this post in the wrong place.
(edited 12 years ago)
Hello,

If anyone studies Immunology (Biological Sciences) at University of Edinburgh, please share your experiences and opinions about this course! I have received an offer and would like to know what studying Immunology here is like because it is so hard to decide now... :confused:

Thank you! :biggrin:
Reply 168
Original post by Squaresquirrel
I'm considering applying for social anthropology - does anyone mind giving a quick overview of what the course is like, what a typical week might entail?? Also any recomendations for good books to read to show my interest would be greatly appreciated.


EDIT__ Sorry for putting this post in the wrong place.


I did 1A and 1B as outside courses. 1A was a nice little insight into a few ethnographic of well studied groups of people that all anthropologists tend to know about. It was interesting but has no real point beyond giving you a sense of what the subject area is. 1B was much interesting and I really enjoyed it, it really started to get into the key issues for athropologists. I'm now in 4th year so might have changed a bit.

As well as those core courses you will do outside courses, from pretty much anywhere in social science and political studies but you might end up taking some outside the school but it's much less common. Most first and second year courses are structured pretty much the same. You get 3 1hr lectures and a 1hr tutorial lead by a postgrad. Ever week you will cover a different topic. You will be accessed with 40% essay (middle of the term 1500-2500 words) and 60% exam (end of term, 2 questions out of 4-8, 2hrs long). You do three courses per term, some are a year long but most are just the term.

Safest bets for readings in the classics/core texts. Some Levi-Strauss, Geertz, Evans-Pritchard on the Nuer people, Boas, Malinowski, Scheper-Hughes ect. If you can make a reference to them and already understand them then you'll be able to show you get what the subject is and you'll make your first year easier
Reply 169
Original post by BKS
I did 1A and 1B as outside courses. 1A was a nice little insight into a few ethnographic of well studied groups of people that all anthropologists tend to know about. It was interesting but has no real point beyond giving you a sense of what the subject area is. 1B was much interesting and I really enjoyed it, it really started to get into the key issues for athropologists. I'm now in 4th year so might have changed a bit.


The first year course has changed a lot from what I know of it, although I think given you're a few years below me you might have studied the new course. The first people who studied the new course were the year after me (so 2007 entrants) and it seemed like it had changed a lot which a lot of people disliked but from your analysis, I'm not so sure now as that sounds similar to what I did.

Are you doing anthropology now or was it just your outside?
Reply 170
Original post by oxymoronic
The first year course has changed a lot from what I know of it, although I think given you're a few years below me you might have studied the new course. The first people who studied the new course were the year after me (so 2007 entrants) and it seemed like it had changed a lot which a lot of people disliked but from your analysis, I'm not so sure now as that sounds similar to what I did.

Are you doing anthropology now or was it just your outside?

I started 2008 so would have done the newer one but I don't know anyone in years below who've done them so they might have changed again.

Just an outside. I never did more than 1A & B was interesting but not enough for me to do more.
Reply 171
hi does anyone do maths and music. im considering taking music courses outside maths. would really like some info. particularly on the composition side of things.
Original post by Mr.plow
hi does anyone do maths and music. im considering taking music courses outside maths. would really like some info. particularly on the composition side of things.


Omg I applied for joint honours maths and music and it's so nice to see someone with the same interests! I'm particularly interested in composition as well :smile:
Sorry I don't have much info on it though, hopefully will find out more at the open day!
Hey Guys,
I got an offer saying:

"This offer is subject to you obtaining
three A-levels at ABB to include Mathematics and Physics"

I already have a A in French which I sat in January, does that mean I only need an B in Maths and B in Physics this summer?
Or does the offer only apply to exams taken this June.
Reply 174
It means,

By the end of your A-Levels, your grades should be ABB including the subjects of Mathematics and Physics.

So basically, you need three A-Levels to be completed, two of which include Mathematics and Physics, and the grades achieved in those three A-Levels, should be ABB ( or higher/better, of course :tongue: ).

"Or does the offer only apply to exams taken this June." <<< NO. The offer applies to your overall grade for the subject at the end of A-Levels.
Great!!
Thank you.
I really have no idea which out of Strathclyde, Dundee, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh I am going to accept. Does anyone have any advice, because I am completely indecisive at this point.
Should also say I'm going for Civil Engineering as well. That might help matters.
Reply 178
Hi everyone,

I read the whole thread trying not to post something that has been already asked by someone else... Anyway, I applied ( late though ) to study French and English Literature at Edinburgh starting next September ( if I get an offer ).. I was wondering whether or not there is someone around here that is doing the same course and could help me clarify how it really works. (:

Thanks anyway, the information I got here was pretty useful anyway.
Reply 179
Hello,

I'm an international student and English is my second language. Could you please tell me whether it is useful to attend the 3 Week ELTC English and Study Skills Presessional Course at the University of Edinburgh in August before starting my undergraduate course? I have applied to read International Business in Sept 2012.

Do any of you have any experience with this Presessional course?

Will I find it difficult to keep up with the level of English (writing/oral) in this degree if I don't attend the course?

Thank you so much for your advice!:smile:

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