University of Edinburgh experience

1) how was your experience overall? I really wanted to know things no one really mentions (especially the uni websites themselves) that would be useful to know before coming to the uni.

Not really good. If I choose again I will not do my programme in here. The size of undergraduate students are too many than the uni can allocate, and the individual resources are very little. If you do a theoretical&academic programme you will surprise that you like a really weird cuz barelly students care about academic. And there is no undergraduate research opportunity in here. So if you graduate here and try to apply a phd programme later, it is a huge disadvantage.

2) how are the personal tutors? are they helpful? and can you genuinely discuss all aspects of your academic progress with them, getting thorough advice when needed?

My pt is really good and helpful, this is something need to mention. But I cannot guarantee your experience cuz it is case-by-case senario.

3) how are student support services? I know student satisfaction isn't ranked very highly at Edinburgh, and it would probably now be worse due to online lessons/covid. Student support would include career advisors, study abroad support, and then personal tutors/tutorials, etc.

nah, you can barelly get any suppport, there is very little internship they try to offer you. The study experience on campus or online in fact is no difference at all. In the year before Covid I literally stayed at my resident and watched the recordings because the size of students.

4) Particularly for physics students, how is the course structure/organization? Are the lecturers helpful? What about the course content? I personally liked the brief outline of the astrophysics course on the website but I figured there might be differences in the actual delivery of the material
Lastly, even if you do not go/went to the uni, are there any aspects of Edinburgh that one should know before coming?


The course content is quite academic and has a very high quality(I am not a physical student but I heard students from physical said the same thing.) So this is one good point. A lot famous professors in here but except teaching they does not care too much about the undergraduate students. I feel that some teachers are narcissists and look down on undergraduates.

If you don't get a place at a uni like Oxbridge or Imperial but you still want to be taught in a academic way then Edinburgh may suit for you. But agian, do not expect too much.

1) how was your experience overall?

My experience has been a good one. I find that some departments have dealt better with covid than others, but I don't study a physics degree so I'm not sure what that's been like. Because of it being a 4 year degree, only the third and fourth year count towards your classification. This is good if you want to relax and have a bit more fun in your first year (probably shouldn't in your second lol) but also shouldn't really impact you if you want to study hard. I only started approaching my lecturers for help this year, and I was surprised at how willingly they gave it. I had felt a bit of a disconnect between myself and them, but knew that other people were far more integrated within this learning community than I was. Ultimately it's on you to start that relationship.

2) how are the personal tutors? are they helpful? and can you genuinely discuss all aspects of your academic progress with them, getting thorough advice when needed?

This varies. I had an absolutely terrible tutor to begin with and went a while not really understanding how everyone else around me loved their tutors and talked to them loads and got all this advice from them. However, I asked my departments student support if I could change tutors and I had within that day and I now have a much better experience with a tutor that is really willing to help me out and get the stuff done for me that needs doing.

3) how are student support services? Student support would include career advisors, study abroad support, and then personal tutors/tutorials, etc.

See above for personal tutors. Careers advice is pretty good - they have so many internship programmes at the uni each summer that you can apply to in your second and third year and I know some people that have done that and have really enjoyed them. Study abroad support I'm not totally convinced by personally, but I didn't go on a year abroad so maybe other people who actually did go had a different experience. I've used the counselling service twice and though loads of people complain about it and the waiting times, the waiting times are significantly better than the NHS. I've had a fairly good experience with it. Ultimately, if you seek out the support, it is there and the people working with them are clearly trying their hardest. But you won't automatically be noticed to be struggling or in need of something, you do have to go and ask.

4) Particularly for physics students, how is the course structure/organization?

Don't study physics sorry 😢

Lastly, even if you do not go/went to the uni, are there any aspects of Edinburgh that one should know before coming?

I really love Edinburgh and am planning to stay here for the rest of my life. I have literally nothing bad to say about Edinburgh, it's a great place to live.

Hi, thank you for responding! I would ideally want to be taught in a very academic way and I really like the course content but your experience is kinda worrying ngl. Do you mind specifying what your degree program was? I always thought Edinburgh was a rather research-intensive uni did you get in touch with the career service (regarding research internships) or lecturers for research opportunities and got no support? And regarding the professors, I didn't get the narcissism part, do they not respond to queries or help etc?

Hi, thank you for responding! I would ideally want to be taught in a very academic way and I really like the course content but your experience is kinda worrying ngl. Do you mind specifying what your degree program was? I always thought Edinburgh was a rather research-intensive uni did you get in touch with the career service (regarding research internships) or lecturers for research opportunities and got no support? And regarding the professors, I didn't get the narcissism part, do they not respond to queries or help etc?

Hi, thank you for responding! I would ideally want to be taught in a very academic way and I really like the course content but your experience is kinda worrying ngl. Do you mind specifying what your degree program was? I always thought Edinburgh was a rather research-intensive uni did you get in touch with the career service (regarding research internships) or lecturers for research opportunities and got no support? And regarding the professors, I didn't get the narcissism part, do they not respond to queries or help etc?

Yes, The course content is the only really good point to let me stay here. It indeed offers more academic&theoretical courses than other same level Russell group university, but this is only because Edinburgh just has these professors doing these field. It does not mean that they try to give you anything more. If you try to get a job/ start you career after graduation, maybe Edinbrugh is not so bad in this way. But if you want to do it becasue you try to persue an academic road. Try it later for PhD. They indeed love their Phd/Post-Phd/Research staff but certainly taught programme students.

What about the teaching quality? as in the quality of the lectures delivered? Are they interesting and do you actually understand what's being taught about the modules in general? I can put up with a lot of self-study but if the professors don't care about making students understand the stuff, that's not ideal. But anyway, thanks a lot for the replies. It was very helpful