The Student Room Group

Edinburgh

I'm an American so I basically know nothing, not having the cultural context of living in the UK.

Anyways, Edinburgh gave me an offer for their MA honors in Philosophy and Politics.

I just applied to Edinburgh as a safty school and I don't really know anything about it, I've been to the city but not to the university really. Is Edinburgh thought of as a good school, is the course I got considered a good one (it actually wasn't what I put on my UCAS form). Is it good enough that I shouldn't apply to any more safty schools and just go to Edinburgh if I don't get into any of my top choices? What do people think about the university?

Thanks
Reply 1
Houyhnhnm
I'm an American so I basically know nothing, not having the cultural context of living in the UK.

Anyways, Edinburgh gave me an offer for their MA honors in Philosophy and Politics.

I just applied to Edinburgh as a safty school and I don't really know anything about it, I've been to the city but not to the university really. Is Edinburgh thought of as a good school, is the course I got considered a good one (it actually wasn't what I put on my UCAS form). Is it good enough that I shouldn't apply to any more safty schools and just go to Edinburgh if I don't get into any of my top choices? What do people think about the university?

Thanks

the uk is f*****g freezing
Reply 2
Edinburgh is an inspiring place to live and study, which may account for why three-quarters of students achieve a first or 2:1. The university is treading a fine line between its traditional instincts and embracing more modern trends. This can be seen in some of the new courses coming on stream this month: Greek studies replaces Greek, and biological sciences, chemistry and environmental chemistry are offered with management for the first time.

There is a range of sports degrees: applied sports science; outdoor education with environmental studies; and sport and recreation management. These are available alongside “traditional” university staples (classics, medicine, veterinary medicine, history of art, music and law) and more unusual features such as Scandinavian studies, Chinese, Arabic, Sanskrit and Scottish ethnology.

A new admissions policy shows Edinburgh is moving with the times. While final grades will remain important, the university has pledged to give more consideration to applicants from the local area, from schools or families with no tradition in higher education, from a variety of access schemes and from those whose education has been disrupted. Edinburgh will remain one of the toughest universities to get into, but for some students the bar may have been lowered a little. Edinburgh is not the cheapest city but it is one of the most exciting.

Accommodation is plentiful and with more than 5,000 university rooms about one-third of students live in, including all first-years from outside Edinburgh.

Sports facilities include an outdoor centre on Loch Tay, 80 miles away, offering sailing, orienteering and kayaking in summer and skiing and mountaineering in winter. Open day October 15. Booking is essential.

Student view Will Garton, president of the students’ association:

Best feature Our city, which has a sense of community.

Worst feature Be prepared for the North Sea wind.

Location Proximity to the city centre; you’re not isolated.

Social scene Whatever your taste there’s a social aspect on campus.

Rated excellent (23) Chemistry; physics; mathematics and statistics; computer studies; social work; history; cellular and molecular biology; organismal biology; veterinary medicine; social policy; archeology; architecture; business and management; classics and ancient history; economics; accountancy; English; electrical and electronic engineering; civil engineering; mechanical engineering; chemical engineering; politics; sociology and social anthropology.


From The Sunday Times 2003
Reply 3
Edin. is a good uni, it has a good reputation wihtin Uk. I 'm not sure if i'd wanna stay in scottland for 4 yrs though. I think It is a good uni....it has been between 10 to 20 top unis in UK

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,716,00.html
http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2003/0,13330,956807,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,8403,00.html
Reply 4
Edinburgh is beautiful. It was my insurance choice last year, and if I hadn't got in to my first choice I would have gone there with absolutely no complaints at all. I don't know anything at all about your particular course (I applied for Chinese), but the profs I met were more than happy to answer my questions, and because I was part of a small group of students studying a minority sunbject, they took the time to discuss the course in detail with each of us, and introduced us to current students etc.

Speaking of the students, the ones I met all seemed intelligent and passionate about their subjects. Like the profs, they were willing to answer questions, and helped give a different view of the course and the University than the one I gained from the prospectus.


Also, I had tea in the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books. If you go to Edinburgh, don't forget to visit it, they have great almond croissants. :wink: