Opinions on the University of Edinburgh?

[untoldbattles]

I'm considering submitting an application to the University of Edinburgh, UK.. I was just wondering, being ranked the 19th best University in the world, would pursuing my studies there be intolerably stressful? I understand that studying there wouldn't be that easy and that it'll still be necessary to study hard no matter what grades I've obtained, but is it a good choice? Anyone have any personal experience attending it or know anyone who has?

[Pi.R^2]

Have you been to an Open Day there? That might give you a better feel for the demands of the course than just basing it on a ranking, which takes into account various factors and I imagine varies from department to department anyway. (E.g. The University I went to is now in the Russell Group, but the subject I studied in the end was not one of its strengths so thinking the course would be very stressful becuase of the overall university's reputation would have been inaccurate).

I know a few people who went to Edinburgh and they seemed to like it! It's a very popular city.

[Optimus Pirate]

I live in Edinburgh, and it's a pretty cool city to live in, especially as a student when you get loads of discounts and can do cool stuff.

Edinburgh University is also a very good university - I did a postgrad certificate course there, and am also applying to do a Masters starting next year.

I would suggest you look online for feedback about the specific course you are interested in, because it does vary from course to course, and you might find the course you are interested in is different/better at a different university.

Edinburgh Uni is a very old uni, and so a lot of the courses tend to be very old fashioned, in that they are mostly exam based (some newer uni's have more coursework based courses, etc) and also a lot of the courses are very theory based and less practical.

[untoldbattles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pi.R^2

Have you been to an Open Day there? That might give you a better feel for the demands of the course than just basing it on a ranking, which takes into account various factors and I imagine varies from department to department anyway. (E.g. The University I went to is now in the Russell Group, but the subject I studied in the end was not one of its strengths so thinking the course would be very stressful becuase of the overall university's reputation would have been inaccurate).

I know a few people who went to Edinburgh and they seemed to like it! It's a very popular city.

I haven't been to an Open Day as of now but I'm considering going for their next one on the 24th of this month! Now that you've mentioned it, I've realised that basing my judgement of how stressful it'll be on it's ranking is indeed inaccurate

[untoldbattles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Optimus Pirate

I live in Edinburgh, and it's a pretty cool city to live in, especially as a student when you get loads of discounts and can do cool stuff.

Edinburgh University is also a very good university - I did a postgrad certificate course there, and am also applying to do a Masters starting next year.

I would suggest you look online for feedback about the specific course you are interested in, because it does vary from course to course, and you might find the course you are interested in is different/better at a different university.

Edinburgh Uni is a very old uni, and so a lot of the courses tend to be very old fashioned, in that they are mostly exam based (some newer uni's have more coursework based courses, etc) and also a lot of the courses are very theory based and less practical.

How's the School of Informatics? I happen to be looking into Computer Science! From what I've gathered online, 70% is exam-based and 30% coursework, with 2 courseworks per semester.

Thank to all of you for your advice too!

[Isoverity]

I've never even stepped foot in Scotland but I am more familiar Edinburgh than universities close to me lol. That's because one of my best buds from here graduated from there and I probably saw 10k photos from there. Sciennes, Arthur's Seat, The Hive, festivals etc - I've seen lots of places. Edinburgh seems like a really cool place to live in (aside from the often dreary weather). Socially it seemed like a lot of fun. Academically I know it was challenging but it didn't seem like a constant grind if you like your subjects and can study well without being prodded to do so. The last weeks of exams and papers were the critical hurdles so you don't want to fall behind. A lot of the students (lots of women) were bright and could have attended golden triangle unis but they seemed more blithe-spirited and not as stuffy (that could be a prejudice on my part since my friend was like that lol ). Having known dozens of uni students from here and watching them during uni years I would pick Edinburgh as a first choice if I had to go to a uni there (I had 7 years myself so I can detect some "tells" when it comes to unis) . The gloom might get to me but the activities and travel would make up for it.

[Mrs_Panda]

My boyfriend did his computer science degree at Edinburgh Uni and it sounds like a great place to study. It's about five years since he left so I'm sure things have changed with the course and uni, but I know a few people doing other subjects there and they all seem to love it.

Like advised above, go on the open day and look for student satisfaction surveys for the course you're interested in. Ultimately, university choice is a personal thing and you won't get a good feel for the place without visiting.

Aside from that, Edinburgh is a beautiful city and has lots of things going on for students to do.

[yoyogirl]

Hiya
I would definitely make application to study next September, however i would also have a list of other universities and have them as insurance choices/backups. Good luck with studies :)