ANR: 849517
Name: Manizja Aziz
E-mail: m.aziz@tilburguniversity.edu
Exchange semester: fall semester 2014
Academic year: 2014/2015
Host University: Universty of Edinburgh
Country: Scotland, United Kingdom
I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
During the fall semester of 2014 I studied at the University of Edinburgh in
Edinburgh, Scotland. The university has three colleges, namely the College of
Humanities and Social Science (which has 11 Schools, including the School
of Law), the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (which has 4
Schools), and the College of Science and Engineering (which has 7 Schools).
The University of Edinburgh had 32,591 students in the academic year
2013-2014: of which 21,369 are undergraduate students and 11,222 are
postgraduate students. In general, the undergraduate programmes last four
years, as opposed to the three-year programmes in the Netherlands.
The University of Edinburgh has two main campuses, namely the
Central Area (fairly centrally located) and King’s Buildings (located in the
southern part of the city). Whilst the Central Area is occupied primarily by the
College of Humanities and Social Science, the College of Science and
Engineering is situated at the King’s Buildings. All of my courses were taught
at the Central Area, most notably at George Square where buildings such
Appleton Tower and David Hume Tower, as well as the main university library
are located. Also, one of my weekly tutorials was taught at Old College, where
the School of Law is situated. The Central Area provided many facilities:
obviously university buildings, but also the main university library, the health
centre, Teviot Row House, (one of the buildings of Edinburgh University
Students’ Association (EUSA), shops selling stationery and University of
Edinburgh merchandise, and so on.
The University of Edinburgh is much older and bigger than Tilburg
University, resulting in some striking differences. Whereas Tilburg University
only has one campus where all university buildings are located, the University
of Edinburgh has multiple campuses in the city. Also, there are numerous
societies that students can join, whereas in Tilburg the main societies are
Plato, Olaf, Vidar and I*ESN.
Edinburgh is an old, charming and relatively small city. Although it is a capital
city, and a vibrant one, it is not as crowded and touristic as many other
European capital cities such as London, Rome or Paris. For me this balance
was perfect, and it helped me to feel at home quickly. I lived at West Nicolson
Street, which was a perfect location, as it was really close to George Square,
but also relatively nearby the city centre.
Edinburgh, and Scotland in general, are much more hilly than the
Netherlands. When visiting or living in Edinburgh, climbing Arthur’s Seat is
definitely a must. My favourite hill, however, was Calton Hill, which is really
easy to climb but offers an amazing view of the city, especially at sunrise or
sunset.
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Other places that I recommend are the café Elephant House (‘the
birthplace of Harry Potter’), the Irish pubs Malones and Finnigan’s Wake, the
library bar in Teviot Row House, the beautiful Victoria Street, the gift shop
Eden, the restaurant chain Nandos, the pub Pilgrim Bar, the ‘museum’
Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, Holyrood Park, the Mexican
restaurant Mariachi, and so on.
One weekend I took the Skye High Tour by Haggis Adventures, which
takes one to, among others, the Highlands, Loch Ness, Inverness and Isle of
Skye. I definitely recommend going up north to explore the Highlands, as the
scenery is absolutely stunning.
II PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Information before you left
I received the pre-arrival information from the University of Edinburgh in
summer. This included information about one’s personal tutor, introduction
activities, picking up the student card, and so on.
Visa procedure and arrival
I did not have to arrange a (student) visa.
I arrived in Edinburgh the weekend before the start of Freshers’ Week. During
that weekend, students from the University of Edinburgh were present at the
airport to welcome new students, provide them with some information and a
map, and, if necessary, arrange a taxi for them. As I had three suitcases with
me, a taxi was arranged for me, which first brought me to Pollock Halls where
I picked up the keys of my accommodation, after which I went to my flat.
The reception at school was very well. In my first week I had a meeting with
my Personal Tutor, who enrolled me for my third course. The administration
and faculty seemed very well prepared for the arrival of all the exchange
students.
Orientation/Introduction activities
In the week before the start of classes Freshers’ Week took place, which is an
introduction week during which social activities, but also some academic ones
take place. Exchange students are welcomed and have to meet with the
professor that was assigned to them as their Personal Tutor, pick up their
student card, enroll for their courses if they had not done so yet, and so on.
Besides having a Personal Tutor, I had also applied for the buddy
programme which meant that I had several ‘buddies’. This buddy programme
entailed that one would be part of a buddy group, consisting of two local
students and a few exchange students. In Freshers’ Week the first buddy
activity took place, where one had the opportunity to meet his/her buddies.
Freshers’ Week is mostly focused on first year students, but all the activities
and parties could also be attended by exchange students, and some of them
were aimed specifically at exchange students, such as International Day.
Some of the activities in Freshers’ Week included, besides numerous parties,
tours around campus, climbing Arthur’s Seat, a ceilidh, and so on.
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In Tilburg’s TOP-week, students are organised in little groups, but this
is not the case in Freshers’ Week. One can attend events individually, but as I
knew one other exchange student already, I attended most events with her
and throughout the week we got to know many more exchange students
whom we met up with.
Housing
As I was only staying for one semester instead of a full year, I was not
guaranteed university accommodation, which is why I initially did not even
apply for it. The initial plan was to find a flat together with one of my fellow
students and friends, who was also spending her exchange semester in
Edinburgh. However, it turned out to be practically impossible to find
affordable accommodation at a good location for two students for the duration
of four months.
Thereafter, we came into touch with other exchange students in a
similar position, searching for accommodation, through Facebook. We then
tried to search for a student flat for five students, but again, this seemed to be
really difficult. Renting a flat for the duration of a year seemed quite feasible,
but finding a place to live for only one semester was much harder. Since we
were all living in different countries and did not have the opportunity to view
the flats and meet the landlords, this also diminished our chances. This is why
we decided to search for a room individually.
Three weeks before I would move to Edinburgh, I still had not found
accommodation, so I sent a message to the Facebookpage ‘University of
Edinburgh Private Sector Accommodation Advice Centre, and I was informed
that unexpectedly there was a space available in a student flat for the first
semester, for female students only. I immediately applied and got the room.
This particular student flat was one designed for disabled students, but my
roommate and I got to live there anyway despite not being disabled. Prior to
my arrival, I had not received any information about my roommate, except that
she would be a female student. She turned out to be a Greek PhD student.
I was very satisfied with my accommodation, as it had a perfect
location. I only shared my student flat with one other student, so we both had
our own bedrooms, but we shared the bathroom, living room and kitchen,
which worked very well.
As I have explained above, finding a place to live in Edinburgh can be quite
difficult, and quite pricey. Even though students who are staying for only one
semester are not guaranteed university accommodation, it might be wise to
apply for it anyway as soon as possible and get placed on the waiting list, as
some students get a room in a university flat (such as in Pollock Halls)
anyway.
It is a good idea to team up with other students and search for a flat
together, on websites such as www.gumtree.co.uk. However, do not panic if
you have not found accommodation yet before going on exchange! Many
students I met stayed in a hostel for the first few days or the first week, and
then were able to find a room very easily. The fact that they could view the
flats in person was a big plus.
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Living Costs
I financed my exchange period through the Erasmus grant, studiefinancering,
money received as a compensation for not using my OV chipcard, and money
I already had on my bank account. As in the Netherlands I lived with my
parents, my expenses during the previous two year of my studies were
obviously much lower. Over all, Edinburgh is a fairly expensive city to live in;
especially accommodation is much more expensive than in Tilburg. On
average, I spent approximately the following per month per category:
 Housing: 330 GDP
 Food: 90-100 GDP
 Transport: 10-20 GDP
 Phone: 10 GDP
 Clothes: 40-50 GDP
 Dinner/drinks: 80-90 GDP
Other (one-time) expenses I had included things I had to buy for my flat (such
as duvets, pillows, plates and so on), study books, other fun activities
(concerts, rugby matches) and trips to the Highlands and the Isle of Skye, and
Dublin.
Academic Calendar
Freshers’ Week started on Monday September 8 and lasted the entire week.
Lectures started on Monday September 15; I had my last lecture on Friday
November 28. I did not have a mid-term break, but as Honours course
students have a ‘reading week’ in October during which they do not have
classes but instead get the time to catch up on reading, the seminar for my
Honours course did not take place in that week. The first week of December is
known as revision week. In this week students do not have classes but
instead have the opportunity to revise and study for their exams, which take
place in the two subsequent weeks. However, all of my exams were
scheduled for the first week of the exam period, meaning that I had my last
exam on Saturday December 13.
The International Office
The University of Edinburgh has an International Office, but I was mostly in
touch with the Visiting Student Office in the College of Humanities and Social
Science. Some of the important functions of the Visiting Student Office
include:
 Issuing the Letter of Acceptance, Academic Guide and other useful
information prior to students’ arrival in Edinburgh
 Offering guidance on choosing courses to study at Edinburgh
 Enrolling students on their chosen courses, in accordance with their
elibility, prior study, and requirements at their home university
 Processing any programme change requests
 Signing and verifying any documentation students require for their
home university (such as Learning Agreements)
The people working at the Visiting Student Office are really friendly and
helpful. I am very satisfied by the way they treated and helped students.
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Exchange promotion
During my exchange, I did not really have the chance to promote exchange to
Tilburg University at the University of Edinburgh, but I did tell people about my
home university and the Netherlands, which they most often found interesting
to hear.
Social Activities
Many social activities are organised by EUSA, the students’ union of the
University of Edinburgh. Furthermore, the university has over 250 student
clubs and societies, which offer students the chance to meet likeminded
people and make new friends. An important society for exchange students is
Exchange 360, which organises events for exchange students and brings
them together. I myself had joined Exchange 360, but also the International
Law Student Society.
The International Student Centre (ISC) is also noteworthy to mention. It is run
by student volunteers and allows international students to meet other
international students, but also local students, by organising several events
throughout the year such as social evenings, coffee evenings, pub nights,
trips around Scotland and so on.
During my exchange I did not have that much contact with local students. I did
get in touch with them through my courses, but the friends I made were
mostly exchange students.
During my exchange I visited some other places in Scotland, such as Loch
Ness, Inverness, the Highlands, the Isle of Skye and Glasgow.
Culture and Language
As Scotland’s culture does not differ much from Dutch culture, I did not
experience a culture shock. Of course there are some (minor) differences
between both cultures, but it was not hard to get used to those.
In the past, I had visited the United Kingdom (England) twice, but I
experienced that Scottish culture does differ a bit from English culture. English
people are very friendly and polite, but they can seem somewhat distant at
times. Scottish people, on the other hand, are generally very warm-hearted,
cordial and funny, and often they are quite proud of their country. On my very
first day in Edinburgh I had gotten lost, and while I was staring at the map in
my hand quite confusedly, I was approached by a couple that asked me
whether I was OK and whether they could help me. I believe that this
represents Scottish friendliness fairly well. Compared to them, Dutch people
may come off as somewhat direct, blunt and individualistic, but also very
honest and down-to-earth.
Another striking difference I experienced relates to the nightlife. In the
Netherlands it is perfectly acceptable to go out in jeans, but in Scotland girls
really dress up for a night out: high heels, short dresses or skirts, and a lot of
make-up.
I must say that in general I might not have learned about Scottish
culture as I could have, as I was mostly in touch with other international
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students and not that many locals. As Scottish culture is not that distinct from
Dutch culture, I did not experience any problems in this regard.
I did not experience any language problems. In Tilburg all my courses are
taught in English and I am in touch with many international students, which is
why I was already accustomed to speaking English on a very frequent basis.
However, speaking only English was a little bit of a change, but one gets used
to this more quickly than one would think.
Personal Development
I believe my exchange experience was an incredibly valuable experience.
Beforehand, I had never lived on my own, and I did so for the first time
abroad, in a big city where I did not know anyone or anything yet. This was a
little bit challenging at first, but I very quickly got used to living on my own. An
exchange semester definitely teaches one important skills such as
independence and flexibility, but also social skils and open-mindedness, as
one gets in touch with people from very different backgrounds and cultures.
However, there was one thing that all exchange students had in common:
they were all very open and eager to meet new people and learn from them. I
must say that in the beginning a lot of contacts were quite superficial. As an
exchange student, I met many, many people, but there were only a handful I
actually met up with more frequently and became friends with. Meeting people
is more or less inevitable, but actually building meaningful friendships
naturally takes a bit more effort.
My best experience was definitely the freedom and enjoying all the benefits of
living in a vibrant capital city. To my surprise, I realised that I was barely
homesick, as I was having such a great time and was way too busy to think
too much about missing home.
However, if I could do one thing differently, I would have managed my
time more efficiently and wisely. During the semester, I did not study or read
that much, which caused a lot of stress in the last few weeks. As an exchange
student, of course one wants to enjoy his or her exchange period to the
fullest, but it is wiser to do the readings for the courses on a frequent basis.
During the exam period I was forced to live in social isolation and cram a
terrible amount of information into my head in such a short period, which was
quite stressful. I also wish I would have travelled around a little bit more and
visited some more Scottish cities, but I know that I will definitely return to
Scotland one day.
I believe that an exchange experience is a useful addition to my CV. The
University of Edinburgh is listed in the top 20 of the best universities of the
world, so I do hope that by studying at this university, I will be able to stand
out a bit in the increasingly bigger crowd of students who have gone on
exchange. However, besides being valuable professionally, this exchange
semester was mostly valuable to me personally. It really expanded my
horizons, which is why I truly believe that my exchange semester was one of
the best months of my life.
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III ACADEMIC INFORMATION
Academic level at a host university
Courses at the University of Edinburgh are taught in English, and sometimes
also Gaelic, but the courses I took were merely taught in English. I took the
courses Scottish Legal System, WTO Law and International Cooperation in
Europe and Beyond.
Scottish Legal System was a first-year course from the School of Law. I
had three fifty-minute lectures (with about 300 other students) and one fiftyminute tutorial (with about 10 other students) per week. As this was a firstyear course, it was very introductory in nature. As I major in law in Tilburg, I
beforehand already had a lot of knowledge about for example basic legal
principles and the EU, but I knew very little about the Scottish legal system,
which is a mix between the civil law system and the common law system. The
most significant feature of the common law system is obviously precedent and
reasoning by anology, which I learned a lot about. The course material was
not very difficult, but it was quite estensive, as we had three lectures a week.
Students were advised to buy a textbook, and next to that received hand-outs
bundled in readers, and a legal glossary. Whilst in the lectures students were
expected to listen to the professor and take notes, in the tutorials, taught by
PhD students, we discussed questions and assignments.
WTO LAW was a third-year course (Honours course) from the School
of Law. I had one two-hour seminar (with about 20 other students) per week.
Beforehand I knew very little about the WTO or about international economic
law in general, but I was keen on acquiring some more knowledge about it. As
this was a Honours course, the level was quite high and the required reading
per week was quite heavy (about 100-150 pages per week). Students had to
purchase a textbook and next to that we sometimes had to read treaties,
cases and supplementing articles. The seminars were fairly interactive, as our
group was quite small. We would discuss the reading material, as well as
apply our knowledge to actual cases.
International Cooperation in Europe and Beyond was a second-year
course from the School of Politics. I had two fifty-minute lectures (with about
300 other students) and one fifty-minute tutorial (with about 10 other students)
per week. I took this course because I am very interested in international
relations and politics, but Tilburg University does not really offer courses in
these fields. In this course we learned about different international relations
theories, such as realism, liberalism and constructivism, and we learned to
look at different institutions (like the EU, the UN, the WTO, the IMF and so on)
through those different theoretical lenses. Beforehand, I knew very little about
international relations theories, but I did have some understanding of the
different institutions we discussed. The weekly tutorials, taught by PhD
students, were a good addition to the lectures, as in the tutorials we discussed
concepts in-depth and had discussions and debates. Students were expected
to read several articles a week.
What I found striking about the teaching style at the University of Edinburgh,
was the level of independence expected from the students. Tilburg University
probably would have offered a bit more guidance, especially in the first year.
Furthermore, the work load is quite high and students are required to read a
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lot. Writing essays and showing argumentation skills are seen as more
important than simply learning facts by heart, which also manifested itself in
the exams, which all included an essay part.
In general, I did enjoy my courses and I did fairly well in them, even though I
did not spend that much time studying as I probably would have in Tilburg.
Exams
As I took three courses, I sat three exams.
The exam of Scottish Legal System consisted of three parts: multiple
choice questions which required mere factual knowledge; answering
questions about a legal case; and writing an essay on one of the five
topics/questions listed.
The exam of WTO Law consisted of two parts. In the first part one had
to write an essay on one of the three topics/questions listed, whereas in the
second part one had to use legal argumentation skills in one of the three
cases pertaining to WTO law.
The exam of International Cooperation in Europe and Beyond
consisted of two parts. Both parts consisted of three topics/questions, and one
had to write one essay per part.
As these exams may show, it is not that important to possess factual
knowledge, but it is more important to show the understanding of this
knowledge and the ability to apply it.
Other
Students can easily access the library at George Square by swiping their
student card at the entrance. The university has six floors and many
resources: silent areas, areas where students can work in groups, a library
café, many books, and so on. There are no public computers available in
university buildings, but there are quite a lot at the university. Apart from
visiting the main university library, I have also been to the law library at Old
College.
Description of Courses
Course title Course
code
Scottish
LAWS08128
Legal
System
Course
Prerequisites Assessment
level
methods
Bachelor, None
Online legal
year 1
skills
assessment
(10%),
summative
exercise
(20%),
written
exam (70%)
WTO Law
LAWS10169 Bachelor, None
Written
year 3
exam
(100%)
International PLIT08006
Bachelor, At least 1 Essay
Cooperation
year 2
introductory
(40%),
8
ECTS
obtained
10
10
10
in
Europe
and Beyond
Politics
written
course
at exam (60%)
grade B (=
8) or above
Tips for the future students:
I am so happy that I went on exchange, which is why I definitely recommend
other students to do the same. It is an extremely valuable experience. It might
be challenging at times and some people might get homesick, but in my
opinion, the great time that I had definitely outweighs all the (minor) difficulties
that I experienced.
Besides recommending an exchange period, I also recommend the
University of Edinburgh and the city of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is such a
magical city. It is a vibrant capital city, but also a relatively small and cosy
one, which is why I felt at home very quickly. The University of Edinburgh is a
wonderful university, which has very high positions on international rankings
(among the 20 best universities in the world) and which offers very interesting
courses. However, I must say that the workload should not be
underestimated. I did not have a real ‘party exchange’. I obviously attended
parties, went out in the evenings, took trips, and so on, but my exchange
semester was definitely more academic in nature compared to the exchange
semesters of some of my fellow students. This is definitely something to keep
in mind when considering the University of Edinburgh. All in all, both the
university and the city are great, and I cordially recommend both.
A picture is worth a thousand words
In October I took the Skye High Tour by Haggis Adventures, and I spent three
full days with this group.
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Scotland’s scenery is absolutely stunning.
This is the famous Loch Ness. (And no, we did not spot Nessie…)
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Rugby is quite big in Scotland. In November I went to the game between
Scotland and Argentina.
In December I celebrated Sinterklaas with two other Dutch students I had met,
but other nationalities were also present: Belgian, German, Scottish and
Canadian.
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Just before Christmas I took a trip to Dublin in Ireland.
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