StudentExchangeEvaluationBasicinformation

Otagodegree:BA,withadoublemajorofClassicsandArtHistory

Hostuniversity:UniversityofEdinburgh(Edinburgh,Scotland)

Dateofexchange:firstsemester2018(January–June)

Academics/courseload

Coursetitle Language Otagoequivalent OtagocreditvalueRomanArchitecture(CACA10036)

English CLAS300 24

HistoryofArt1B(HIAR08011)

English ARTV100 24

HowtoMakeItalianRenaissanceArt(HIAR10114)

English ARTV300 24

AfullcourseatEdinburghisconsideredthreepapers,asopposedtothefourpapersat

Otago.Theyrecommendforvisitingstudents,ifitispossible,totakeonlytwoHonours-

levelpapers(thirdandfourthyear)andthenonefirst-orsecond-yearpaper.Anoteon

choosing papers: at least formy subjects, the courses filled up very quickly, so try to

choosethemasearlyasyoucan.

Howdidtheacademicexperience/workload/styleofteachingdifferfromOtago?

Myacademicexperiencedidn’tdiffergreatly fromOtago.Blackboardwasused,and it

wassimilarinintermsofteachinghours:threelecturesandatutorialforthe100-level

course,andthenat300-levelitwastwohoursperweekpercourse.TheHonours-level

courses were smaller, and participating by answering questions was encouraged (but

classengagementwasn’tmarked).Ofthethree,onlythefirst-yearpaperwasrecorded.

Itdifferedslightly inthattherewasonlyone internallyassessedassignment(anessay)

andthentherestof thegradecomes fromtheendofsemesterexam(about50-50). I

thinkthemarkingisabittougher:70andaboveisanAgrade.Mygradesdiddroplower

thantheytendtobeatOtago–butthenIwasalsotravellingmore,andconsciousthat

it’sonlyapassorfailmarkrecordedonmyOtagotranscript!

Accommodation

What accommodation did you stay in? What were the pros and cons of your

accommodation?

There is a variety of accommodation available for visiting students in Edinburgh. The

university owns and/or has contracts with a variety of accommodation types (see

accom.ed.ac.uk/for-students/search-for-accommodation/), but there is also the option

ofstayingaprivateflat,oraprivately-runstudenthallofresidence.

When applying for Edinburgh University, you have the option of selecting your five

preferreduniversityaccommodationoptions,andthen(intheory)youshouldbeoffered

aplaceinoneofthem.Onceoffered,it’satakeitorleaveitsituation–ifyoudon’tlike

theoffer,thenyouhavetofindalternativeaccommodationnotrunbytheuniversity.I

was offered a place in a hall that was not one of my five options, and after reading

reviews I decided to turn down the offer as it didn’t sound that great, and I had the

back-upoptionofstayingwitharelativenearby.

When I got to Edinburgh I decided itmightbeworth seeing if therewereanyprivate

flatsavailable–therewereplentybutagoodmajoritywereeitherveryexpensive,only

forlong-termrent,farfromtheuniversity,orjustnotverynice.Iwasn’tlookingatthe

besttime:lookingforandarrangingflatsshouldbedonemonthsinadvanceofthestart

oftheuniversityyear(September),ratherthanhalfwaythroughit.Idecidedtoaskthe

universityaccommodationcentre iftheyhadanyspaces left intheiraccommodation–

theygotbacktomequicklywithanumberofoptions,andIendedupstayinginMurano,

auniversity-runhallsofresidenceonLeithWalk.

Muranowasgreat;unlikemanyoftheotherhalls,it’sverymodern(built2015),andall

theroomshaveanensuitebathroom,completewithshower. Istayedinafour-person

flat, which, given we each had our own bathrooms, meant sharing only a spacious

kitchen/livingarea,whichcomeswitha40"flatscreenTV.(Flatscanrangefrom3to6

person,oryoucanchoosethestudiooption,whereit’saone-personflat).Likeotheruni

accommodation, it comes with appliances like fridge, hoover, oven, iron, kettle,

microwave,bed,desk,chairetc.,butnotcrockery,cutlery,orbedding.Thereareplenty

ofop-shopsonLeithWalktosupplythese–orevenbetter,theFreeShop,heldatthe

beginningofsemesteratuni–whereitemsthatpaststudents(deliberately)leftbehind

are laidout forcurrentstudents to take.Notonly is itgreatbecause it’s recycling, it’s

alsocompletelyfree!Budget-friendlynewhomewarescanbetoppedupatPrimark(on

PrincesStreet),atTescoorthepound-shopsdownattheendofLeithWalk.

Muranoalsoincludesacommonroom,alaundry(card-operated),helpfulstaffandRAs,

aswellasacleanerwhocomesweeklytocleanthecommunalareasoftheflat.There’s

abusstoprightoutside,whichcantakeyoudirectlytotheuniinabout20minutes,or

youcandothe30minutewalkifyou’refeelingenergetic(orjustdoitbackfromuni,as

it’sdownhillalltheway).Intermsofdailyliving,it’sveryconvenientlylocated:“express”

versions of Tesco and Sainsbury’s within two minutes walk (and a large Tesco a ten

minutewalkdownLeithWalk),andlotsofcafes,pubs,andothershopsnearby.

Ithinkreallytheonlydownsideistheexpense:Istayedforaboutfourandahalfmonths

intotal,forthecostofjustunder$6000,soc.$320aweek.However,consideringthat

the price does include all utility bills, internet, a weekly clean of the kitchen, secure

grounds, warm rooms, contents insurance, ensuite bathroom, a support system, and

good location, I think it would be very difficult to find a flat with all of Murano’s

advantages for anything less than that price in Edinburgh. Formore information, see:

accom.ed.ac.uk/property-details/55/murano-murano-amphion-lane-edinburgh/;

libertyliving.co.uk/student-accommodation/edinburgh/liberty-village/

(Notmyphotos–they’refromtheaccommodationwebsitetogivearoughideaofMurano).

Moneymatters

Asmentioned, I spentabout$6000onaccommodation for thesemester.Thenextbig

costwastravel: IwentfromAucklandtoGlasgowwithEmiratesforabout$1300–asI

booked about sixmonths before I left (trying to avoid an increase in prices as it got

closertoJanuary)Iwasn’tabletobookareturnatthattimeastheflightdatesweren’t

released at that stage. Formy return flight I booked through STA, as through them I

couldaccessastudentdiscountaswellasmytravelinsurance.Thereturnflight(London

to Christchurch with Emirates) was $1000, and for the travel insurance you have a

numberofdifferentoptions,(Iwentforthecomprehensivecoveratjustunder$500).In

summary,expecttospendatleast$2000onairtravelcosts(dependingonairlineandat

whattimeyoubook),andthenanothercoupleofhundredforthetravelinsurance.

Forfoodcostsandotherhouseholdnecessities,I’dsayIspentbetween$60and$80per

week(Ihavetoeatglutenfreewhichraisesthecostabit;sidenote,therearesomany

glutenfreeproductsavailableintheUK!)Anotherfrequentcostwastransport;asIused

thebusalot(atleastinwinterwhenitwascold),themostcost-effectiveoptionwasto

buyamonthlybuscardforabout$98,whichgivesyouunlimitedtravelonallEdinburgh

buses and trams for four weeks (lothianbuses.com/tickets/). (Another side note: the

publictransportinandaroundEdinburghisfantastic).Trainticketstovisitfamilyoutside

of Edinburghwereunder$20 for a return. Speakingof trains, if youwant to take the

train down to London,make sure you go through Unidays so you get a 40% student

discount–it’sthenjustaboutthesamecostofflyingdown–andsomuchnicerwiththe

scenery, and none of the tedious security, waiting, and travel to and from airports

(myunidays.com/GB/en-GB/partners/virgintrains/view/online).

In terms of paying for things, I went with a Loaded for Travel card

(loadedfortravel.co.nz),whichyouloadupfromyourNZbankaccountwithanycurrency

youwant,andthen justuse it likeanordinarybankcard. Iused itmostly for therent

payment instalments. As a UK citizen, it was easy enough to set up my own bank

accountwhenIgotthere–IwentwiththeBankofScotlandandjustneededbypassport

asproofofidentity.Visitingstudentswhoaren’tUKcitizenscanalsosetupanaccount–

ifyou’restayinginuniversityaccommodation,aletterforproofofaddressisprovided,

aswellasthelistofbanksthatwillacceptyou.

Visas&Insurance

AsaUKcitizenIdidnotneedtoapplyforavisa–and,Imaybewrong,butIdon’tthink

NZ citizens need to apply for a visa either if they’re staying for less than sixmonths.

Insurance was was recommended by Edinburgh University (but not enforced). I got

travel insurance through STA (statravel.co.nz),which covered all ofOtagoUniversity’s

requirements–goinandseethem,theyareveryhelpful!

Extra-curricular/SocialActivities

Whatorganisedactivitieswereavailabletostudents?Whatextra-curricularactivities

wouldyourecommendtofutureexchangestudents?

The university has a number of clubs and societies, and organises loads of events for

students (ed.ac.uk/studying/undergraduate/student-life/clubs-and-societies). I went to

aceilidh(youhavetotryitatleastonce!),triedsalsadancing,andwentononeofthe

International Centre’s trips. They havemany throughout the year to locations around

Scotland,sometimesjustfortheday,someovertheweekend(edinburghisc.com/trips/).

Iwent on a two-day, overnight trip to the Isle of Skye. Iwould definitely recommend

doingat leastoneoftheirtrips: it’sgreattohavea littlebreakawayfromuniandthe

city, and it’s soeasyaseverything isorganised for you. The fee includes coach travel,

tourguide,overnightaccommodation,andapackedscheduleof sights to see. Justbe

suretobuyticketsassoonasthey’rereleasedonlineastheygoquickly!Ialsoattended

artclassesattheLeithSchoolofArt(notassociatedwiththeuni),whichwerefantastic

(leithschoolofart.co.uk/course-types/short-courses).

Whatwastheuniversity/citylike?

WhatIloveaboutEdinburghisthearchitecture–Medievalalleysandbuildings,cobbled

streets, elegant Georgian terraces, castles, and gardens throughout. It’s got a rich

history,andanicefeeltothecity.Intermsofactivities,there’ssomethingforeveryone

in Edinburgh, whatever your interests may be. There’s an abundance of great cafes,

bars,andrestaurantsforsocialising,theatresandcinemas(showingrecentreleases,and

smallerones showingavant-gardeor classic films),big chain storesand smallerquirky

shops,parksandgardens,andofcoursealltheclassictouristspotsliketheRoyalMile,

Edinburgh Castle, and so on (advisable to do before the peak tourist season over

summer).Myreccommendations:

• Fora rainy, coldday (ofwhich thereweremany!):explore thegreatmuseums

andartgalleries(aswellastheirrespectivecafesandgiftshops);

• Want to relax? Try theworld’s (unofficially) comfiest cinema seats at the Vue

CinemainOceanTerminalMallinLeith;

• Feelingpeckish?great coffee (and lovelybuilding) at theNationalMuseum,or

brunchatthePrintworksdowninLeith;

• Wanttobecreative?TakeaweekendworkshopattheLeithSchoolofArt;

• Makethemostofaniceday:strollorpicnicintheMeadowsorBotanicGardens;

• ButalsogetoutofEdinburgh!Visitthestunningcountrysidenearby,othercities

oftheUK,ormakethemostofbeingsomuchclosertoEurope(orevenbeyond)

andtravelfurtherafield.

OverallExperience

I chosetostudy inEdinburgh foranumberof reasons: Ihad likedthecitywhen Ihad

stayedforacoupleofdaysafewyearsprior;Ihavemuchofmyextendedfamilylivingin

andaround thearea; theacademic reputationof theuniversity; and its location,with

easyaccess to the restof theUK,andbeyond. I came to love it for thebeautyof the

architectureand thesurrounding landscape, thepeople, theopportunities itprovided,

both in terms of activities, and also to become more independent, resourceful, and

confident.Like(hopefully)everyotherexchangeitwasarewardingexperiencetolearn

abouttheworldandmyself,andwasexciting,challenging,andveryenjoyable.Toother

studentsgoingonexchange,justmakethemostofyourtimethere,trydifferentthings,

andenjoyitasmuchasyoucan.Mì-àdh!

TheShore,Leith,Edinburgh

Medievalhouse,Edinburgh

SnowatsunsetinFife(areajusttothenorthofthecityofEdinburgh)

IsleofSkye

EileanDonanCastle