Edinburgh University, any experiences to share? Hopefully positive!

[gerbo]

My daughter is hoping to study in Edinburgh from September, English Scottish Lit/Lang. We live in Hertfordshire, so it's a distance away.

I just wondered if anyone had any helpful information for her o(and/or us) about going to University there, halls recommendations, etc?

Thanks in advance.

I have heard accommodation is really expensive. Around £1100/month. Also lots of private/independent school students. Otherwise it’s supposed to be good.

Main halls of residence is Pollock Halls, a development of various buildings right next to Holyrood Park. Lit/Lang is at George Square, which is really nice and next to the Meadows. The student body especially for that degree is very English, so she will feel at home with the voices around her. It's colder than Hertfordshire for sure, and winter is a bit longer with less daylight, so send her up with warm clothes, a decent outdoor jacket, and maybe a budget for buying an extra duvet or blankets.

DD1 in second year (state educated 😉) and absolutely loves it - the uni and living in Edinburgh.

Her sister’s halls in Liverpool are more expensive than hers were.

It’s a long way from us too - around 6 hours by car - and she and most of her friends have decided to stay up there this Easter to make the most of it (Scotland have 4 year degrees and a lot of them are doing a year abroad for 3rd year) and it’s so far to travel back + they finish end of May.

it’s everything she had hoped for.

My DD is just coming to the end of her third year (joint honours so she hasn’t done a year abroad). She absolutely loves Edinburgh and her student life there and doesn’t pay anything like that much in rent - in her first year she went for one of the cheapest
halls which was about 4500 for the year (self catered) and for all three of her other years she will have been paying about £625-635 per month) for a classic shared tenement flat (high ceilings and big windows) in a fantastic location. Yes it’s a long way from the south of England where we live but she is very independent and books the train as early as she can to save money. Last year we went up and stayed with her in the summer as she was working at the Fringe- it was great.

If she's outdoorsy, there's loads of hillwalking and so on just outside the city or a short train ride away. Nightlife is good. Restaurant scene is amazing right now, though not really on a student budget but good for visiting parents 😁Glasgow a little better for music, but coaches run late between the two. It's an easygoing city and student life there is fun, lots of different types of people go to Edinburgh even if it has a reputation as a bit of an Oxbridge reject sort of a place

I recommend the Facebook group What I Wish I Knew About University. They are brilliant for questions like this.

Yes Pollock is the halls that are catered. My DD was in Warrender Park Cresent overlooking the meadows, stunning and cheaper!! Although there might have been one or two 🐭 sightings!

@pangolinfan yes! Stayed up there too for a few days during the fringe.

Also, free buses 🚌

Beaches only a bus ride away.

Ooh DD is just round the corner from there - it’s such a lovely neighbourhood- could happily live there myself!

I paid about £700 a month in 2018 for pretty fancy modern accommodation, shocking if it’s gone up that much! (Or is this catered?)

I had a great time OP, it’s a wonderful city.

DS is hoping to go there in Sept too! Fab city and only a train ride from London. Booking easyJet in advance might be cheaper. Just needs to get some pretty good a levels…

Amazing information, thanks. She's really excited now. Just fingers crossed now.