My son will be spending the fall semester in Scotland (U of Glasgow). Will he need a suit? Sport jacket? What do students wear to class, social events, etc.?
He’s in Denver now, so he mostly wears jeans, t-shirts and flannel shirts. Jackets when it’s cold. Will that suffice for Glasgow?
Casual clothes. I can’t imagine him needing a suit.
A raincoat is vital, and he may need a winter coat as well.
Not likely he’ll need a suit, and jacket-wise, a lighter (for when the issue is rain/wind, v actual cold) and a heavier (for when it really is cold). Won’t see many flannel shirts in Glasgow (except on Americans), but otherwise probably what he has now is fine. UK students tend to have less stuff in every category- clothes, equipment, toys, room decoration, etc- than US kids, and anything he finds that he really needs will be available locally.
Honestly, if he brings more than 2 suitcases he’s bringing too much, and irl for one term, my guess would be one checked bag* & one small carryon should be enough (something he could use for a weekend trip to London/Paris/Dublin/Dubrovnik/whereever, remembering that the cheap European airlines don’t let you carry-on full size wheelie bags).
*Depending on bedding: if bedding / towels aren’t provided, a good comforter, sheets & towels can take up a lot of space. Vaccuum packing works a treat for space, but watch your weight allowance.
Definitely a sportcoat and tie and some pants to wear with them. They like to dress up for various banquets and special events (I spent a year at a Scottish u.). As conformist said, something to wear in wet and cold weather. One of those rainproof parkas with a hood that has a an insulated lining that can be removed is ideal. The various companies that sell them often call them “3-in-1” coats because the shell and lining can each be worn alone, and when its cold they can be worn together.
Raincoat for heavy fall weather.
Lined raincoat and parka - it gets cold and humid. While the temperatures can’t rival those we typically have in the Northeast or Midwest, the humidity makes everything “feel” much colder. Also, rooms aren’t as heated as US homes, so he should have sweaters/sweatshirts. Nice comfy slippers, too. Most things can be bought locally as needed. 
I have no idea what a ‘sportcoat’ is, and have managed to live in Britain for 10 years without such a thing. So I think this is probably not essential. Suits can be hired in the unlikely event he needs one. Cut down the baggage.
He’ll only be allowed 2 suitcases and about 50 pounds total, so he won’t be bringing comforter, sheets, or parka with him
One suitcase holds summer/fall clothes + shoes, one suitcase holds winter stuff.
I agree - it’s such a dilemma! Still trying to figure out what coat(s) DD will need to bring to Edinburgh! Her long, warm, down coat would probably take up too much packing space but it may be what she’ll want in November/December. And while she has a lined rain coat, it’s not very long or really that warm. She’ll need to bring towels but not bedding so I’ve already told her that the (old) towels can be tossed and not brought home to free up space. And then there are the boots…tall, short, rain… Not sure how everything will fit in one suitcase and a small carryon (plus a backpack maybe)!
“wellies” (rainboots) can be bought easily on location. Long warm RAINPROOF coat >>> lined raincoat.
Good thinking on the old towels. Instead of tossing them, though, she should give them away to the office of international students, as wome who come for 4 years may arrive without towels.
My son is in Glasgow for 3 years (he’s just finishing up his 2nd year) – The weather definitely is damp, so plan for that. But, it never gets really cold-- snow is a rarity. Layers are key.
Glasgow has every store imaginable-- S likes to shop at discount stores Primark and TK Maxx (Not TJ!) There are also many Charity (thrift) stores around town to pick up stuff. We had to buy all of his bedding there-- it wasn’t worth paying for the extra luggage. Set up PayPal for easy money transfer, and send him with an unlocked iPhone and have him get pay-as-you-go service there. I send him Groupons and Living Socials restaurant deals-- he loves going out with his friends and mom has picked up the tab!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Glasgow-- I hope you get a chance to visit him while he’s there. Message me if you have any Qs.
Cupcake, if you do an internet search for “sportcoat” you will get a clue what it is. Yikes. And if you don’t know what one is, how do you know you don’t have one?
Thanks for all the tips and help. He already shops thrift stores (there are some great ones in Denver), so that’s a great idea for picking up things there. I hadn’t thought about bedding or towels, another thing to remember.
@SU88BFA Does it have to be an iPhone? Can I get his “unlocked”? How do you do that?
@akmom124 If you do the vacuum bag thing with the down coat, it will squish down quite a bit. Only problem might be for her to repack it without the right kind of vacuum at the end of her stay.
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Often good to wear the biggest coat on the plane…if its too warm, carry it …won’t count towards baggage limits.
@Sweetbeet, my own son is in London, but regarding your question about phones, you can get an unlocked smart phone as SU88BFA says - ‘unlocked’ means you can use other services; look it up - or you can do as my son did and simply buy a phone there, with a pay as you go plan. They have plenty of options. It doesn’t need to be an iPhone. It can be any smart phone . It can even be a cheap non-smart phone if you want to be really frugal.
I would definitely not pack bedding etc. As SU88BFA says, they have plenty of inexpensive department stores there (Primark is very popular) and it’s much cheaper buying heavy stuff there. You can buy pretty much anything there you would buy here at something like a Target including coats and warm sweaters. My son has needed a formal outfit for formal occasions - e.g. holiday. This may depend on the program.