I am a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Economics; I plan to study abroad in the spring term. I have (mostly) narrowed my study abroad options down to these three UK universities (after considering language requirements, logistics, and general reputation b/c I still do want to receive quality education while abroad). Upon a bit of research it seems that St. Andrews is the highest regarded within the UK, but King’s and Edinburgh are both more well-regarded internationally (kind of like how Brown and Dartmouth are highly desirable within the US but rank much lower in international rankings). I kind of prefer King’s College because it is more centrally located and I would like to be able to travel around Europe easily during my term abroad - I have been to Spain and Austria, but that’s about it.
Basically after narrowing it down to these three universities, there is still so much I don’t know about them and I can’t seem to make up my mind. Can anyone give me more information which would help me make this decision?
Also, if anyone has anything to offer regarding Bocconi University in Milan and NUS (National University of Singapore), I would appreciate it as well. My impression is that both are also very well regarded, and as far as location, Milan is centrally located for easy travel around Europe, and Singapore has good access to Southeast Asia (which I have never been and could potentially be fun).
I know that this is a very broad comparison, but feel free to give me any pointers. Thanks!
St. Andrews is in a very quaint town. It’s cute, but certainly not a metropolis. If you want easy travel during your time in the UK, being there would complicate things. It’s also a very American school- I think about 20 percent of undergraduates are American, perhaps more. Personally, that’s not something I would want during my study abroad experience.
My son studied at Edinburgh and loved it, he was able yo travel all over Europe from there, while at the same time having a great time in the city which is very active.
London, like most huge cities is overrated, too expensive, has too many foreigners (so it loses its distinctive national flavor), too big. Edinburgh would be my choice. Medium size, friendly, beautiful.
No one cares about the prestige of your study-abroad school (and in the UK, St. A and Edinburgh are about the same, maybe only a tiny bit above KCL).
If you decide on the UK, unless you want to be stranded in a quaint small Scottish town (think Williamstown, though St. A is bigger than Williams), I’d choose between Edinburgh and London.
Not sure when you have to make your application so this may be too late but I’ll add my two cents. We are an American family and my daughter attends University of St. Andrews and my son will be attending University of Edinburgh starting this fall. Last summer we stayed in London for 4 weeks right by Kings College.
University of St Andrews is a wonderful, small, uni that has a wonderful community feeling. You will definitely run into the people you have met - not like a larger city uni where you can meet someone but never see them again. When my daughter was deciding where to attend someone (from Scotland) pointed out to her that she lives in a large city (in the U.S.) and will most likely live in a large city post graduation…when would there ever be another time she could live in a beautiful, quaint, friendly seaside village. True. My daughter loves SA. You can get into Edinburgh and the airport from SA relatively easy either by bus/train or taking car service. The cathedral ruins and West Sands Beach are beautiful and, of course, it is the home of Golf with a beautiful golf course in the center of town.
Edinburgh is a lovely city that feels a lot like London and San Francisco, in my opinion. It is a largish city but not too large. In central Edinburgh everything is basically walking distance. The Royal Mile is a beautiful street in the center of town and nearby Princes Street has all the shopping etc. you could ever need. The airport is easily accessible and it is an international airport so you can fly directly to other cities in Europe w/out having to go through the crowds at Heathrow or Gatwick. The campus is lovely built around a large square although there are different buildings located around the city. The law building is incredible and their student union building is gorgeous! The campus just did a revitalization and also has recently built some new buildings. And no matter if you choose SA or Edinburgh you’ll find the people of Scotland are extremely friendly.
Kings College is located in Old Town London. It is either inside or just outside the original city of London! The area is in a really nice not too touristy area of London. It is actually very quiet in this area at night and it’s location although close to Covent Garden is really in a business district so the night and weekends are pretty quiet. There are, of course, nearby tube stations to get you anywhere in London. London is very expensive to live in (although the pound is down significantly so the will help). The Kings College library is one of the most beautiful libraries ever! It is stunning! Honestly for quick access to an airport Edinburgh might be the easiest but there are trains from central London that go directly to Heathrow. The feel of Kings will be different, more hustle and bustle, less personal. I don’t know their housing situation - both SA and Edinburgh have good housing options for exchange students.
Ironically, my daughter’s flat mate at SA is studying Economics and she will be doing a year long study abroad at University of Pennsylvania this year. Sorry for the long post and best of luck in your decision making and your study abroad semester.