<p>ATMs attached to banks are free to use in the UK (but those in pbs and shops are NOT. they charge £2.50 so don't use them), but your home bank in the US may charge you fee. You can get round this by using bank of America I think, who have an agreement with UK Barclays. So you can withdraw cash from your B of A account free from any Barclays (which are everywhere).</p>
<p>You MUST get a 4 digit PIN number. 6 digits will not work in the UK. It also must be numerical. if you remember the PIN using a word, don't, because ATMs in the UK often don't have letters on the key pad.</p>
<p>crazed, what kind of phone does your S have now? Does it have a sim card? If it does, you can just replace the card with one that will let the phone function in the UK. Also, does he plan to travel on the continent at all? That could mean you'd want yet a different sim card. </p>
<p>And yes, he should be in great shape with that debit card - though as cupcake and I both noted already, he MUST make sure his PIN is 4 characters (and her hint that if he has trouble remembering it without letters, he should make it all numerals, is a good one). And I'll remind you again that he should notify his bank about his travels, so that his account doesn't get frozen.</p>
<p>I havn't booked my flight yet, as i still have yet to receive an official acceptance (should be in the next couple weeks). Right now i'm assuming i'll be flying out of new york, which is more convenient for my considering i'm from Baltimore. Is your son going on the group flight? I'd like to do the group flight, but i'd definitely be interested to know if there were any cheaper options first.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
So he should just debit $$$ from Barkley's bank and he'll be fine.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but do check this deal is still current due to the sudden change in the economic situation. Barclays does not appear to eb bankrupt, but you never know!</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Can use his debit/credit card (BOA) at stores and restaurants if need be.
[/QUOTE]
As long as he informs his bank before he travels so they don't think the cards have been stolen and block them.... yes. AMEX is not that widely accepted. VISA is accepted everywhere and Mastercard most places. Sometimes US debit cards do not work. Discover ones definitely do not. Again, check with bank. </p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Is the above correct? So no need for local banking?
Thanks so much!
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Not if going for just one term, but if he's going for a year and will need to pay large amounts of cash (i.e. tuition, rent) it will probably be easier to open a UK account. This will have to be with HSBC because none of the others accept foreign students without such conditions that make it alomost impossible.</p>
<p>UK sim cards work just fine everywhere in Europe as far as I know. Mine was perfectly happy as far away as Moscow. Of course calls made from a UK phone when it's abroad have higher "roaming" charges. But for emergencies or texts it will be fine (112 in all countries is the same as 991 in US. Actually the common number in the UK is 999, but 112 works as well)</p>
<p>My D is in Edinburgh now through Dec and she applied directly through the college's International Office and not through Arcadia or other US program. She really wanted to meet foreign students and lives in her 1st choice nonsmoking oncampus flat with UK students; she can see the Castle from her window and it's an easy walk to her Humanities classes. I think we saved a substantail sum of money by her going Independent though she doesn't get the additonal tours/excursions/contact person...etc..that Arcadia students get. (Not sure if all the Arcadia students live together in the large Pollock Hall complex but D wanted no part of that.)</p>
<p>We got her a travel visa in addition to passport....waste of time and money unless you're staying longer than 3 months or are planning on getting work. Price of visa is $250 and you need to get an appt at your nearest Immigration office for picture and fingerprints too. We shouldn't have bothered as it wasn't needed.</p>
<p>Weather is pretty dismal now, rain/chilly/cloudy and it will get dark in the afternoon soon but she's involved in her studies and 2 clubs & keeps meeting new friends
(like from Finland, Germany and Belgium). This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she really seems happy when she calls home.</p>
<p>Crazed - what school has your son decided upon? I know he was thinking about Stirling. If so, I would love to hear about his experiences as the semester unfolds.</p>
<p>Post #28: The travel visa may turn out to be a wise move as many students prefer to travel through Europe for Christmas vacation rather than returning home.
Two years ago, over 10% of the graduating class from the Groton School--a very elite boarding school in New England--matriculated at the Univ. of Edinburgh as full-time degree seeking students. These American transplants may be a great resource for students just spending a semester abroad.</p>
<p>If you are an American citizen you do NOT need any kind of visa to travel throughout the EU, which includes the UK. You can spend your Christmas holidays visiting whatever country you feel like, no visa necessary. You need a student visa to study in the UK if you will be there longer than a certain time (6 months I think, but do check) or want to do any paid work while studying.</p>
<p>Is it easier to
study abroad for the university of edinburgh for one year, and then decide whether you want to stay all four years
OR
apply for the university for all four years and transfer after the first year if you decide you don’t want to stay all four years?</p>
<p>i mean i highly doubt that i won’t want to stay all four years it’s just that I’m a California girl, and I have never lived somewhere cold before, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to adapt to that.</p>
<p>kimmyish - the students above are talking about enrolling at a US school and then studying abroad in Edinburgh as part of a program arranged by their US school, or arranged by themselves but accepted by thir US school for credit. You cannot apply to such a program unless you are enrolled in another school already. Such programs are not created in order to enable you to transfer to the study abroad school. You are expected to return home and the credits earned count towrds your US BA. If you wanted to stay in Edinburgh at the end of such a program, you would have to apply to start a degree in the first year in the same way as every new applicant.</p>
<p>UK schools generally don’t accept any transfers, though I don’t know specifically about Edinburgh (there is no concept of “transfer”. If you want to change university, you drop out and apply again to start in the first year). </p>
<p>You could apply directly to Edinburgh and then transfer to a US school if you hated it</p>
<p>Hey, I’m in Scotland for th year, so i figured I would put down a few things Ive picked up over the past few months.
Banking:
As far as banking goes, the deal between Barclays and Bank of America is still in effect. Just make sure there is a Barclays in the area. Im in St. Andrews and unfortunately there is no Barclays branch so I had to open an account with Royal Bank of Scotland. It was really easy - I just provided my passport/ visa and a letter from my university with my current address and they took care of the rest. The account was set up and ready to go in less than a week.</p>
<p>Visa:
Just a note, the visa requirements have changed since March of 2009 so check the UK border agency website for the up to date requirements. I believe as of now, you don’t need a visa unless you are studying in the UK for over six months. And no, it isn’t necessary to have a visa in order to travel around the rest of Europe, so I wouldn’t recommend getting one unless required for study or work purposes. If you do have to get one, I would suggest sending in the application at least 1 1/2 to 2 months in advance. I was able to get one in about a week, but when the visa office is busy, it can take much longer. Heres a video I found helpful - [Getting</a> the Infamous Visa | The Study Abroad Blog](<a href=“The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault”>The Study Abroad Blog - Nate Nault)</p>
<p>Phones:
If your provider in the States uses a sim card (i.e. everyone except for verizon), you can just buy a sim card in the UK and replace it in your phone. If not, phones are very reasonably priced and you can get either the pay as you go plan, or, if you do have a UK bank account, a monthly plan. My biggest suggestion is to look at the different aspects of each plan. My friends and I that came from the same university here in the States all got a network that allowed us to make free calls and texts to eachother - really convenient since we communicate with eachother the most. Not to mention international calls are only about 6 cents a minute. (The network we use is Lebara)</p>
<p>hey everyone. I’ve applied to Uni of Edinburgh and my session starts in Sept 2010. I would really appreciate it if someone told which is the best place for accommodation because I can’t really figure out where to, I mean there are so many options. I want a place close to the main campus, I’ve applied for Econ and Management Science so somewhere close to thoese departments would be ideal. I’m a very outgoing person and I like socializing so the place shouldn’t be dead. I’d be really thankful so anyones help.</p>
<p>All of the self-catered accommodation at Edinburgh is basically the same. Econ and management will be at the George Square campus, so basically any of the self-catered flats will be within close walking distance. There’s one set of self-catered flats by KB, but all the others are within a ten to fifteen minute walk to GS; a lot are even less. All catered accommodation is in Pollock Halls, which is…20 or so minutes to GS, I think. I’ve never been there.</p>
<p>My DS is considering U of Edinburgh for Spring 2011. He is a history/English double major.
How are the courses for either subject? Strong? Any insight into the classes would be appreciated.</p>
<p>I studied abroad there last semester and know that Econ, etc. aren’t on the main campus. But honestly, nothing is FAR. The farthest thing is Pollock Halls, which is catered and basically like living in a dorm. It’s good for people who believe they would benefit from the social aspect of living with others in a dorm situation or from the community eating that comes with a dining hall. The thing is you will most likely be with a lot of first years as well as other Americans. If you want to try and have more diverse flatmates and are cool with self-catered, I would definitely go that route. I would recommend Kincaid Court. Its right off of the Cowgate, which a street with lots of pubs and clubs so something is always going on. But because of that it is very noisy at all times, so if that is something that’s going to bother you, don’t live there.</p>
<p>I’m going abroad to Edinburgh this fall… do you think it’ll be possible to pack everything i need into one 50lb suitcase and a carry on? Also I heard that when transferring in Heathrow to get to Edinburgh, the max limit is actually 50kg or something as opposed to 50lbs. Is this true?</p>