Semester in Scotland - Edinburgh Napier University

For me, Napier provided multiple opportunities to meet lots of Scottish students and other students from all over the world. The CIS program initially helps you to meet up with people you can travel with or explore Scotland with and then leaves you to do what you want with your time abroad which is nice. I had a really good experience networking and have made lots connections over the past year. The only thing that maybe could have been better is if there were trips you could go on with the program as it can be slightly difficult to find people to travel with. The school however does have a program that you can sign up for that ogranizes small, cheap day trips for international students within Scotland. Living Situation: Wrights houses. Had a few problems in the beginning, not a big deal to get them fixed. Pretty good security. Felt a little "babysitter-ish" with the staff checking in on the flat all the time. Cultural Immersion: Plenty of Scottish students and culture however there were also a suprising amount of other cultures. Most of my class was French. Program Administration: Administration would help you if you needed anything however I felt as though I had to keep pushing more than necessary in order to get any information. Health and Safety: Edinburgh was very cut and dry as far as places to be weary of at night but the city was extremely safe. I rarely heard of any crime. I never felt unsure when walking around by myself. Social Life: Lots of clubs, great night scene

I'm not exaggerating when I say that studying abroad was the best thing I've ever done in my life. I was extremely nervous to come here at first in January, I had no idea what I was getting myself into because I am usually a home body. The second I got off the plane I met girls who were living in the Wrights Houses with me and we became close friends for the rest of the trip. I met the best people here, and explored the beautiful country side and traveled Europe for spring break. It's hard to put into words so that someone can really understand how I feel about this trip, but it has meant the world to me and I never expected that. I haven't missed home once and I wish I could stay here for another year. I encourage everyone to study abroad at some point in their school career. You really won't regret it. Academics: Napier was extremely unorganized with abroad students choosing classes at the beginning of the semester. Apparently they got rid of their exchange student faculty last summer so no one really knew what to do with us. On the other hand my classes we're pretty good. The work load was really manageable and the teachers were great. Living Situation: I love having a single and i met all of my best friends in wright's houses. The location is perfect too. The hot water would run out a little too often though. Other than that the living situation was great. Program Administration: CIS helped in the beginning of the trip getting here, but after that I didn't hear from them at all... a lot of my friends who were in other programs had trips organized for them by their program but no trips were organized for us. I had a blast planning my own none the less but it would have been nice to have had one set trip to meet everybody. Health and Safety: I have personally felt very safe this whole time I've been here (especially after traveling Europe, Scotland is the safest place ever). But in the beginning of the semester 2 of my friends got beaten up very badly by some random guys and the accommodation officer didn't do very much to help. They are fine now but that was the only time we all questioned our safety. Social Life: I have met the best people ever. Actually met a girl who became one of my best friends and travel buddy through out this trip. I also reconnected with a boy I went to high school with and we started dating right in the beginning so that added some fun to it. I absolutely love my group of friends and wouldn't change them for the world.

Studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland was one of the best ideas i've ever had; It has been my absolute favorite semester or college--traveling throughout the country and the rest of Europe with amazing new friends-- However, the CIS program is a complete waste of money when you could do a much cheaper exchange program for the exact results. Academics: Napier University is a very relaxed academic environment with teachers who fulfill the requirements of their jobs. Living Situation: The flat itself was not as impressive as it was presented in the CIS introductory videos, but the location is impeccable and the people I met living there made it worth every penny. Cultural Immersion: Scotland is one of the best countries I have ever visited with incredibly welcoming people and an enriching culture. Program Administration: The CIS program itself was almost invisible throughout the entire semester. I wish I had done an exchange program such as ISEP because I payed a lot of extra money to a program that did ultimately nothing for me besides provide me with bed linen. I thought CIS would be much more involved in my study abroad, but they just drop you where you land unlike programs like CIEE or ISA. Health and Safety: Edinburgh is an extremely safe city...I never felt uncomfortable being a woman alone. Social Life: Edinburgh's night life is tons of fun and there are so many amazing people to meet there!