A year in Edinburgh: The city made my masters
By Efa, from Wales, studying MSc Literature and Modernity
Accommodation
Edinburgh is a very studenty city, especially around campus. There’s a lot of students everywhere. I think probably the two biggest areas to live in as a student, when you’re in a private rented flat, would be Marchmont and Newington. Both of those are really close to campus and you can have a nice commute through the Meadows, which is lovely. I also think that it’s a very, very safe city. Obviously, common sense applies, but it really helps being in such a safe city.
I’m in a privately rented flat with a landlord. I live with four other masters’ students. None of us knew each other before we came, so I tried a few different things to find accommodation. I went between the uni services, Facebook groups and various websites that are specifically to help students find accommodation. The Facebook groups, where you post your profile and then find people to chat to is what ended up working for me. There was quite a lot of trial and error, I think it’s tricky not being in the city and trying to find accommodation, not being able to physically view the flats. One of the people I connected with luckily, was Scottish, so she was able to view flats for us. It was a little bit of a stress but ultimately the process was okay and we ended up with one that’s about 10 minutes from the main campus.
How to meet people
I think, a postgrads main concern, definitely mine, was how to meet people if you don’t know anyone in Edinburgh? When it came to Welcome Week I was 50/50, some things I attended, some things I didn’t just because I moved here a bit into that week. There was a lot going on, with the freshers fair and the sports and societies fair. Even if you don’t think it would be for you, I think societies and sports or music or whatever you’re interested in is the best way to meet people. Those and course induction events, I’m still friends with a lot of people I met on those very first kind of activities. I would definitely recommend taking advantage of those, because in that week it’s just nice to meet people in a similar situation and feel like other people are in the same boat as you – so meet as many people as you possibly can.
Working part-time during your studies
I did my undergraduate degree in English Literature at Durham University then I went home to Wales for a year and worked full time so that was when I focused on saving some money. Then when I came to Edinburgh for my masters, I wanted to settle into my course and figure out the hours I would feel comfortable working. I think it takes a couple of months to do that and would recommend it before jumping into anything. I will say there are quite a lot of opportunities throughout Edinburgh, especially in things like hospitality and I had a look into quite a few part-time jobs but in the end I chose to work as a Student Ambassador.
The University recommends working quite limited hours alongside a master’s course, but I would say being a Student Ambassador is a great option because it’s so flexible and it means that you can take on shifts when you’re free and they can be quite short ones or you can do some Open Days which allow you to work a bit more, but it’s very much based on what you’re actually able to do. I found it quite manageable and I know that a lot of my course mates have even more steady jobs where they work a few days a week and they have found that doable too.
The Careers Service is also really helpful, you can go in person or there’s a web page which you can use to filter through based on part time jobs. I think my main advice in terms of working would be to come here, get used to your course, work out what’s manageable then kind of go from there and hopefully you will be able to find something you’re interested in.
Travelling to Edinburgh
I’m quite well versed with the train line up and down the UK at this point. I think most people are a bit confused that I choose to travel by train – I do get it’s an option to do domestic flights in the UK too and a lot of my friends, especially from South England find flights do often end up a bit cheaper. But because I’m from the middle of nowhere in Wales, there’s no flights to where I live so I do normally brave an 8 or 9 hour train. I guess from a UK perspective that’s an incredibly long journey, but from an international perspective, that’s really not too crazy. Trains, can be a little bit expensive, but it’s a big help when there’s a 16-25 rail card to get a discount. To me, the trains from Edinburgh are just a very easy option. Also thinking about travel within Edinburgh, the buses and public transport in general, especially compared to where I’m from is very, very good and very easy to get to grips with.
The city
I think for me it’s the city of Edinburgh which has really made my masters. I’m sad to be leaving because it’s just the most incredible place to spend a year. I have loved my course very much as well, but I think because the city has so much to do, there’s a reason it’s such a popular destination for people to visit in general. For me it’s the culture of Edinburgh, there’s so much culture, there’s events and things to see every single day and it just has a natural beauty as well. I think it makes the balance between life and studies really achievable – it’s really there and you actually have the option.
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