Berkley Center

Whenever I asked my advisors and returning students about academics at the University of Edinburgh, all of them insisted the style of teaching was drastically different, and that it would take some major adjustment on my part. I mostly brushed these opinions off. I was less interested in the academics of my host nation, and more invested in experiencing Scotland and Europe. The education system has been more than suited to this goal, but it has also revealed some surprising things about how students learn.

The emphasis of the academic environment here is not on attending lectures and completing assignments. In fact, lectures are obviously optional, and even discussion sessions can be missed without significantly impairing understanding. Grades are mostly determined on the basis of one or two papers, or a cumulative final at the end of the semester. Thus, because there is no constant stream of assignments, it is much easier to procrastinate than it is at universities in the United States.

As you can imagine, this system is especially conducive to a study abroad student. The first week of classes, I alternated between beating myself up for not doing more work and rejoicing in the freedom to not do work. By the second week, I was fully committed to doing as little as possible. This translated into barely skimming readings for philosophy discussion sections, half-solving chemistry problem sets, and skipping inconvenient or boring lectures.

After the third week, however, I began to understand the disadvantages of this education system. Unfortunately, the procrastination began to catch up with me. As my first paper approached, I realized I might be pulling my first all-nighter in a place with a less rigorous workload. I could not accept this on principle, and thus fell into a routine of completing readings and going to lectures. But even doing this work, I still had so much free time.

Time is the true gift of this education system. I now have the time to think, to process, and to enjoy everything I am learning. Back home, I would read a book as fast as possible, in order to move onto the problem set I knew would take several hours. I would rarely stop to critically examine or enjoy what I had done—everything was simply a check on my to do list. Of course, the thrill of crossing something off that list has not subsided, but the rush to do so has abated. I can read a book for class slowly, taking the time to evaluate my opinions and form criticisms. I can appreciate the theory behind my problem sets, thus increasing my understanding of the subject as a whole. And, of course, I can explore this fascinating city without feeling like I am sacrificing a few precious hours that I need to devote to schoolwork.

This is not to say that college in Scotland is easier. For myself and other visiting students, it seems that way, simply because we are not under intense pressure to get amazing grades. But full-time students do put significant effort into their schoolwork. My flat mates reserve several hours of each day to not only complete their ungraded accounting problem sets, but also to fully understand every detail and theory involved. This is exactly what I used to do for my chemistry problem sets back home, but those exercises were either graded or completely essential to the weekly quiz. I spent so much time doing those problems in order to get immediate results; my flat mates spend that same amount of time so they can fully understand the material. And when I was finished with that problem set, I usually had several other readings, a lab report, and a few quizzes to study for before I could rest. My flat mates, who are not bad students, often go to bed at ten o’clock without the prospect of uncompleted work looming over their heads.

The demanding atmosphere at universities in the United States has its merits, but integrating ideas from the education system in Scotland could produce less stressed and more prepared students. In the face of endless assignments and due dates, it can be difficult to find the opportunities to really think, explore, and enjoy. The system here places incredible trust in the student, but students who take advantage of their time may have a more wholesome experience, with the added benefit of less frazzled nerves and fewer late nights.