Summer studying abroad?

Canadian student studying abroad next summer-- should I go to London or Edinburgh?

• I've been approved to study and work abroad next summer in the UK. I'm so excited :) I'm a Canadian (born and raised) with grandparents from Scotland and England. I've never traveled to Europe, and because of my heritage Scotland and England are my first choices of places to experience. I'm just wondering, since I will most likely be doing this on my own and setting everything up, could someone tell me which city is a better choice for an international student to live and work for a summer? Which is cheaper? Where would more jobs be available? Are people friendlier/more accomodating in a certain one? I'm also a history major.. so I'm really into historical places etc. I know both London and Edinburgh are fulllll of history, but is any one better than the other? Any opinions are great :) Thank you!

• Answer:

  I actually find the argument of RamandeepRai flawed and actually, pretty offensive. I used to live in Edinburgh, Scotland, but I moved to Nova Scotia, Canada around 2 3/4 years ago. While I'd like to say that I have a rather good perception of the two cities, I decided to ask my parents who have both lived in both of these cities. Hey, can't get a better opinion than that, huh? They say that both cities are just as equip for an international student; which I agree with. Heck, just walking to school I passed by a lot of foreign students and residents. Neither one really seems "cheaper" than the other. As London is so big and spread out, you'd probably need to buy a pass for the underground rail. However, as Edinburgh is more compact, you can get to most places by walking, taxi, or bus. Believe me, I lived right down from the castle (the heart of Edinburgh) and I could get everything essential and MORE within a 6 minute walk. The Royal Mile had everything that we needed. There are definitely more jobs in London. Heck, it's the "center" of Europe. Not to say that there aren't jobs in Edinburgh, just that London has more and probably more choice? From the view of both my parents, Edinburgh is more friendly/accommodating. London is a lot more busy and flows with a business vibe. Edinburgh is more laid back. Both cities have just as much history as the other, so either one you go to, be prepared to see history walking down the streets :) If you go to Edinburgh, then I highly recommend going to Mary King's Close. I've been maybe 4-5 times. Very interesting, but it still scares the heck out of me X] Hope this helps some, and I hope you have an awesome time, whichever city you go to! :) P.S. - Many of my friends here in Canada, when I asked them if they went to the UK where they would visit, basically all of them said London. But, once I described and showed pictures to them of Edinburgh, they actually changed their minds! Seems like they just wanted to go to London because it's more well-known. Funny how the mind works, huh? P.P.S. - The weather in Edinburgh is usually pretty dull, grey and wet. London is also like this, but tends to see more sun and heat, I believe. If weather also affects your decision, then London is probably the better place to go for "good weather". P.P.P.S. - For what RamandeepRai said about being made fun of for your accent; that's not true (to a certain degree. Where in the world is anyone never made fun of?). Ever since I was 5, I was always in classes which had children from all different places in the world and of all different backgrounds. Not all of them spoke English well, but no-one EVER made fun of them. We helped them along the way. Not to mention, with the amount of foreigners in Edinburgh, hearing accents is nothing new to us. There is also a large Pakistani population living in Edinbrugh. They have accents, but hey, we don't even hear it anymore! Also, I had a few Canadians in my high school classes, and if anything, instead of being made fun of, we wanted to hear them talk LOTS! We never really had many American/Canadian students, so we loved hearing their accents, just like they are on TV X]