Every year Harry and his friends make their way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland is the famous bridge and train line the Hogwarts Express travels along to get them there. The surrounding countryside makes for some wonderful hiking, and you can even take a ride on the “Jacobite” — the real steam train Potter traveled on. There’s a regular diesel service, but if you want to cross the viaduct in a Hogwart’s Express-style steam locomotive, West Coast Railways runs the Jacobite Steam Train during the summer season (May to October).
Choosing where in the world to study can often be just as difficult as choosing the university itself. Here are just a few of the many reasons why Scotland is the perfect destination and some details on how you can study here!
Scotland has the highest number of world-renowned universities per head of population than anywhere else in the world. The quality of teaching in Scottish universities is recognised internationally and the world-leading research undertaken within their facilities is cutting-edge. In fact, previous innovations from researchers in Scotland include the MRI scanner, the development of keyhole surgery, the cloning of “Dolly the Sheep” and the theory that first pointed to the existence of the Higgs Boson Particle!
Perhaps the most attractive quality of Scottish universities is their strong focus on employability. In fact, nine out of ten graduates from universities in Scotland go on to work or further study within six months of graduating. They also have the highest starting salaries in the UK.
How much will it cost?
If you are from a country within the European Union, you should not have to pay any course fees for your first degree. The vast majority of undergraduate students from the EU and Scotland are entitled to have their tuition fees paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).
International students from outside the European Union have to pay course fees in full. However, there are many scholarship programmes available which can cover the cost of either all or a part of your degree. Check the Study in Scotland website for more details.
How to apply
For undergraduate courses you can apply through the Universities and Colleges Admission Centre (UCAS). Each university has its own entry requirements but they all require you to demonstrate your English language proficiency in order to make sure you can understand and complete the coursework and participate in lectures and tutorials. Most universities will require proof of your ability in English through one of the following:
A successfully completed academic qualification from an English-speaking country
An English qualification certificate as part of your High School studies
A qualification from sitting an approved English language test (such as IELTS, CAE or CPE)
An English-language certificate
At inlingua Edinburgh, we can help you to prepare for university in Scotland with our General Englishand Exam Preparation courses. You can browse our course options here or contact us for more details.
It’s certainly an unknown fact about Edinburgh but the Scottish capital is a hyper-connected city! For the last 7 years, the city of Edinburgh has invested a lot into free, public-access, Wi-Fi in the city centre. This year, the main objective is to cover all the streets in the city centre in time for the festival in August. The city has already created a number of free Wi-fi points and today, more than 80 venues offer free access to Wi-fi. Your next question will be, “but where exactly will I be able to find it?” You can see below a list of the places where you can connect your smartphone or laptop to the internet:
On the bus or tram
Cafés and restaurants
Government and public buildings
You can find all the free Wi-fi points displayed on Google Maps here.
Today, the 1st May, is widely celebrated around the world as International Worker’s Day. But did you know that May Day is also widely observed as a Gaelic Spring festival?
In the traditional pre-Christian European pagan cultures, the 1st of May is the first day of summer and the end of spring, and is celebrated with the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh on the night of 30th April.
Traditionally, May Day in the UK is celebrated through rites and celebrations consisting of Morris dancing, a traditional dance for land fertility, celebrations around a maypole full of colours and the crowning of the Queen of May. In Edinburgh, an older legend also says that young women who climb Arthur’s Seat and wash their faces in the morning dew will have lifelong beauty.
Photography “Crowning of the May Queen” by David Ayres
Nowadays, the British celebrate the lighter days with a longer week end as the first Monday of May has been a bank holiday since 1978.
So what’s your plan for this blossoming weekend in Edinburgh?
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic (and more specifically Gaelic) heritage even more broadly. It is most often made of woollen cloth in a tartan pattern.
Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games and sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable informal male clothing in recent years, returning to its roots as an everyday garment.
The Scottish kilt displays uniqueness of design, construction, and convention which differentiate it from other garments fitting the general description. It is a tailored garment that is wrapped around the wearer’s body at the natural waist (between the lowest rib and the hip) starting from one side (usually the wearer’s left), around the front and back and across the front again to the opposite side. The fastenings consist of straps and buckles on both ends, the strap on the inside end usually passing through a slit in the waistband to be buckled on the outside; alternatively it may remain inside the waistband and be buckled inside.
A kilt covers the body from the waist down to the centre of the knees. The overlapping layers in front are called “aprons” and are flat; the single layer of fabric around the sides and back is pleated. A kilt pin is fastened to the front apron on the free corner (but is not passed through the layer below, as its function is to add weight). Underwear may or may not be worn, as the wearer prefers, although tradition has it that a “true Scotsman” should wear nothing under his kilt. The Scottish Tartans Authority, however, has described the practice as childish and unhygienic.
Today most Scotsmen regard kilts as formal dress or national dress. Although there are still a few people who wear a kilt daily, it is generally owned or hired to be worn at weddings or other formal occasions.
Contemporary kilts have also appeared in the clothing marketplace, n a range of fabrics, including leather, denim, corduroy, and cotton. They may be designed for formal or casual dress, for use in sports or outdoor recreation, or as white or blue collar workwear. Some are closely modelled on traditional Scottish kilts, but others are similar only in being knee-length skirt-like garments for men. They may have box pleats, symmetrical knife pleats, or no pleats at all, and be fastened by studs or velcro instead of buckles. Many are designed to be worn without a sporran, and may have pockets or tool belts attached.
Aurora Borealis, named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn and Boreas, the Greek god of the cold north wind, is a fascinating theatrical sky phenomenon.
It occurs when solar wind from the sun collides with magnetic particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing a wondrous display of multi-coloured lights dancing in the sky.
Scotland is known to be one of the best places in the world where you can experience this fantastic light show. It can be seen anywhere in Scotland where the light pollution is at a minimum. The northern reaches of the country and northern isles are the top spots to see this fascinating light display. Shetland and The Outer Hebrides are also ideal locations.
As accurate forecasting is always difficult, luck is often involved but you can try to increase your chances of seeing the northern lights by checking Aurora Watch UK.
If it is not already on your bucket list, I can bet after having a look at these stunning pictures, it will be!
