Erasmus Experience in Glasgow, United Kingdom by Simea

Why did you choose to go to Glasgow, United Kingdom?

Glasgow is a perfect place if you want to go to an englishspeaking northern Europe country, but not just 0815 London. Glasgow has a great architecture, many free things to do like art galleries, museums, lots of different parks, pubs etc.and it has a stunning history and loads of traditions. Even though it's the biggest city in Scotland, it's well connected with buses and a subway, but also long distance coaches and trains to all major UK cities are available. So there is loads to discover in Glasgow itself, but it's also easy to get out and experience to Scottish highlands or visit Edinburgh in a daytrip.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

5 month working placement. I paid 135£ a week for a shared flat with an older lady, inclusive food, washing, heating, electricity etc...
From the SEMP program (Switzerland) I got 400CHF a month, so I got to pay the difference myself...

Would you recommend the city and the University of Glasgow to other students?

It's been one of my best decisions to come to Glasgow and it won't take me long until I return again to see more things.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Glasgow?

No, but I found the accommodation over some contacts.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

Glasgow is English speaking, even though they have quite a strong accent. You'll probably have to ask to slow down and repeat a sentence quit a lot at the beginning, but I got used to it after about 2 weeks.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Glasgow from your city?

Direct Flight from Basel to Edinburgh, then direct bus from Edinburgh Airport to Glasgow Buchanan. Easy and cheap!

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Glasgow?

Dockyard Social - indoor streetfood
TGI Friday
Two Fat Ladies at the buttery

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

-Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis
-Botanical Garden
-Kelvingrove Museum and Park
-Pollok Country Park (to see highland cows, but also lovely gardens)
-Peoples Palace in Glasgow Green
-For shopping: Buchanan street and Argyle street
-The Riverside Museum and Tallship
-The Hunterian Museum at Glasgow Uni (also worth a visit for the buildings)

All of the above ones are for free and there are loads more. You find useful informations on:
visitscotland
peoplemakeglasgow

Find lovely spots all over Scotland over the Instagram-account hiddenscotlan

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Glasgow in the future?

Bring good footwear and raincoats with you, as it rains a lot. But as Scots like to say: "There's no bad weather, just bad clothes" :)