As far as academics are concerned, I did find that I prefer the academic system at CU Boulder more than the system at University of Edinburgh. I found the classes to be enjoyable and challenging but I was slightly disconcerted by the lack of assignments and exams. Having your entire grade for the semester rely upon an essay and a final is nerve-racking. However, with concerted effort and solid attendance, I found the classes to be very valuable and eye-opening. One of the most impressive aspects of the academics at the University of Edinburgh is the involvement of the various libraries on campus. Because classes pull most of their material from library resources, the libraries were a great place to study and collaborate with others.
The location of the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland was excellent. The city managed to feel like a community and there was always plenty going on around the campus and around the historic centers. The medieval feel of the city was an inspiring and impressive aspect of my studies and I never grew tired of walking through the narrow stone streets and around the castle and various parks.
The housing that I was assigned was high quality and in a gorgeous setting. The self-catered apartments were in an old elementary school on the edge of a very old historic park and golf course called the Meadows to the south of the castle and the Royal Mile. I lived with four other guys: two from England, one from China, and one from the US.
Interacting with locals was always an enjoyable pastime and everyone I encountered was always polite and interested in engaging you in conversations of all sorts. I especially enjoyed my travels to St. Andrews and the Highlands as this provided me the opportunity to engage with locals who weren't right around an international university campus.
Local transportation was expensive but excellent around Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole. I did not use the bus system very often as I preferred to walk but I was always impressed by the frequency of services and their timeliness. Trains were an excellent way to explore Scotland and I used them on several occasions. The ScotRail pass that I had meant that all rail tickets throughout Scotland and England were automatically discounted by a third which made travel by trains even more cost effective.

Academically, the courses were interesting but also required you to be more self-sufficient and independent with your studies which I greatly enjoyed. Edinburgh is a beautiful city with a number of interesting museums and monuments with a fascinating history. There is so much to learn from just the city itself, but it is also incredibly convenient to take a train anywhere in Britain to do more exploring. Housing was at times noisy due to it's location and the majority of freshmen living in the flats, and the mattress was very uncomfortable, but the convenience of it's location in the center of town outweighed the cons. The clubs associated with the university were a great way to know other students at the university from all over the world if you take the time to get involved. Local transportation was not needed since you can walk anywhere in the city. The excursions offered through Arcadia University were well planned and definitely added to the discovery of Scotland as a whole. I would wholeheartedly recommend any and all of the Arcadia-planned trips.

The course structure is a little different in Edinburgh than in the States. Much more work is placed in the hands of the students so you could end up with more free time, but more work to do on your own.
Edinburgh is a fantastic place to be. The airport is only a 25 minute bus ride and the train station is right in the middle of town. Everything that you need is right in the city and it is a really cool place to explore.
Definitely take advantage of all the trips that Arcadia and th University offers, It is a great way to see Scotland for a reasonable price.

Take courses that isn't offered at your home university. Get involved with the community as much as possible, you're in a different country, why wouldn't you want to meet the people who live there? Travel the country as much as possible, four months fly by.

I absolutely loved my time in Edinburgh. The city, and Scotland as a whole, was incredible. I loved the constant historical surroundings, and the locals were some of the kindest, most welcoming people that I have ever met. The excursions that I took, both with Arcadia and independently, were enlightening and so worthwhile.

The weather in Scotland is nowhere near as bad as everyone said it would be. It would get cold and rainy, but the sun does come out (much more than I was expecting).

I did come across some difficulties with the university, however. I ran into some issues with one of the courses I was taking, and I found the visiting student office to be hard to work with and disorganized. My academic advisor within the university was ultimately helpful, but I did struggle with the designated support offices.

Overall, the program was a great choice and Edinburgh is a great city to study abroad in, with plenty to do (no shortage of great pubs and other night life) while having a central location for travelling around Scotland and the UK. Basically, if you want to live in a city with a "Victorian" feel to it (lots of influence for Harry Potter, after all), then you'll probably enjoy this place.
The University of Edinburgh offers a lot of assistance for academics and advising, but also entrusts a decent amount of individual responsibility when choosing classes. In terms of courses, get approvals for courses early but also remember to have backup courses lined up, because the university ran into problems allocating my classes and I wasn't aware of those problems until the first week of classes had started (I was an exceptional case where they advertised one of my classes under the wrong semester).
In terms of location, most of the facilities are decent and are what you would expect from university accommodation, but some student housing places are further away from campus than you'd expect, so make sure to pay attention to location on the housing website when choosing housing. When speaking about the locals, I find that a great deal of people in Edinburgh are incredibly friendly and are likely to strike up casual conversation about where you're from or what kind of University work you do.
A great upside to Arcadia is that they offer a good number of fun excursions to do involving weekend trips that give you a chance to meet and reunite with the friends you'll make on the program. They had lots of options from trips to the Highlands, to weekends filled with kayaking, hiking, and other stuff that people of any fitness level can do -- I would highly recommend going on at least a few of these.
And a brief mention on the weather (because it is the UK after all!): During the fall semester that I went, the weather was actually surprisingly sunny and warm for the first two and a half months (August through mid-October), but does become consistently cloudy around Nov-Dec. Nothing terribly different from Colorado weather around that time. I'm from Colorado and I didn't really mind it, but make sure you bring a good rain jacket and warm layers!

Edinburgh is an amazing place to study abroad. It is lively and always has something to do. It was extremely easy to get to other countries from there, although the city itself had a larger number of activities available. Local students are very friendly, and are always open to making new american friends. I was able to be a psychology research assistant while there, and it was quite rewarding.

I took four classes while at the University of Edinburgh. In their system this is a full course load. While it is a very independent style of learning--students are expected to do a majority of their learning outside of the classroom--I loved getting to immerse myself in the history I was learning about. In Edinburgh I lived in a five person flat, or apartment. I roomed with two Americans, one Scot, and a English girl. They were incredibly helpful in learning about the town but also fun people to hang out/travel with on the weekends. I really enjoyed traveling on the weekends and during breaks. There was ample time to travel, both around Scotland and Europe.

I studied abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland for the spring semester. I took a Scottish history course, Russian literature course, and a writing landscapes course. Definitely take a course that teaches you something about the country you're studying in, you learn a lot and it helps put the country in context. I also joined the EU Hillwalking club, which was a great way to interact with local students.

I lived in the off-site student accommodation, which was a great fit. It was great to be able to cook for myself and have my own room. The other students that I lived with were fantastic: I met my best friends in the accommodation, and the other students in my building were wonderful.

The local transportation was great. I walked almost everywhere: my building was less than ten minutes from campus and after exploring the city, I was able to find my way around with little problem. The buses were easy to use and very convenient.

The courses I took were fairly challenging and I had my share of good and bad lectures/lecturers, but the overall experience is much more focused on independent study. Universities are like this in the UK and freshmen often come into the Universities being more qualified than US freshmen, so freshmen-level classes still present a challenge.

Whether or not you decide to participate in pub culture, don't be afraid to look to the university's events page or to local pubs and entertainment for fun things to do. The locals there are very friendly since Edinburgh is a smaller city with more of a town-like feel. The best way to build connections, hands down, is to check out and join the many societies at the University of Edinburgh. They are serious about having a wide range of clubs (hundreds) for just about any hobby/interest imaginable.

I studied in Edinburgh, Scotland, and fell in love with the city! The people were nice, the views were amazing, and the excursions to the highlands were incredible. I would highly recommend this program to other students.