Glasgow Living: Dorms

For reference.  Will take a picture of my room when it is light!

First night in Glasgow, first night in my own "flat"!  It was dark, raining, and incredibly windy when we got here (wind speed topping off at around 55mph in the city), so it's hard to find the place "pretty" as everything is a bit dreary at the moment.  However, all the necessities are here: desk, armoire, bed, sheets, and a pub around the corner.  The closest city super-market is about a 10min walk, and a larger supermarket supposedly isn't too far by public transit either.  Plus, my 1/2 of my program-mates are living in the Kelvinhaugh/Caincross area, so most of us are quite close.

Living in student accommodation in Scotland is a bit different.  Typically, people only live in university housing if they are a) first years or b) international.  Housing also seems to be much less dorm like, with many of the options offering single or "en-suite" rooms, which are essentially the size of a very small hotel room, with the latter having a bathroom attached.  My flat has five residents, each of us with our own room, and we share a bathroom, kitchen, and dining area.  I have met two of my roommates, both female, international students studying as an exchange for a semester.  The remaining two I have not met yet, which I hope means that they are, if not Scottish, at least long-term residents.  One of the other girls in my program has one female and at least two male international (Asian, in her case) roommates, so there don't seem to be the qualms about co-ed dorms that exist in the U.S. either.

Either way, it seems when students get to their second year, they're familiar enough to rent their own apartments.  With education in Scotland being free for Scottish students (along with healthcare, coincidentally), I imagine they have a bit more money to spend on things like rent, making it an easy decision between the slightly dated student accommodations and more trendy options around the city.  For me, it's a roof over my head with everything I need close to where I need it to be, so it's perfect!