Each year I give Joyce Wason my e-mail address to give to perspective North American students so they can ask me questions. I though it might be helpful to include the most frequently asked questions here, along with the answers I usually send out in reply.

Of course, all these responses are my personal opinions and not everyone here is enjoying Glasgow! Everyone who comes has a different outlook on Glasgow and the vet school. I am still very happy to be here. I love Glasgow and I am confident that I will get a quality education at the vet school.

Q. How difficult is it to be so far away from home, studying in a foreign country for so many years?

A. I find that the hardest aspect is the many similarities. You come over expecting things to be very different, when to a large extent things are the same. You start to feel comfortable and then a problem arises and suddenly everything seems foreign and impossible to deal with. I find that I cope OK for months and then I have a few days where everything goes wrong and I get extremely frustrated and want to go home. Then it all irons out and I'm happy to be here again.

Q. How is Glasgow as a city? Do you enjoy living there?

A. Glasgow is great. There is always plenty to do and tons of places to hang out. Its not really a pretty city (the litter here is incredible), but it has lots of character and the people are very pleasant, friendly, and helpful (however, I wouldn't include the kids in that statement!). Some have asked me if I would rather have gone to Edinburgh Vet School and I can whole heartedly say "no!" The two cities have different vibes with Edinburgh being posh and formal while Glasgow is just interested in a good time. I enjoy visiting Edinburgh, but I'm always glad to come back to Glasgow.

Q. How easy is it to find a place to live, and what are the living expenses like?

A. Housing is easy enough to find, but I would recommend living in the residence halls the first year. It makes adjusting much easier and finding a flat for your second year is much less stressful. Queen Margaret Hall is the best place as it is mostly older students and is quite new. QM was £3,000 for 9 months. My flat now is around £325/month if you include gas/internet/phone/etc and cheaper flats are definitely out there. Cost of living is high, but it varies somewhat with the exchange rate. I manage on around £160 a month for food and general expenses, but most people spend a lot more than that. If you go out to a bar, you can expect drinks to range from £3-6 so it adds up fast. A day bus ticket is £2.25, a basic dinner out is £8 minimum with most restaurants ranging from £8-15 for the main course. A take-away fish and chips is £5-6. Broadband internet is free in the Halls or about £20-30/month if you have a flat

Q. What about the Glaswegian accent? Is it hard to understand?

A. The accent can be crazy and there are many times at church that I can only understand every 2nd or 3rd word. However, I have no trouble with any of the professors. I find that in general, anyone who has higher education is not difficult to understand. It is the people from the 'inner city' that have strong accents. Plus, it doesn't take long to get fairly well used to it.

Q. How do you like the school?

A. Things are definitely different here than I would expect them to be in the states. The school is very unorganized (for example we found out about a project that was worth 30% of this terms physiology grade just a couple days before some people had to present it!), but things seem to work out anyway. You just have to learn to roll with the punches. Despite the relative chaos, they seem to be able to pull off a great education. Glasgow is known throughout Europe as an excellent vet school. In all my travels in the UK, when I tell people I am going to Glasgow Vet school they all say, "that's a great school!" and seem suitably impressed. I didn't really know anything about Glasgow when I came, but I have found it is actually quite well known amongst American vets.

Q. What about recieving Glasgow's BVMS rather than a DVM?

Since it is approved by the AVMA, Glasgow's BVMS is equivalent to the DVM and you do not have to take the foreign graduate exam to qualify in the states. You also have the opportunity to easily qualify in the UK, which means you can work in any EU country. Basically, with a UK and US approved degree, you could work almost anywhere in the world. As I think back on my choice to come here versus WSU I can honestly say that I have no regrets.

Q. Is there a lot of opportunity to travel?

A. As regards travel, you can really do as much or as little as you wish. I travelled in Scotland quite a bit my first year (you have lots of free time) and somewhat this year. You can also use the extra mural studies (EMS) to travel around the country and live with lots of UK families! Flights to Europe can be very cheap, ranging from 1p (£12 including tax) one-way on several of the discount airlines. I have the young persons/student rail card, which costs £20, but gives you 30% off all rail travel in the UK. Bed and Breakfasts can usually be found for under £20 per person per night.

Q. What should I bring over?

A. I would suggest that you bring everything possible. Everything is more expensive in the UK so I often bring toiletries, cliff bars (they don't have anything similar), medicines, etc. If you use any over the counter medications I would bring along a supply. I make sure to bring cold medicine, especially Nyquil, cough suppressant (very hard to find), antibiotic cream (can't get without a prescription in the UK) and such with me if I have extra room. If you like to cook, bring as many pots, pans, spatulas, etc that you can just to save on buying them over there. They are available, just more expensive.

If you are planning to walk to classes you want to take a high quality waterproof jacket and pants. I got a thin waterproof shell which I wear all year long and just add a fleece underneath for warmth in the winter. If you are walking, you warm up fast and Glasgow never really gets very cold. I also got waterproof hiking boots, which I wear whenever the weather looks threatening. When I'm waterproof, I don't mind walking in the rain and can get my daily exercise without going to the gym. Don't worry too much about an umbrella as they don't last long due to the wind. If you have a cheep pair of rubber boots and have room, you might want to stick them in. Its hard to find inexpensive wellies over there - I paid £50 for mine - although I have seen some at B & Q's, a store similar to Home Base.

The main items to buy over there are electrical goods so you don't have to worry about having tons of converters and adapters. Many electrical items, like computers, have a converter built into the box on the power cable so you only need an adapter. I bring my laptop and digital camera, but everything else electrical I get in the UK.

Q. How was the interview?

A. The interview didn't seem as intense as the interviews for US schools. It was one-on-one with the interviewer and was more like a chat. There were the usual questions about ethics and such, but a lot of time was spent on questions about travel experiences, coping with difficult situations, etc. I think they want to find out it you are really willing to come all the way over here for good or if you are going to transfer back home. There weren't really any questions for which I felt unprepared. They are more than happy to spend a lot of time answering your questions.

Q. How easy is it to get loans, etc? Are any scholarships available?

A. It’s easy enough to get the loans. Glasgow works with an American company that specializes in supplying loans to those of us studying overseas. It is expensive and perhaps I will regret it in future years, but currently I feel it is worthwhile. As far as I know, none of us have ever found any scholarships that can be used for veterinary studies outside the US and you cannot get any UK scholarships. It is possible to work part time and during breaks which helps a bit. I figure on a debt of around $150,000 by the time I graduate. It seems like a lot, but my friend who graduated from Michigan had about that much (out of state tuition).

Q. Is it worthwhile to visit?

A. I would suggest coming to visit if you can. I think you can get a better idea of the school. There are usually very cheap flights in late march ($350 roundtrip) and you should be able to stay with one the Americans here so you don't have to pay for a hotel. I came without ever visiting and that made it quite a bit more stressful as I didn't really know what to expect.

Q. Should go to Fresher's Week?

A. Its not worth much in my opinion. I don't drink much either and found very little of use was offered during Freshers Week. They do have a Freshers Fair on the main campus which is good to hit one day, but not essential. Use that week to travel in Scotland or just enjoy Glasgow. I do recommend arriving in Glasgow early to get acquainted before classes start. I'm arriving on the 11th, so if you arrive early and would like to get together,r let me know. I'd love to show you around or just have you over for dinner to talk.