Studying in the UK? How about Studying and Traveling?
When you are about to embark on your trip to the UK, you think that you are only going to bury yourself in your studies, because it is normal to want to focus 100% on studying since you aren't spending a small amount of money or time. You want to dedicate 100% of your energy to it, and I understand that at the beginning you are nervous, so maybe the first month you say "Ok, I will use the first month to adapt, get to know the surroundings a little bit, and get used to my routine," but you will have another 11 months to do other things. This is where the idea of "I want to travel, I want to explore, I'm already here, I want to go to Scotland" comes in, because that was exactly what I thought. I said, "if I already know York", in my case I went to the University of York, which is a wonderful school, it is one of the best and you can feel it in every class you attend, and the professors are very good, but even they tell you, "You know what? Relax, stop thinking about school stuff and travel, explore, you are already here."
And the truth is, you wouldn't be wasting it, nor do you have to sacrifice a lot of school time to be able to explore. I think it is one of the things you absolutely have to do, aside from studying, because the system gives you the time to disconnect from school. There is even a week they call rest week, intended for your brain to rest from the things you are doing for school, and you can use it to travel.
Recommendations? Scotland... London!
Honestly, I recommend going to Scotland. I think that if you go to the UK, specifically England, you have to go visit Scotland. It is very close; it takes about three hours by train, more or less, and you can easily pick a city, tour its most important spots in one day, and return that same night. Will you end up exhausted? Yes. Is it an experience I would recommend? Also, yes. Another recommendation: if you are in York, which is sort of a midpoint on the island of Great Britain, going to London isn't very far either. It is a very large city, though, so keep in mind that you won't be able to cover it in a single day, but it is also a must-visit. In fact, visiting other cities will also help you reconnect a little bit with your home country, because often when you are there, the food doesn't taste the same, and that is the first thing you miss from your country. In bigger cities like London or Edinburgh, finding restaurants that make good food from your country is easier.
There are many other places I visited, for example, Manchester, Liverpool, and the coastal town of Scarborough. While they aren't huge cities, if you are used to living at the speed of a big city like Mexico City, which is where I come from, visiting those cities will give you a little bit of vigour in life. There are very good restaurants in those cities too. I would recommend one in Manchester; I honestly don't remember what it's called, but look for it as a restaurant that gives you "machetitos", it's excellent with steaks.
Do not miss the opportunity to try other food, I mean, food from other countries, because since the UK is such a cosmopolitan country, it is very easy to find food from other places that you perhaps wouldn't find in your own country.
Zero fears of tourism
The truth is that the people there are very warm. You might think otherwise, but traveling, talking, and getting to know other places is something you just have to do. You are already there, take advantage of it; don't just bury yourself in studying. Yes, that is what you are going for, but it's not that difficult either, and you will realize that. It seems that when someone tells you about it, they are just paying lip service, and you think "it's very easy to say but doing it is complicated," but take it from me, I already went and lived that experience, and it is not as difficult as it seems. Make time to explore, and whether you go with a scholarship or your own funds, make room for it, it is truly worth it. If you had to choose just one destination out of all the ones over there, I would recommend, and I repeat, Scotland.
There are many good seasons to go to Scotland, specifically Edinburgh. I went during the December season, which is when the Christmas markets are there, and honestly, it is totally recommended. Don't miss it, the Christmas markets are very beautiful, there is a lot of food, try everything. Something else I can recommend to you is a map. There are many places that sell little maps, buy one. I think it is something that when you look at it, you will say "I toured that city," and you will remember the spots you went to. For example, I vividly remember going to the castle; by the way, if you go to the castle at 1:00 PM, there is an impressive cannon shot, you must go. Getting back to the map, it makes a great souvenir.
I hope this is useful to you because I want to emphasize that not everything is studying. The professors say it, and I think it is also healthy to disconnect a little bit. At least in Latin American countries, we have a culture where we always have to be doing something, we always have to be productive, we always have to do things; you can't disconnect, maybe you can't even take a 5-minute breather. But you will realize that the culture is very different over there. All that's left is for me to wish you good luck on the next trip you take to clear your mind from your studies, because I know you will go and you will make it happen.
-Diego
