I hate to start comparing my Edinburgh experience to my 2.5 years at Columbia thus far, but hell, there's no time like the present to start making assertions that I don't have the knowledge or evidence to back up yet :-)

Discussion sections: Who would you rather have a small discussion group led by, a PhD candidate just learning English, or your professor? Easy answer, and despite the supposed "distance" between students and professors at UK schools, I already feel like I'm getting to know my professors after having small group meetings with them. And get this, the tutorials, as they are called, actually are more educational and engaging than any lecture could possibly be (except Principles of Economics with Sunil Gulati; the guy is a god stuck in the body of a middle-aged short Indian man). I'll be espousing my thoughts on these tutorials much more in the future.

The number of classes: I have three courses that I attend for a total of 8 hours a week. Last semester I had 7 hours of class on Thursdays alone. With the decreased pressure to meet expectations and make the grade for 5 courses, I am finally being able to wander into the library each day and sit down for a few hours with assorted books from my courses and skim to my hearts content--and I'm not even working hard nowadays (unlike poor Gautam Hans down in London, who is working his ass off). More on this in the future, but the mere fact that I am taking notes on my readings, as opposed to just flipping the pages to pretend I've gained knowledge, is impressive in and of itself.

Note to self: Goddamit Brian, you brought three cameras to Edinburgh. It doesn't matter that its always cold and dark outside. START TAKING PICTURES!