Today was a lovely day and still I thought I will check out some illustrative art from young…read moreprospective students at the Edinburgh College of Art Degree Show. The entrance to the exhibition is located of Westport Street and the illustrated gallery can be found on the 4th floor in a very modern building just opposite from Edinburgh castle with very amazing views. One of the students is no other than our own Ollie from "Wings", who is a very talented young man bringing his fantasies to life, presented in a combination of colourful fiction and science. You need a certain class of talent to draw various human and other forms with such a detailed eye, otherwise what you paint is missing shape and essence. He uses bright and eccentric colours indicating fun and play, and his arty signature is a little dog called "Wings" (well, we might hope so ;-) ) You can also admire his art work in the Princess Mall shopping centre at Waverly Station. There his talent and illustrative work is displayed on a massive wall for everybody to see when passing by. It's literally a very large print with many little characters in it, all waiting in a queue to get into the Mall for a bit of shopping. Remember to look out for it next time you are there. Tomorrow is the last day of the Art Degree Exhibition, so you better hurry. There is a lot to see!

ECA is a bit like other Edinburgh University buildings in that during the school year, students are…read moretortured (and by tortured I mean taught and by taught I mean made to sit exams) there, while during the Fringe, it becomes a venue. The Edinburgh College of Art, surprise surprise, offers art courses. I've met a few photography students from there (all amazing photographers), and their fashion students are, I think, in some way, affiliated with Godiva in the Grassmarket. Every year, the students will take over the many many buildings with a week (or so) long degree exhibition. This exhibition is massive. All the different students have their own sections, so there's the photography part, the fashion part, textiles, animation, etc. It borders on impossible to do it in a day. During the festival, I saw a great show where people in amazing make-up danced and did acro on stilts. It was jaw-dropping. Also, the building itself is pretty amazing. I mean, I'm not a fan of the outside, but then inside is full of columns and huge open spaces. If you haven't made the degree show ever, keep it in mind for next year. And keep your ears open for news on fringe shows going on in the college.

was always a good place despite the hidden location and they've always been keen to hold comunity…read moreevents..the downside is its right next to muirhouse library which is very busy and usually means disruptions from local young people trying to access the toilets or just after some mischief.they hold great show though.

Unfortunately North Edinburgh Arts Centre has practically closed due to it's financial situation…read more But it was an excellent, buzzy arts centre in the heart of Muirhouse. It had a wonderful cafe 'Cafe North' that served gorgeous and healthy freshly made food and the friendliest staff you could ever find. Cafe North was extremely family friendly with a dedicated childrens area and a childrens art studio for kids to play in and cover themselves in paint! The programme consisted of theatre, family theatre, live music and a huge participation programme with workshops from babies to adults. This was a real hub for the community and it is a great great shame that it might be lost. If they reach their £100,000 target by April it may continue to be an asset to Edinburgh. I would ask everyone who reads this to support the campaign and if it re-opens support the centre by attending an event there. Some people are put off by the location by it's really not that bad.

My friend gave me a guided tour and all I can say about this University is I really wished I had…read moregone here (and could afford it). It's so amazing, and pretty, and people are friendly, and they have all these cool events advertised (like a cheese party!!!). Teviot row house is also the oldest student union building in the world (My friend told me) and it looks great! they have a sports bar, library bar, and other various bars for different functions and settings.

Home to some of the ugliest buildings on earth (can I get a round of applause for Appleton Tower's…read moresheer foulness please?) the University of Edinburgh was the place of my 'further education'. Superficially the Uni does well in the league tables (23rd in the world I think) but the real student experience is pretty patchy. The main library is probably the best example of this. Spanning over six floors this building houses millions of books and resources but for some reason there never seemed to be any of the ones I wanted! At the beginning of every year at least one of my courses was complaining that their books hadn't been put on short loan and that keen students had already checked out the course work for the year. There was also a constant issue of people hogging computers, leaving their books and coats on the table and then heading off to Bristo Square for a leisurely lunch. Annoying! Nonetheless I did enjoy my studies at Edinburgh a lot. The uni attracts some brilliant lecturers especially in the History and Politics departments (my degree). Dr Day, Dr Cogliano and Dr Bates were my favourite historians although I would have to say that the international relations and politics of human rights courses were very impressive. In recent years the University has come out quite badly in 'student satisfaction' surveys primarily because of the time it took to get coursework marked and returned. As I left I could see that there were real efforts being made to reverse these patterns but as far as most of us were concerned it was a bit too little too late. Despite this I would still say that Edinburgh is a great University and I miss it a lot!

Picturesque building in a great location overlooking princes street, the courtyard although small…read moreand quite busy with tourists, holds a statue of John Knox. You need ID to access the library but if you wait around for someone to come in or out you might be lucky and once inside you will be greeted by beautiful stained glass windows. It's unclear though where visitors are allowed to roam so some info on this would be helpful.

As well as being a stunning building to admire from the outside, New College is an excellent venue…read morefor hosting events as well. It stands on top of The Mound and so has an imposing look, visible from Princes Street and beyond. Like Edinburgh itself, which has old and new towns, the university has Old College and New College. Also like the city, both old and new are quite old indeed. The building dates from 1846 and houses the School of Divinity at the University. However, there are also rooms that can be rented out for events, and that's what brought me here. Our ball happened in Rainy Hall, a stunning hall, with crests and coats of arms all around. Walking in through the main gate of the college brings one to the very Hogwarts-like quadrangle, which makes for some great photo ops. Once inside the building, all of the interior architecture also captures one's attention. However, I am far from an expert on this, so that's quite enough comments about architecture! Rainy Hall is an intimate venue for events. It comfortably accommodated our ~60 attendees, but much more than this and ceilidh dancing would become somewhat difficult. Catering and bar service are provided by the University's own Edinburgh First, with friendly, efficient staff, and a good selection of drinks at the bar. The food quality is very good, though portion sizes leave a lot to be desired. My recommendation to visit New College is twofold. As a tourist, the astoundingly beautiful building makes for excellent photographs. On top of this, for reasonably small events of up to 70 people, the Rainy Hall is an excellent venue to consider.