One thing I learned while abroad:  The most important thing I learned while being a student in WIS is that you can't give yourself to learning from an outsider's perspective until you completely let go of your American life.  There were times that I spoke to family and friends far too often to feel that I was truly living in another country and to really appreciate it.  For a long time I held onto my Marshmellow Matey's and ranch dressing as essentials for meals.  I even took a while to embrace the local slang, but eventually I allowed myself the freedom to become part of the culture not only of Scotland, but also of England and Italy and there were new views I saw that changed my understanding of those European countries as well as my homeland.

One piece of advice I would give to future WIS students:  There are two pieces of advice I find essential to new WISers:  1)  Get a Travelex Cash Passport or something similar.  I was surprised to find I was the only one not paying huge conversion fees and ATM fees every time I bought something or needed cash.  It saved me a ton of money and you can get them in multiple currencies.  2)  Now that you have saved all that money using your Cash Passport, TRAVEL!  Especially around Scotland to the quiet towns like North Berwick, it'll be an older, more serene view of Scottish life.  And you will appreciate it even more if you talk to as many locals as possible.  They may be stand-offish at first, but once you start talking they'll join right in!