The decision to study at the University of Leeds was influenced by a number of factors: my lifelong desire to visit the UK, the fact that their Business School was placed in the top of schools 1% globally and its reputation of having the best student life in the country. After studying at Leeds for five months it’s safe to say that I definitely did make the right decision.
The opportunity to learn in a classroom where the opinions of students from all over the world come together was eye-opening. My favourite class was ‘Gender and Equality at Work in Comparative Perspective’ as hearing the stories of females from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, America and my home country, Australia, was extremely interesting as we were all able to share the positive and negative aspects of our homelands.
Student life in the UK exceeded my expectations. I remember in my first few days asking a final year student what night they would go out, and to my surprise they replied “Every night is student night!”. Being fully immersed through living at a university residence allowed me to experience such events as the Otley Run, the Sunday pub quiz at Devonshire, and going out with flat mates to dance until the early hours. Although, I do believe most of my fondest memories will simply be the times I spent with friends, sitting around the kitchen table getting to know each other.
The geographical position of Leeds made it easy to see more of the country, but also Europe. Trips to York, Manchester, Malham Cove and London were all under 2.5 hours, whilst I also managed to make it to Paris and Dublin during the semester. This was very exciting to as I would usually have to drive at least 8 hours to get out of my own state!
In the end I was lucky enough to visit 23 countries during my 6 months abroad which also meant witnessing 23 different cultures, and cuisines! A definite highlight though was the time I got to spend with friends in their homes across England. It was wonderful to experience Christmas on the other side of the world and at the same time feel so welcome. I’m going to miss real Christmas trees, mulled wine and sitting by the fireplace. I guess this means I have no choice but to return!
If one thing is for certain it’s that I definitely fell in love with Leeds and the UK. I have been lucky enough to make friends I know will stay with me for life and innumerable memories which I am so grateful for. It’s all of these reasons why I would recommend studying at Leeds to anybody, and can only hope to visit again one day soon.