I decided to come to Leeds after attending a global exchange fair at my home university and meeting one of the representatives from the program.
I knew I wanted to travel to the UK and the program really appealed to me, especially considering how inclsuive it was with social activities, excursions, accommodation and meals. After hearing about the positive experiences of other students I knew who had attended and doing some research of my own, I decided to apply – and it was one of the best decisions I ever made!
I chose to study the module “The Path to Justice: criminal law and legal skills” for block one and “Introduction to psychology: perception, cognition and emotion” for block two. It was really interesting to learn about the legal systems of other countries from the students in our law class, and to study psychology through the lens of art and colour.
The reflection tasks for both subjects also gave us a lot of freedom with choosing what to write about, but I especially loved the planned field trips. The Ripon Workhouse Museum and Yorkshire Sculpture Park were my favourite places to visit and helped us learn more about British history and culture outside the classroom in an interactive way.
The social assistants planned so many fun activities to choose from (both on and off campus) and there really was something for everyone – whether you prefer exploring the city on a night out or having a chill night with your friends. I was very excited to see more of the UK on the social excursions, and got to visit York, Bolton Abbey/Ilkley, Harrogate, Knaresborough and Harewood House which were all amazing.
The most memorable part of Leeds for me were the incredible people I got to meet. This was my first overseas exchange experience and it was a very long journey from Australia so I was a little nervous, but being in such a friendly and supportive community made everything so much easier and I made so many close friends from around the world.
I consider myself so lucky to have been able to have this experience and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who’s interested.