Catrin – University of Leeds – Leeds – England
Semester 1, 2023
Bachelor of Communication and Law (Honours)
Hey, my name’s Cat and I recently completed my Semester Abroad in Leeds, England in Semester 1, 2023. I’ve titled this blog post, five years in the making because after my gap year in 2018 where I met a British girl who told me that the best student University was Leeds, I finally had the opportunity (no thanks to Covid) to test out her theory. Suffice to say, she was right.
Preparation – Money
Like nearly every exchange student you meet, I think we would all agree that the preparation is the worst part. I probably read all the Leeds blog posts at least three times. I could tell you where the best places were to have picnics and what outfit to wear on an Otley before I even landed in England.
My main tip for preparation would include making sure you have enough money; I personally would suggest at least $20,000 – $25,000 (including the OS-HELP loan). This is what I thought worked for me, keep in mind that I did do a lot of travelling as well at the end. However, I wouldn’t stress yourself out too hard thinking about your future travel plans because there will always be people wanting to travel when you get there.
Life in Leeds
Accommodation – James Baillie
For the University of Leeds, they have a preference system for choosing accommodation, which only allows you to choose one. If you don’t get the one you choose, they randomly allocate you to another. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to receive my first preference and I got placed in a four-bedroom flat at James Baillie Park (JB).
Unfortunately for me, I only got one other flatmate during my time at JB. Don’t get me wrong, he was amazing, and we got along, it was just not what I imagined for my exchange. I was worried it would be harder to have a close group of friends, but I’m writing this to let you know that everything will work out in the end.
This forced me to make friends with people not in my flat. Instead, I created the ‘Flat Life’ I always imagined with my friends at Leeds.
Flat Dinners
One of the ways we did this was by creating weekly flat dinners. Every week someone would make something new for the group. I really recommend that you create traditions with your friends. We started weekly flat dinners quite early on, and these traditions have even continued in Brisbane.
Additionally, JB is a bit further away from campus, but you can either walk (it’s not that far) or bus it. I usually caught the bus because I had a bus pass for the month (for football and going out). In the end, I am happy with my choice of JB, the social life and the location worked out well for me. It is quite close to Headingley (the student suburb), and a Sainsburys. However, knowing what I know now, if I were to go back again, I would apply for Charles Morris on campus.
The Otley Run
Don’t be scared if you have no idea what this means right now. By the end of your first week in Leeds, I would be surprised if you haven’t seen a couple hundred people in dress up going along Otley Road. Not only that, but Chris Pine has done the Otley Run. It is where you dress up in a group and hit around 14 pubs. It is such a Leeds experience and I recommend that you complete it at least once during your time away.
Some examples of dress-ups could be: pjs, cowboys, or dads and lads or togas both pictured above and below:
Society Life
If you didn’t realise yet, life over there is a lot different from here. One highlight was that every Wednesday was sport night. This is because most sporting teams played during the day on Wednesdays. I joined the Football Society. I really enjoyed this, and it allowed me to create instant friends while playing the sport I love.
Varsity
One particular highlight was Varsity against Leeds Beckett. The rivalry could be compared to QUT vs UQ on steroids. Being able to participate in my team was amazing and we ended up winning 7-0 on the day. But the best part was watching the last battle between the Rugby teams. This brings in all the students around Leeds. Everyone was wearing their school colours, and we were all cheering for our team, even though I didn’t even know the rules to Rugby. It was honestly so much fun and gets very intense.
Ski Trip – Snowriders Society
Also, what you might not know before you go over is that Leeds has the whole month of April off for Midsemester break. During this time, I joined the Snowriders Society and went on their ski trip to Val Thorens. No matter your ability, I really recommend it if you are going for Semester 1. Ski lessons were affordable and hanging out with your friends on the slopes is unforgettable.
Travelling
I recommend travelling whenever you can. I was so lucky to be able to travel and see the Northern Lights in Iceland, go to Brussels, France, Amsterdam, Porto, Ireland, Scotland, Greece, Germany, and Croatia.
I urge you to not only travel around Europe but also use the National Express (buses) and trains to travel around England. England towns are historical and fairy-tale-like, you won’t regret it.
My final words are, I have met some of my closest friends on Exchange and even my current roommate I met on my first day in Leeds. Don’t be afraid to say yes and do things you wouldn’t do back home. Life is a simulation on Exchange, and I was lucky to be involved and hopefully you’ll feel the same when you return home.
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website
