Lauren – University of Leeds
Semester 2, 2023
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) / Bachelor of Business
Hi, I’m Lauren and I returned home this year from my semester 2, 2023 abroad at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom! I had decided years ago, while I was still in High School, that I really wanted to experience an exchange semester while at university. The opportunities and support available at QUT to make my dream of exchange a reality played a big part in my choice to study at QUT.
Preparing for Exchange
Determined to go on exchange while studying my double degree in Business (Economics) and Behavioral Science (Psychology), I started planning very early on in my degree and saved up my elective units accordingly. I cannot stress enough how important it is to start planning and applying as early as possible!
I think I had a different approach to a lot of students when it came to choosing my host university. Instead of deciding on a location I wanted to live in for a semester, I searched through the course profiles of every partner university to narrow down my list of options to only included universities that offered equivalent subjects to units I had left available on my course plan at home. The final list had 3 options – including the University of Leeds.
I ended up choosing Leeds because:
- of its availability of relevant subjects (in my case);
- their exchange office offered guaranteed accommodation (if you apply before cut-off dates);
- it has it’s own airport (with £14 flights to some European destinations); and
- it was only a 2hr train ride to London (which is mind-blowingly only 20minutes longer than my daily commute to QUT).
And I was very happy with my choice!
Travelling to 30 Countries While on Exchange
I really tried to take advantage of the difference between semester start dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to maximize travel opportunities. I was on one of the first flights out of Brisbane as soon as my Semester 1 exams were finished, which gave me 3 months to travel around and make the most of Summer in Europe before my classes started at the University of Leeds. In this time I travelled to: Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, France, Monaco, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Once I had settled in at Leeds, I used most of my weekends to travel with new and old friends alike to as many cities as I could reach on the train network in England. I even managed to squeeze in some long-weekend trips to Ireland and Portugal too. I also learnt that lots of uni’s (including Leeds) factor in a ‘reading week’ to help you catch up – so naturally, I made sure that I caught up on my reading while road-tripping through the Scottish Highlands.
We also had a month-long break over Christmas between when classes finished in December and exams started in January. I took this opportunity to travel to Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Brining the total number of countries I visited while I was on exchange to 30!
Life in Leeds
I was fortunate enough to live in Devonshire Hall, which is a 20 minute walk to the university through the very pretty Hyde Park. Dev Hall also happens to feel a little bit like Hogwarts too, hosting several ‘formal dining nights’ where students could attend themed dinners dressed in academic robes. For the Halloween Dinner, many students and teachers paired their academic robes with witches’ hats and dined with carved pumpkins at candle lined tables in a building built in 1928. It felt pretty surreal and spooky!
What I loved about Leeds, and Devonshire Hall specifically, was how many exchange students also called it home. I was one of 6 in my flat, every single one of us from a different nation around the world – which really just meant that our kitchen smelt amazing!
Classes were structured in a very similar way to QUT, so the biggest difference I noticed was that all of my classes had one exam that counted as 100% of your grade (instead of 3 pieces of assessment that total 100% together). It meant that it was really important to stay on top of your own study as there was only one opportunity to showcase what you had learnt in each subject.
I also loved how walkable to city was! The university, grocery shops, parks and public transport were all so close to Devonshire Hall, which I really appreciated. I would also recommend making your way to Kirkstall Abbey, I stumbled across it on a long walk one day and it was so beautiful!
Other mentionable highlights that are ‘quintessential Leeds’ would have to be gathering in Hyde Park as soon as the sun starts to shine and completing the Otley Run in costume (my group went as Grandmas).
Top Tips
Overall, I had a fantastic time while on exchange. My biggest recommendations would be to:
- Start planning early
- Travel as much as possible
- Enjoy the adventure
I made so many new and unforgettable friends and memories during my time overseas and would encourage anyone considering a semester abroad to go for it!
Find out more on how you can apply: Student Exchange
