UQ Program: Bachelor of Arts
In my sixth and final year of my Law/Arts degree I did a semester at the University of Leeds in England and could not recommend studying on exchange more, particularly at Leeds. The exchange programme at Leeds has a huge intake of students every semester, so everything is well organised and they do a lot to make you feel welcome and help you settle in. I’d definitely make sure you get there for the orientation week before semester starts as there are a lot of useful information sessions but, more importantly, many social events to meet all the other exchange students! This was where I met most of the people that would end up being my good friends.
Initially I thought it might be difficult adjusting to a new university, but I found the law faculty at Leeds mostly similar to UQ, and there is plenty of help available for exchange students if you do get confused. I had great lecturers who were all academics within their fields, and the few hours of uni I did have each week (only 8 or 9!) were usually really interesting.
Leeds is very much a student city and mostly cheap to live in – lots of cafes and restaurants do student deals, not to mention the cheap drinks everywhere. Every night of the week there’s something happening, be it a gig, a quieter night in a pub or going to one of the many clubs in town. Another great thing about Leeds is it has an international airport, making many European destinations only a cheap Ryanair flight away. I loved every minute of being in Leeds and have taken away more valuable memories and friendships than I thought possible, and it’s an experience I know I’ll always treasure.