James (Sem 1, 2023)

My Exchange at The University of Leeds

I found out about the Exchange programme through the University newsletters. I arrived in the United Kingdom in early December, about a month and a half before my course started. I used this time to visit family I had not seen for almost a decade, as well as some exploration of the southern part of the country. I arrived in Leeds on the 27th of January by train, travelling about 3 hours away from the west county of Gloucestershire. To say Leeds is daunting on first impressions is quite accurate, the city itself is around the same size as the Auckland CBD and is packed with clubs, pubs and malls. There’s plenty to do in the city for all kinds of interests and budgets, walking around the abandoned Kirkstall Abbey one day and going into the city for live music the next.

My accommodation was in the Ellerslie Global Residence, which was a beautiful converted Victorian townhouse. My room was on the ground floor and was bigger than mine at home, though it was right next to the main road on the campus so it was quite loud at night. There was no orientation at the University, so instead, me and some of the other exchange students tried to find our way around the campus in the days leading up to the start of the semester. The campus itself is much larger than that of Auckland, taking half an hour to walk from one end of the campus to the other. The facilities on the campus are also very impressive, with many cafes throughout the campus, a central catering area for all accommodation, two great libraries with one staying open for 24 hours and an impressive Student Union. The Leeds University Union is an impressive building, featuring multiple stores, student catering as well as a union pub and nightclub.

The student environment at Leeds is quite lively with many events taking place throughout the semester, as well as a fortnightly flea markets (not really my interest, but some people loved them). The student body also had a very strong protesting spirit, during my time there were multiple protests as well as a protester’s camp being set on the campus green during the last 2 teaching weeks of the semester.

The cost of living in student accommodation was better than that of New Zealand, as utilities are covered in the rent, the only real cost is food, which is much cheaper than here in NZ. Definitely the greatest challenge of my exchange was the courses at Leeds, I was put on only one of my desired courses leading to me only being able to take on electives. This led to a great amount of stress, with me almost abandoning the exchange as a whole; luckily, due to the flexibility of my degree, I have been able to make the situation the exchange has been me in work for my degree, though still with a lot more effort on my part. I think the best advice I can give to students thinking about exchange is to really make sure that they can fit it in their degree and that any issues that could arise are not the be-all end-all. But at the same time, make sure you enjoy yourself on exchange, it’s a crazy thing to do and gives a lot of good stories.

Q&A

What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?

Classes at Leeds are much smaller in size than those at Auckland; although this can create situations where most courses are unavailable, it allows for a more personal connection to the lecturers, who for all but one of my classes hosted seminars. A particular highlight from this came around at week 6 of the semester, a snowstorm had rolled into Leeds whilst a substitute was taking over for my lecturer (who was on jury duty). This led to me and the substitute being the only 2 people in the seminar, luckily we hit it off and had a good hour going over some of the needed material, with a lot of good chatting as well.

Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?

The university has a walking club that takes you out on Sundays into the stunning moors of Yorkshire. There was one in late March along the coastline that ended in the beautiful coast town of Whitby (which also happens to be the town in which Dracula arrived in England); after the walk, we were given about one and a half hours to walk around the town, I ended up getting fish and chips and exploring the old abbey.

What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?

1. Take full advantage of the public transport in the UK, especially the trains, which can get you from Leeds to Manchester in 40 minutes or to London in two and a half. I would recommend using the Trainline app and purchasing a rail card; if you’re wanting to do a lot of travelling, both will save you a lot of money in the long run (I was able to get a £200 ticket to London and back down to £50 through Trainline).

2. Use the Union Facilities. The Leeds Student Union is a huge building in the middle of the campus filled with everything you need, with a Co-op (supermarket), uni pub which is cheaper than all the neighbouring ones and an entire nightclub, the Union has a lot to offer. There are also certain special events throughout the semester such as bands coming to play at the union, unfortunately the only band that came during my time there was the Residents, which isn’t my kind of music.

3. Be kind. The North of England can be a weird place, funny place names, funny accents, mushy peas. It’s important to remember that although many parts of English and Kiwi culture intersect, they are still different to one another. Try your best to engage in the local culture of Leeds, especially among students, if you treat them as an outsider, they will treat you as an outsider. It’s also good to note that many of these students come from different places in England as well, bringing their own ideas and customs. Embrace and enjoy them, that is the key to a great exchange.

How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?

For the exchange, I budgeted around $13,000 NZD, excluding flights. With the cost of accommodation being approximately $8,000 NZD for the semester, this left me with $5,000 for costs outside of the university. This budget allowed for a large amount of travel across the UK and a 5-day trip to Cyprus with just less than $1,000 left after; of course, having family and friends throughout the UK made it easier to budget, as it was not needed to rent rooms for the night. For future students, I would recommend budgeting at least $5,000 and make sure to use it wisely. For example, if you are in catered accommodation, during the month-long mid-semester break you will not be catered for, I was fine as I spent all but one week of the break out of the university but I knew many people who suffered during this, many relying on takeout for food and running out of money halfway through the break. For budgeting food, I would recommend either Tesco for making your own or Iceland for frozen meals, both are on the cheaper end (especially if you use a Tesco Clubcard) and make sure your money can take you further.

What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?

I would say the most significant takeaway from my trip abroad was to always expect the unexpected and plan accordingly. When I first received news that my course selection was not going to plan, the stress of the entire thing made me almost abandon the exchange entirely; but with a bit of planning (and a pint or two at Wetherspoon’s), I was able to figure out a plan to make it work out for the better.

Another major takeaway was to really appreciate the little moments. There were many moments throughout my exchange where I felt like I wasn’t doing anything grand enough, like all my time was spent researching and writing essays. But I realised all the small things, going out for a pint with mates, going for walks through the city or gorging ourselves on Italian food. Those moments are what made the trip what it was, a time to make great friends you’ll stay in contact with past your exchange’s end.

Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?

Apart from travel in England, I also engaged in some travel further into Europe. During the spring break, I travelled with some friends from accommodation for a week on the island nation of Cyprus, staying in the city of Paphos. At the end of my stay in the UK, I travelled with my mum, who had come from New Zealand for my nan’s birthday. During her time over, we travelled to Italy for a week, visiting Rome, Venice and Florence; which, as a Classics major, became one of the highlights of the exchange.