University of Leeds reviews

University of Leeds review

OK, Leeds...the uni's just north of the city centre, very close to the LGI (hospital) and the met, is sort of scenic, depending on how you look at it (from the Fav - arguably nearest pub - it can seem almost spinning)a couple of buildings are, i guess, picturesque but my favourite architecture is the roger steven's fountain-careful not to fall in!!!the people here are fantastic, a wide mix of all cultural/social/sexual etc groups- they'll be someone you'll get on with!apparently there are more blokes than girls, but maybe that doesn't take account of lecture attendance. there's loads of facilities, especially in the union- which is fab, computers and libraries galore, all within 10mins drunken/hungover stumble, and 'red route' is a massive corridor that can take you pretty much anywhere in the uni-v good to keep out the rain/avoid steps.
halls- i recommend on campus (henry price/lyddon/ellerslie/charles morris),as living at boddington (3+miles up otley road is great for the sports facilities inc weetwood and for otley runs, but takes best part of an hour to get uni-there in rush hours (830-1000 & 1530-1800).there's loads of people to meet though and,all-but tacky, a bar.the buses are expensive but worth it(term pass) as you can't get anywhere without using them (unless headingley/closer to uni)and they run all night- no taxis needed!and if you make it to 430am and are on the way home, don't panic!even though they're meant to stop at 3am, they DO come!!or if one goes past full up(never seen happen after 4am!)another one will come. Self-catered flats at boddington are better then halls- any food must be nicer than some of the shit they give you in halls!they're cheaper, newer, and don't have stupid restricted mealtimes.they're also all single rooms, whereas in halls you might be stuck with someone odd-not out of choice!
hyde park/headingley is the place to live for any year other than first- rent can vary from £45-£70+, but price doesn't reflect quality, just some landlords are greedy.headingley is average £58, hyde park £55.It's worth viewing a few houses before you choose, as it widens your perspectives and makes you thankful you dont live in an APEX shithole.
my course is basically two seperate one's - there seems to be no overlap. French.the department are highly organised although i found the timetable very confusing at first-your personal tutor will NOT laugh at you if you can't get it!! the course is split into language and a module.all classes one hour long. lang: one 'travaux pratiques' class-8ish people, focuses on speaking french, responding to text/video/tape, presenting exposes (discussion).one seminar-class of 12ish focus on grammar exercises from book. and one lecture- all people doing french, 300ish, reviewing grammar. assessment is on 2grammar exams, an oral exam and a dossier(all work from throughout year). my module is resistance and desire, one lecture on the topic (a book, eg l'amant/phedre or a film etc)and a seminar every other week.assessment is exam and multi-coice questions.
Spanish.department more relaxed, but disorganised(has improved for semester2).language and module.lang:the abanico exercise book is worked through in class -twice weekly, 12 people and is on grammar, vocab and a little on speaking. the lecture is called a workshop and has 2 groups(you only have to be in one)and is 1hr/wk.
my module is modern writing, and has one 2hour lecture per week, on different books (eg, el tunel/el tragaluz). the whole of the spanish course is taught IN SPANISH and i found that exceedingly difficult to understand- i can sit in a lecture without understanding a word, which is crap!
we have to do an elective subject too- mine's v boring, just 2hrs/wk and about teaching english.
altogether its 12hrs/wk, then 13, then 12 etc.
lots of opportunity to join sports teams/societies all year and they'll be something for you!wed afternoons should be free for sport, but aren't as of yet...

University of Leeds review

Leeds is an absolutely brilliant place to be. So much going on. Clubs, bars and food to suit all tastes! The uni itself is big, with a fantastic union. The Union building has 3 bars, loads of food shops etc. There are loads of societies from sports, skydiving, to musical societies and a huge christian union. It is a very trendy city, but very friendly too. Uni is really close to the city and to the student living area. Most people love their first year accomodation. Go into flats for a bit more independence, but the halls offer a lot more of a community. Houses in second and third year are all generally nice with double beds. Average rent £50 a month.
All lecture buildings are close together. There are 2 libraries and loads of computers.
Music is quite a traditional course. Music society is brilliant though. Its great because you get to study other subjects as electives on the side if you want to. I'm doing sociology and loving it!
Only mini problem is safety, but I think its the same anywhere. Just Keep Safe!
Just come to Leeds...honestly, you'll LOVE IT!!!

University of Leeds review

Hey everyone,

Leeds if definitely a great place to go to uni. One of the first things you realise when arriving in leeds, as a nervous fresher, is how many students there are up here. The place has been overrun with student folk, I don`t think the locals like it too much but for us its brilliant. There`s a real sense of student community in leeds, you feel a part of something.

One the big draw cards for leeds is the night life. Whatever your into chances are you`ll find some of it in leeds. Midweek can get a bit overrun with cheese and cheap drinks (I`m not saying this is bad), but there`s always something a bit more tastefull if you don`t fancy fighting your way to the bar for 50p shots of paint stripper. There`s the infamous back to basics night on saturday which has a real cult following. There`s also a good collection of super-cool bars/clubs where you can sip vodka redbull with the beautiful people.

Its not all rosey though, leeds is a gritty northern city. In some areas of the city there`s quite a lot of anti-student sentiment. This reached fever pitch last year with local kids starting to throw lit fireworks at innocent students on a regular basis. Crime can also be bad in some areas of leeds, in the cheaper student areas bulgary and muggins are quite common. There are some good areas though, but they`re expensive, the rent can blow a pretty big hole in your student loan check.

As for my course, well its maths so i don`t like to talk about it too much, it doesn`t go down well with the girls. But yeah I reckon we`ve got a pretty decent department, there`s always plenty of help available if you need it and all in all the standard of lecturing is good. Maths at leeds is hard but thats due to the nature of the subject really. Theres also a good social side, believe it or not maths students are actually quite normal. There are christmas parties and after exam parties and stuff like which are always good fun and you get to meet loads of new people from the department. I think thats probably the best part about my course is my friends, if your stuck with something there`s always some one to help. I would advise coming up for an open day though, just to make sure that the content of the course is right for you.

Thats about it really, all in all leeds in a brilliant place to be a student.

University of Leeds review

In my opinion Leeds Uni is about the best place you can go as an Undergraduate. One of the main benefits is that Leeds is such a great city and although the University is a city centre campus it really is a campus, the departments aren't just scattered around the centre like some other city universities.
There are about 30 000 people on campus in term time which can be a bit daunting but then it also means you are bound to meet people you like.
The main thing that is probably not obvious from visiting the university is how good Leeds is for Sport. Although the sports facilities at Leeds are quite frankly pretty pathetic for such a big university, in fact if you are any good at sport you will have no problem because the Union funds sport really well with a massive budget for the sports teams which is about three times that of say Sheffield or Manchester. And realising that our faclities aren't great the union will pay for the teams to train elsewhere. This is reflected in our results, Leeds have won the Christie Cup (Leeds vs Manchester vs Liverpool) every year in living memory and are quite high up in the BUSA table, both of which cover all sports. Also if you just play recreationally the intra mural leagues are very well organised. So you can play 5-a-side or whatever with your mates competitively.
I also think the Union itself is one of the best in the country with great bars etc. but this doesn't really matter because the nightlife in Leeds is great with something for everyone and the live music scene is also re-emerging.

My course Physiology is fairly typical of all the Biomedical Sciences, the workload is average, The first two years are spent learning quite a lot and doing lots of practicals and projects and stuff and then in third year you have hardly any lectures and are expected to do quite a lot of reading and two big projects. You can take elective modules in first and second year in anything you want, a language perhaps or just watching films and talking about them. Just be careful if you do choose electives in other subjects because it can be quite useful to have a grasp of stuff like biochemistry later on even if you'd rather do an hour a week of japanese paper folding or something for 20 credits in your first year. It's a good department tho and well respected and that.

University of Leeds review

I realise now that when I applied for uni, I had no idea what I was letting myself in for! I pictured living in a house with new people, walking to uni, making new friends and learning new things within the subjects I enjoyed. I have done all of this, but on a much smaller scale than I originally imagined.
The first thing that gave me huge problems was sorting out my timetable and elective options - neither of which I thought I had to do! But being a joint honours student, that is an added responsibility: it's supposed to give you more options, but actually, there turn out to be restrictions that make everything very complicated.
Then there's the living arrangements which, in the first year, you have no control over. I lived in a 5 bedroom flat within a 9 flat block, half an hours walk from uni:it was like living in a concrete box (which you do get used to), but with no bath, no sofa and no protection from noise in other flats, it also became a problem.
Making friends can be easy, but if you have any self doubts, it can be very difficult. Also, my lectures contain over 200 people a time, and with only 5 minutes between lectures in which to get to the appropriate place, and then find a seat (preferably not near the back if you want to see or hear anything) can make it hard to sit next to, or even near to the same person twice!!
Basically, if I turned back the clock to the last year at college, and I knew what I know now, I would seriously consider other options, because I thought uni would be 'an easier option', but it most certainly is not. Motivation, determination and personality are three essential ingredients to take with you.

University of Leeds review

Leeds University Campus is situated about 5ish minute walk into town centre which is brilliant if you live on an on campus halls of residence in the first year as you don't need to get taxis after a heavy night out!!!!

Leeds is one of the biggest Unis in the country I think there is about 30,000 students there at any one time so you will probably guess that there is a wide range of people and personalities there. Some you will think are a bit 'weird' but if you struggle to make friends there it would really surprise me!

The facilities are top notch, more computer clusters than you could shake a stick at and two massive main libraries with other exclusive departmental ones as well.

Another great thing about the uni is that once you're on campus for the day the biggest walk you will have to a lecture/seminar is about 10 minutes.

I am staying at Charles Morris Hall in Leeds this year. It's pretty good but the food tastes like my cat cooked it, wait a minute it tastes like my cat. There is the occasional decent meal but it keeps you alive I suppose. The good thing with the halls in Leeds is that all 1st years are guaranteed a place in halls. I currently share a room which isn't as bad as you may think, I think its better than a single room because your room is generally bigger, I can see the drawback if you don't get on with your roommate but I haven’t had to think about that because we do get on really well.

As far as housing in the second year is concerned you shouldn't have any problem finding somewhere of good standard but don't expect the Ritz and don’t expect to be right on campus. There are 2 main areas where students live and they are: Hyde Park and Headingly. Hyde Park is a lot closer to the campus than Headingly; your typical walk from Hyde Park is 10-15 minutes whereas you are looking at 20-25 minutes or a bus from Headingly.

The course that I am doing (Computer Science and Economics) so far has been very challenging, DO NOT choose this course if you want to leave Maths behind you after 6th form, some of the Maths is quite scary and I managed to fail the exams and have to go back in August for re-sits.

All of the courses are split up into modules that have got an allotted number of credits. On my course the modules are taught over 120 credits and you have to pass 100 credits to get on to the 2nd year. You get 10 credit and 20 credit modules; the 10 credit modules are taught during 1 semester and the 20 credit modules across both semesters.

I am in Uni for 15-17 hours a week which isn't to bad but the work is harder than you think and there is lots of it. You get some work to do over the holidays but you should also use the holidays for revision (which I didn't) or the exams will be a real chore.

As with most Uni's there are two exam periods each year, the first is straight after the Christmas break and the second is a couple of weeks into the final term (after the easter break)so don't expect an easy ride at Leeds!

I enjoy some elements of the course but I have read some of the things that I will be doing next year and am looking forward to that a lot more!

Now, lets get to what Uni is all about, the social life!! OK its not what uni is all about but it is a big part of the life. I live in Cardiff which I read somewhere has the best night out in Britan but obviously the people who wrote that didn't bother to go to Leeds, it's FANBLOODYTASTIC! It doesn't matter what music you are into you will find somewhere really good that cateres for your musical tastes!

The union puts on a few good nights aswell but if you want a real good time head into town. you have got to be careful though, find out what deals are on where or might end up spending a fortune! But there is a student night somewhere every night so there shouldnt be much of a problem with money.

The cheapest pint I have had is £1 which is in a place called the Fav on a friday night (the Fav is round the corner from Charles Morris Hall!)

All in all Leeds is a great place to go to uni but if you choose the wrong course you could end up hating it as you would with any uni.

University of Leeds review

crash, bang, whallop and its time to move away and live in a new place, lucky for me my new place was james baillie flats, leeds. it was nearly three years ago now but it really does seem like yesterday. ah, the worried looks from mums, dads, girlfriends even dogs as they dropped off their 18 year old (well roughly)sons and daughters. at first daunting as new things are, the whole experience has been a white knuckle ride of an adventure.
leeds is both vibrant and friendly, although you do have to avoid certain areas, but you soon learn about that. for me the best thing about it was the thousands of students in the area and huge nightlife, which might i had, was such a contrast to my sleepy pub village with all the local farmers in back home. the union is one of the best in the country (i know, ive been to a few) the courses available are fun (well most) and you get a degree from a university that is recognised all over the world! can you really ask for more. its so good, ive had to subscribe to do a masters so that i can live here for another year like a student.
and how you live like a student. im not from a rich background but i still dont find it difficult to frequent the various pubs in the area three or four times a week (the original oak is a must especially when the sun is shining!). the loan given is more than enough to cope on as long you dont blow it on things other than books, see my broke housemates for details.
leeds is a city that gets better every day. it is a growing city and many of my peers have found it easy to secure jobs in and around the area. whatever your into its here. restaurants, drinking ( called socialising on application forms remember), seeing bands, fly fishing, skydiving, you name it we got it.
no wonder its been consistently the most popular university over the years. my course if anyones interested is surprisingly good. the regular example sheets, tutorials and seminars are a fantastic mixture which keeps you more than occupied.
the final message is come to leeds, i think you would be absolutely bonkers not to.

University of Leeds review

Overall recommendation - come to Leeds. Leeds is an incredible city, and the University is amazing. I was looking for a lively city campus, where i would receive decent teaching, and could enjoy all the other things that a University should offer. Leeds did not disappoint. As one of 20000 students in the city, there is no shortage of things for students to do (bars, clubs, sports, student societies etc). Making new friends was easy (I was in a hall of around 1200 new freshers - Bodington) and settling in was never a problem, as I found that the majority of people that go to Leeds are all really easy going and are up for a laugh.
I have never been bored or stuck for things to do in my 3 years, which is sometimes a problem ,as I find that the number of mates you make, and the number of things to do can sometimes leave uni work low on your priority list. The maths course in itself is demanding and often the lack of tutor and lecturer support has, at times, left me thinking that the course in itself has given me less from my time at university than some of the other things I have gotten involved with. And I do find that the "real world" usefulness of the modules we learn is severely limited. That is, most of what you on this course is not going to be useful when you get a job (in mine, and the majority of my coursemates, cases anyway - we are all graduating and becoming accountants or bankers). However, it is a great ticket to a good job - and there’s no harm in that (that after all is the ultimate aim of university???)
So, for me, I have found the "fun" side of university (that is harped on about so much before you get there) has made my university career much more fulfilling and rewarding that the academic side. I think that Leeds university in itself has contributed significantly to that - I dont think you would get the same thing happening in a more enclosed "campus" style university. I have made friends for life, graduated with a decent degree to a decent job, and have thoroughly enjoyed every day that Ive been there. What more do you want form uni?.

University of Leeds review

I can safely say that choosing Leeds Uni it was definitely the right choice for me. The course (Maths with Finance) only had twenty or so people on it and so I made every effort in the first few weeks to get to know as many of them as possible. I went on every event organised by the maths society, talked to everyone and we got very drunk together. This definitely proved a good thing as it meant I never had to struggle with homework as there was always somebody I could ask for help. The departments quite good I guess, I’ve always got help when I’ve asked for it. We seem to have quite a lot of hours though compared to other departments. I mean history only has 3 hours a week. I seem to have that at least a day! I think the down side is that there isn’t much coursework. I generally think that the mark you get in your coursework reflects the effort that you’ve put in but with exams if your questions don’t come up, you’ve had it.
I lived at Boddington hall in my first year. It is a long way out – 4 miles in fact but some how this pulled everyone together. On the first day I arrived I knocked on everyone’s door to say hey. I soon found that there were many people around me that were interested in the same thing as me – making the most of my first year. The year where it doesn’t count and you only have to pass.
The night life in Leeds is vast – there is something for everyone. In my first year I’d go clubbing every night (except Sunday. It’s just wrong on a Sunday). Now I tend to go to bars more and pubs when I fancy a quiet night. The pubs in Headenley are fantastic, although who can resist Heaven and Hell at 6 quid all you can drink, you can’t go wrong! There are also three bars and a night club on campus. Friday nights are very popular and usually sell out. Bands also come to the union. This year J5, Feeder, Gomez, Doves and loads others have been to visit. The events department also put load of gigs and events on during freshers week so everyone can go out and get to know one another. (I work for events. Can you tell?)
And to end one of your many nights out – a take away pizza can cost as little as £3 delivered to your door – bargain!

University of Leeds review

Well, having completed (nearly) three years of my higher education, I can say that coming to Leeds Uni was one of the best decisions (guesses) of my life.

This bit here is the "what to include" section, so it may sound a little disjointed, but bear with it, I put some quite sensible info in there ;) I have tried to divide it into the University, and the Course, so that people who are going to Leeds but not doing my course are still well informed

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My University (Leeds Uni)
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Leeds Uni is a city based Uni, 5 minutes from the Center of Leeds (not a bad place overall, I prefer it's center to Bristol, my birthtown). The Architecture of the Uni ranges from beautiful to modern (to a couple of not so nice buildings, but I don't see them most days :) It is right on the main road, so access is not a problem, and this road leads, in one direction, to most of the halls of residence that are not on campus (Will inclue more on the halls in a minute). The uni have just upgraded a lot of thier computers (general usage computers) to use windows XP (some are now 1.8Ghz P3's, if you know what that means, if you don't, it means that they are fast enough to run excel, word, powerpoint and others at the same time :) (note that my course is computer science). Most of their buildings are fairly close, except for the business school, about 5 minutes from everything else.

On campus there is a decent student union, including three of 4 pubs/bars, some good nosh in the refectory, an arcade, a mini-supermarket, a travel shop, opticians, bookshop, Cards And Ticket Shop (CATS), ladies hair salon (I think thats what it is, not being of that gender, I tend not to visit there much :) There is also the uni gym (but again, I'm a lazy git :) Note that there is no swimming pool owned by the Uni, but that there is one (aparantly, see note about laziness) about 5 minutes walk from the uni (the international pool - the one thats 99.9% of the size of an international pool - e-mail me, I'll let you in on the full story). The Union seems to have lot of sports events/teams (again, see above laziness comment), that enter into some tri-uni tournament every year (with Liverpool and one more, I think it's Sheffield).

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Halls of Residence
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The Halls of Residence are all of a decent nature. There are a couple of sets of halls on campus, a couple in Headingly (2 miles away, nice easy bus route, main road), one in Weetwood (keep on the same road/bus) and one at Bodington Hall (4 miles away, 1200 students, 800 catered). In the other direction there is clarence docks (<2 miles away, same bus route, all flats/self catered). Also located near campus are some uni-owned houses. I personally have stayed in Bodington for 3 years now, and the only complaints I regularly hear from other students, are that it is a long way to get to anywhere (Uni, town) and that the catered for food is not up the quality of home cooking (but I'm the only person in three years to have gone to any of the food meetings, so I quite like the food 0:) Halls cost between 2k and 3.5k per year (depending on food & co). Most rooms are single (although in a house of about 80, 7 rooms are double, but if someone should drop out, then usually it is possible to move out of a double into a single)

Bodington has recently had LAN based internet access installed in all rooms (but there is a firewall so no Kazaa or online gaming... but MSN is fine - techhie info if you e-mail me). Also, bodington has 2 squash courts, a pool/snooker room, a bar and a regular bus service. All first years that request it are guaranteed accomodation in thier first year, however staying in uni halls/flats in subsequent years requires usually some kind of guarantee to doing something beneficial to the hall.

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Social Life
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In the evenings there is a lot to do, from a quiet drink in one of the nearby pubs, to the otley run (drinking in all these pubs), to a nightclub (so many, don't want to list them here - well just a couple - cockpit, heaven&hell, creation, evolution, bondi, baja, majestyk... all with different music tastes), a trip to one of the cinemas (unless you don't have a car in which case there is only one cinema, but that has one of the best choices http://www.stercentury.co.uk/cinema7.htm ). There are also a couple of bowling alleys, and even a quasar/laser quest at one of them (Hollywood bowl), but that is a little off of the main bus route. Most places are fairly cheap, especially on student nights, and drinks in most places are under £2. The only advice I have about nightclubbing, is when you come back, don't walk through Hyde Park - it is a known blackspot, but people still (drunkenly) do so occasionally then get mugged for their phones/wallets. There is a safety bus for any women, or single lads (any lads in a group have to make do).

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Computer Science
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I have enjoyed most of my course here, most of the lectures have been informational. The labs, when not full are very good, we have a couple of Linux Labs, as well as some NT machines, specifically for CS students. A full intro to linux is given in the first week, as well as a bit of windows (if you know how to use the windows/linux command prompt, you should be laughing. Get to know vi/vim/gvim too). The current first year course involves Java/c++/Python (why python???). Most lecturers *can* give you the time of day for a chat, and most are very good at listening (and most like to be known by their first name too (c.f. maths)). The only thing I have to warn you of is the fat that it is computer SCIENCE - think very strongly about doing computing, unless you really want to know how a compiler works or how to design an algorithm that will execute in the shortest possible time. Many CS stuents in their final year wish they were doing computing...
Also, doing CS as a joint honours student meant that I couldn't undertake as many modules/choices as I would have liked

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Maths (Joint Hons)
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Taking maths with any other scince is slightly different to a straight maths degree - you have to cover nearly as much work (60-70%) in only half the number of modules, so there is a little bit of cramming involved. Having taken Further Maths though, this was not too hard, and only started becoming more diffiult in the second year. Real & Complex analysis is a bit of a pain at the best of times... The maths dept are a little narkier than the CS dept, most lecturers are a little antequted and like traditions (black board and chalk, call me professer/dr XxX), and seem slightly less helpful than the CS dept.

University of Leeds review

So Leeds is a great city. Vibrant and up and coming (closely followed by my home town of Cardiff) There are always new bars opening each month. One thing you won't be short of is things to do each night whether its hitting the town or chilling at the cinema. Leeds caters for every taste and its all pretty accessible by bus or walking.

Now, the University itself is not so hot (although I have a very biased position) I was fortunate enough to study in the USA for a year in California at Berkeley. I always compare the 2 which is maybe a bit unfair, since it is the best public University in America. Let me try and give you an honest opinion.

Sports facilities suck. No swimming pool, old outdoor tennis courts, cut up football fields which might be extinct in 5 years time, just to name a few. If sports is an integral part of your life, then you won't be too enamoured with Leeds. However, outside of the University, you do have the best Rugby League team, one of the best Union teams, an impressive cricket team and, up until recently, a great football team, so again, entertainment wise, you can't beat it.

Back to the Uni. Everywhere is pretty easy to get around, lectures in one main place and its 5 mins walk to town. People are varied there. Everyone's pretty friendly in general. There are loads of societies and stuff which you can easily and cheaply get involved with (I went for Stage Musicals in my final year!)

The library sucks a bit. Not open when you want it. Hours of 10-5 on a Saturday and 12-7 on a Sunday are a bit annoying.

Halls. I stayed in a prison my first year in the middle of a coucil estate - Montague Burton. This is where they put most of the foreign students - very unsociable. Boddington has a good reputation for social life but is miles away. Charles Morris and Henry Price are on campus - both very lively, but the one to go for is Devonshire - 10 min walk away and by far the cleanest, nicest and best looking (also the most expensive!)

My course - Maths with Finance. If you find Maths easy, then do it, especially if you like Finance and Economics too. This course is hard to get onto and is tailored. A lot of the Maths transfers over to the Finance and vice versa. For example, specific modules are "Financial mathematics" and "Optmisation" only available to Maths and Finance students.

Biggest tip when having choices on modules is the teacher. Most of the modules themselves are boring and pointless. A poor teacher makes it really hard to get out of bed on a monday morning. Ask your tutor and people in the year above - they're all very friendly and helpful in the Maths dept, who are the best teachers and take courses taught by them. You'll do much better in the long run.

Also, don't be too lazy. Do the homeoworks each week. They don't take long and will give you a much more solid grounding when coming to revise.

Do well in your first year. No matter what anyone says about just needing 40%, do well. Don't kill yourself, but work. It'll pay off when you come to apply for internships and jobs. They all want to see your first year results.

The big employers don't look at Leeds. I've been trying to get into Investment Banking. None of the big boys recruit in Leeds. Bad way to get into the business. Maybe things will be different in 3/4 years time. For the less prestigious jobs such as accountancy, its fine - they recruit so many people nationwide, it doesn't matter, but for I-banking or something similar, by the time they've gone through Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial etc, there are no jobs left.

If you can, get an internship in your summer before your final year. Pays off immensely when applying for graduate jobs.

The best thing I did was to study abroad. If you want to do this you need to get a good grade your first year and really pursue it. It's not as expensive as one might think - you are exempt from paying the tuition fees. Such an amazing experience.

I hope I havn't scared you off too much! This is just a bit of my wisdom from having lived the last 4 years at University

University of Leeds review

Let's set things stright. Leeds is a brilliant place to be. The uni itself is situated in the city centre, you are literally 5 minutes from all the big shops. The uni is also truely a campus university. All the departments are situated in one massive area which means during the day you see most of the 30,000 students attending the university wandering about.

My Course, Maths studies, is enjoyable (if you like maths). What this is, is the same as a stright maths degree except we get to do more electives (different modules). If you enjoy maths you will enjoy the course simple as that.

Accomodation in leeds is a mixed bag. Some halls are right on campus (like charles morris and henry price flats) but others are miles away like bodington. If you are lucky enough to get the on campus accomodation you won't be disappointed.

One of the best things about leeds is the social life. There are so many pub, bars and clubs to go to, and music to suit all tastes, from hip-hip to rnb to alternative to break beats. basically you'll find somewhere you like in leeds.

University of Leeds review

I am the first person in my family to go to university - there were no elder siblings to get info from so it was all a very new and unknown experience and different in many ways to what I thought it would be like.

Firstly, if you decide that Leeds is the place for you then you then you won't be disappointed by the city, the social and club scene or the facilities whatsoever. There is so much to see and do, I would say probably the best in the country for that side of it - no contest really. So I thought I'd talk about my course as everyone else seems to have a lot to say about the less academic aspects and even though the fun side can take your mind off it, the course you do is quite important.

I do maths and french. This course means you have to do an elective(s) - this is one or more extra subjects of your choice. I chose to do philosophy and the way it has worked out means I have an exactly equal amount of the three subjects.

If you are a mathematical person then you will enjoy maths. It is challenging whilst remaining manageable at the same time and is very similar to A-level. I like this part of my course and have no problems with it.

French, on the other hand, is a nightmare. I had doubts before I started and the way the course is run didn't suit me at all. There is an on-going coursework element that counts for 15% of one module. This is good for some organised students because it virtually guarantees you 15% of your final grade, but it takes a very long time to do each week and if you get behind or, like me, you think you can leave it because there is no immediate pressure on you to keep up with it then you're screwed. French comes with a heavy workload and I would strongly reccommend that only people fully committed to French should opt for a degree course in it. It's hard and if you are even slightly unsure then trust me - DON'T DO IT.

Philosophy is a breath of fresh air. I really enjoy it and, although you may think that philosophy has no real-life applications, it does link in well with maths and french. Also, there are elements of it which are quite mathematical, it isn't all deep thought and strange questions, but it does make you think.

One more thing to add is the overall workload. Altogether I have 16 hours in Uni each week and 2 hours of work on average every night. This is typical of a BSc course. Most of my flat mates do BA courses and they have much less time in lectures than me. If you decide to do a BSc then you will be in Uni much more than some others, but this usually balances out because they generally have more independent work to do.

I hope this has been helpful. If you decide upon Leeds then you won't be let down, but choose the right course for you.

University of Leeds review

The university of Leeds is an absolutely brilliant place. I knew when I came to the open day that it was the place for me and I would definitely recommend sixth formers to go with their gut instincts. The vibes you get when you’re first on a campus are a good indication if it’s your kind of place or not.
Leeds is a great city: cultured, with theatres, an art gallery and shops to rival London. In your first year you spend so much time on campus though that the actual city you choose is really only a backdrop to your uni experience.
Our campus is good because everything is in one place but it’s only 10mins walk from the city centre. It’s kind of the best of both worlds of a campus and a city university. It has a nice mix of pretty, old red brick buildings and ‘modern’ (i.e. grim concrete) lecture theatres and there are a few trees and grassy areas so you don’t feel too much like you are trapped in the city.
Our union is fantastic and is one of the best things about coming to Leeds. We have two bars, a two-room nightclub, shops selling everything from food and stationary to gifts and retro clothes, a laundrette, a hairdressers, an optician, a bookshop, an STA travel, a pool-table & arcade game room, a job centre… you really could live your whole first year without leaving campus if you chose to. The nightlife on campus is good but there’s so much choice in Leeds that you’d be mad not to take advantage. I have to add that a lot of that choice does cater for the cheese and r&b markets, but there’s still good places for alternative and indie.
There are loads of societies and my advice would be to join every one that even vaguely takes your fancy. Mostly they are free or a couple of quid to join, there’s no obligation to participate but by joining you get the info on what’s happening and you can dip your toes in as and when you fancy. Going to the society socials in the first semester is one of the best ways of meeting people who are doing different courses from you, and you might be surprised just how much you have in common with that zoology student. For god’s sake don’t worry about not having enough time to do the extra-curricular stuff and keep up with your course. It’s a myth that the first year is a doss but it is a little lighter than the 2nd and 3rd, and at leeds your 1st year marks don’t count towards your degree classification. The bottom line is, if you want to get the most out of uni you have to expect to be on the go every hour of the day. Societies offer you so many opportunities to learn new things, have new experiences and meet new people, just don’t waste it because you are stressing about your seminar prep. Also, don’t panic if you get to easter of your first year and you haven’t done all those things- I know plenty of people who’ve picked stuff up in their second years and are still on course to get a 2:1.
English at Leeds is fantastic, it’s a really friendly department that feels like a community even though it’s massive. It differs from English at a lot of other unis because it doesn’t take a chronological approach but is very broad in the material you cover in the first year. It’s the course for you if you want to focus on critical theories in the first year and really work on developing yourself as a reader.
Italian is good but I have one piece of advice for anyone thinking about taking any language from scratch, at any uni: IT’S REALLY HARD. It’s very rewarding to get to the end of your 1st year and be able to speak something you didn’t know a word of 9 months ago, but you really have to weigh up how much that means to you. Language students generally have more contact hours than arts students and if you are a beginner you have even more. Basically just be aware that you will have a lot more work than other 1st years. If you’re not up for that then pursue a language you did at A-level. You can always do a beginner’s course as an elective and then it’s much easier to drop and there’s less pressure to do well.

University of Leeds review

It's better to live on campus on your first year, it gives you better access to all the things offered at your university - including events, gigs, the library (you will need this even!!), the union bar and lots and lots of people.

Be sure to join up to lots of societies it doesn't matter if you never go, as you are bound to want a break from your house mates if you live with them and it's the perfect opportunity to meet people and have fun nights out especially if you do a subject with very few hours!

Beware that only doing 7 hours a week, as good as it sounds can get very borin, if you are a loud outgoing person, don't be scared by the city as you might appreciate the opportunites it opens up.

Catered food is very VERY restrictive- you MUST eat between 5-6 and 8am and 9am! and is not a cheap way of eating!

University's Overall Ranking

Check out this blog. It posted a compilation of the university overall ranking for 2007 <A Href="http://leedsuni.blogspot.com">http://leedsuni.blogspot.com</A>

This is great!