University of Leeds reviews

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!!!

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.

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.

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?.

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.

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.

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.