Erasmus in Leeds

Why did you decide to go to Leeds?

For my degree program, it was the only place in the United Kingdom that was offered to us, and I have been thinking of visiting and carrying out my Erasmus year in England for a long time. Still, I tried to do some research on the internet before sending off my application and everyone who had been to Leeds spoke very highly of the both the University and the city, to the point of which I decided on going there, and to this day, I do not regret my decision.

Did you stay for the whole course or just a semester?

I am in Leeds for the whole year, from September till the beginning of July.

Have you received any financial aid?

I received money through the Erasmus grant, as well as an extra month worth of money paid for by the University of Murcia. However, the quality of life in England is a lot higher than in Spain so this money wasn't even enough to pay for accommodation (despite me being in the cheapest one) thus I was using the money which I had saved from the grant from previous years, thinking ahead to this situation.

What do you think of the University?

It's cool and there are loads of facilities, basically whatever you need you can find without having to leave the campus: there's a supermarket, a canteen, bars, cash points, clubs, a gym and IT suites in addition to all the normal university facilities. The facilities are also in very good condition and the University are always organising events in different parts of the campus, where it would be weird to see a day where there's not a poster sale, vintage clothes sale or a Christmas market going on... It is a buzzing university which I'm glad to be studying at.

Did you have problems finding accommodation?

Everything was really easy, the University's accommodation page has lots of different residence options, with as many catered (using a card which is topped up every day with to eat in the canteen, the Refectory) as self-catered, in which you make your own meals. You fill out a questionnaire with your preferences and priorities so that, if you are not assigned the halls that you applied for (which happens quite often, especially for the most popular ones) they can offer you a suitable alternative. Although at first many people are not pleased if they haven't been given the halls which they previously wanted, I don't know of anybody who has stayed upset for long after, as most of the residences seem to be quite good and there are people that you can go to for help before any problem occurs. If you want to look for private-sector accommodation, the university recommends using the housing company UNIPOL as a safe way of doing this.

Do you like the food?

The first two weeks the food seemed to be pretty bad, but not in the following weeks. After I had got used to it, even the pre-packaged sandwiches, that I thought were a bit less than a crime to be served, turned out to be good once you gave them a chance. I miss olive oil the most, you can find it in the supermarkets, although it is definitely expensive. If you have classes around lunchtime it is likely that you will end up in the Refectory more than once: in my opinion, it is a bit expensive but the food is good and you have quite a few options to choose from, including their famous fish and chips. However, without a doubt, the best things are the desserts: in the supermarket they are one of the cheapest products, so for better or for worse, it is impossible to resist the temptation of buying them.

How do you get from your city to Leeds?

I live roughly an hour away from Alicante and they are direct flights from there to Leeds airport every day, so it's fairly simple. Once you are there, it is fairly easy to take a taxi to your final destination for 15-20 pounds, or you could even take the bus, which leaves you at the bus station in the city centre.

What places do you recommend for a night out?

There are often nights out held in the University Union, particularly during Freshers Week. Outside of campus, I usually go to PRYZM and Backroom. Personally, I prefer the latter because it closes at 6 (in England most places close by 3) and they play more chart music. To be honest it all depends on the staff who can be quite problematic but wherever you go, you'll probably have a good time.

Have you had problems with the language? Have you done a course?

In Leeds they talk with an awful Yorkshire accent, which at the start was practically impossible to understand (the taxi driver that took me from the airport to my halls ended up asking me whether or not I knew English because I wasn't understanding anything) but gradually I got used to it. Also, the teachers, who were at the end of the day the only people I really needed to be able to understand, didn't have an accent so I could understand them quite well - and after the first month, I understood practically everything that they said during classes. In terms of language courses, I didn't do any, but the Language Service offers classes and lots of help if you have any problems, so English would not be a problem for anyone. The most important thing is to make the most of all the opportunities you have to get to know other international students so that you don't have much choice but to speak in English. Also, it's great to see you are not the only one that ends up explaining half of the things they say using mime during a conversation.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of spending their Erasmus in Leeds?

Don't think about it any longer! Leeds is a cool city, with a University that welcomes students from all nationalities with open arms, and as well as that, a perfect location to travel to wherever you'd like to go. All the doubts that you might have (I had so many) disappear once you have arrived here. So just focus on enjoying yourself (sometimes remembering that you do have an average grade to keep up) and make the most of all that Leeds has to offer.