Negin Nematiniaye Masooleh

Why did you choose the University of Leeds?

The university is one of the top ranking universities in biological sciences. I read some published papers from PhD students at the University of Leeds and this showed how research projects are valued here. The facilities available for students from libraries to specially equipped laboratories are excellent. The university was also recommended to me by previous students in my college who have been studying here for a while now and also a family friend who did his undergraduate degree (same degree as me) at the University of Leeds. The campus is really close to the vibrant city centre with many shops and many more restaurants. The fact that a lot of the city’s population are students, due to several universities around the city, makes you feel really welcomed here. The Leeds University Union was one of the best in the country with so many societies taken from dance and drama to political societies. I think people can make some great and fun memories here as well as getting a well education.

What have been the highlights of your time at the University of Leeds?

I took an introduction to physiology module during my first semester. Every week lectures were on different systems of the body. We were introduced to the basics of each system and some details on how these affect other systems and so on. After almost 4 weeks we had dissection sessions which showed us what we have studied so far on real cadaver specimen.

The dissection sessions particularly help us with visualising what we were thought on paper. The demonstrators give us space to work with the specimen ourselves first and then come to them if we have any questions. This semester we also learned some anatomy by drawing the course of a neuron or a muscle on either ourselves or our lab partners.

Have you joined any student societies/sports clubs at the university? If so how has this enhanced your time at the University?

I joined St. John's ambulance society on the Freshers' Fair and have been going to almost all sessions until now. With the help of people from the society I was able to pass the assessments and join the actual St. John's ambulance and now I get to go on events and help out people in need of medical attention.

I am planning to apply to medical schools after my undergraduate degree, so being part of St. John's ambulance gives me some insight into working in health care professions. Working with them have put me in some stressful positions which is helping me to improve my performance under pressure which is an important skill for anybody wanting to pursue a career in healthcare needs to have. On the other hand, this can be a really worthwhile thing to do in your free time.

People in the committee are super friendly and it is really nice to make friends with people out of your course (some are studying courses that are not even remotely related to my course).

What are your ambitions for the future? Do you have specific career plans? 

I am planning to apply for medicine after my course. When I talked about my plan with my tutor she gave me names and websites that I can get help from for my application process. She also introduced me to sources that I can use to prepare for my interviews and entrance exams. She also assured me that she can help me with my personal statement if needed.

I have also attended some career seminars that the faculty has arranged. They are really useful as they start to show you, your future opportunities from your first year when you don’t have any idea of what is going to happen after graduation (especially useful for international students, as we don’t know the basic steps).

I particularly found lectures on how to write CVs and Cover letters very useful. We were shown the basic structures of both and also sources in Leeds for life websites that we can get samples from.

Are there any significant differences between studying at Leeds and your home country?

In my country undergraduate programmes are never this specific, we usually have to take several general modules which are the same in all courses so being able to study in such detail and specificity is one of the main differences between here and my country. The University of Leeds is excellent for new technologies, so most of the equipment and facilities, especially in laboratories, I can’t find in my country.

As an international student tell us about how staff support has helped you throughout your time at university?

The international office helped me with my visa application as I was renewing my visa from here. Some classes by international office and library were prepared for us which helped us with the process of writing essays. They also thought us some particular ways of studying and note taking which helps us be more productive. The global community has arranged different events which help us communicate and make friends from other countries. I joined an event called fish and chips, it was such a fun night with dance lessons and a proper dinner. Events like these help us feel at home and feel that we are part of a community.