Titilayo Olanipekun

5 things to think about when studying at Leeds

Leeds has some pretty influential and famous alumni

University of Leeds has produced a long line of reputable alumni, one of whom, had a major influence on my life and my decision, my A-level biology teacher and my personal tutor while I was in college, Dr. David Applin. I think he triggered my interest in Leeds and there was simply no reason not to fall in love with it thereafter.

The city itself is really vibrant, the university has an outstanding academic excellence, it’s at the forefront of research and I felt it was just the right place for me to grow as an individual and as a professional.

There is a wide range of things to study that helped me open my mind to the entire field 

Out of everything, I enjoy how broad it is. It has made me more open minded and literally erased any restrictive thoughts. It makes one appreciate every aspect of the human body from the cellular level to the whole being, and the depth at which the course takes one on every level is really exceptional, you go from what the root cause of a disease is to how it can be fixed or corrected.

I also like how it is integrated with the clinical setting with various case studies. I am left fascinated at the end of each academic year as to how much I know, and how much knowledge has been impacted on me within that time.

The city is welcoming and easy to settle into

Like most people, I didn’t move to university with people I’ve already known. I literally knew no one in Leeds at the time I moved up which was a bit different for me. Surprisingly, I didn’t find it hard at all to settle down. I stayed in university halls, Central Village, in my first year which was at a great location so it made it easy for me to explore my new city as everything I needed was within reach.

The city is so convenient and transportation is really easy to wrap your head around. There’s a lot of things available for people with different interests to enjoy, it’s so diverse and vibrant! Over the past few years, I have been here, I have grown to be independent and self-sufficient yet not dissociated.

Being an international student is easy at Leeds 

The international office has been really helpful, they are easily accessible and are able to offer help to any queries in which one might have, from finances to travelling and what not. They also organise social and educative events where you can learn more about your new community and meet other people. They also help with job applications, driving licences, and also visa applications, like the Schengen visas so you have the opportunity to visit other beautiful European countries.

There are so many opportunities - and you should be open to embracing them

I would say they should have a fixed but not restrictive mind-set in terms of what they want to do afterwards and also what the course would be like. As the opportunities with a good medical sciences degree is really limitless and it’s easy to be swayed if you don’t know what it is you want because you would have a lot of options, so it can be a bit daunting but on the other hand really exciting to see what’s behind each door.