Making the most of university

Year 3 Chemical & Energy Engineering Student

There are many opportunities at Leeds, and I have been involved in lots! In my first year I joined a few societies such as the Basketball and African Caribbean societies. In my second year I became a Student & STEM Ambassador, working on University outreach events with school and college students. Here I developed presentation and communication skills which have been very useful in interviews.  I also completed a summer internship with a company, focusing on machine learning, which greatly improved my programming skills. I also became a course representative in my second year, representing over 100 students, which developed my leadership skills.  

Year 2 Art and Design Student

I recently found out that I have a place on the study abroad programme and all being well I should be in Hong Kong this time next year! It’s a super exciting opportunity that I’ve been hoping to do for years and I can’t wait to discover what it’s like to live and study in another country. 

I am also currently working with the Gryphon, which is the University of Leeds student-run newspaper, to produce a piece of artwork for one of their upcoming issues. This has been lots of fun and will be a great thing to include on my CV to show to future employers.  

Whilst I’ve been studying in Leeds, I have also worked as a Campus Ambassador and a Student Host. It’s really gratifying to know that I have helped people out around the University, and I think it has made me much more comfortable speaking to, and approaching, people. My student jobs have helped me get to know the University much better and I believe they have also improved my overall confidence too. 

Year 4 Biology Student

In my first two years at Leeds, I volunteered with the Conservation Volunteers society. On the weekends we would go to parks and reserves in and around Leeds to carry out conservation activities such as tree management, path clearance and establishing ponds and wetland areas. It gave me great team work skills which are always valuable, as well as an understanding of the importance of conservation. It was a great way to meet new people and take a break from studying to get some fresh air and exercise. 

For the third year of my degree I did a year abroad at the University of Calgary in Canada. It was one of the best opportunities I took at university. I got the opportunity to study things I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to in Leeds. I was able to experience living in a new country and got to explore the beautiful Rocky Mountains and national parks of Canada with like-minded friends I made along the way. It was a very scary decision to leave my friends and family behind and move to a new country, but it was the most rewarding experience giving me a new sense of independence and confidence to apply to all sorts of life situations. It has opened up so many doors for me. I cannot encourage people enough to look into the opportunity and think about what you could do and where you could go!  

Now, in my fourth and final year, I work part time as a Leeds Loves Ambassador with the Education Outreach team where I work with school students to talk about studying at university, the options open to them, and encouraging them to take up STEM subjects at university. Though this has all been online this year due to Covid, it has been very rewarding and provided me with time-management skills and public speaking experience.