I’m currently finishing up my PhD in French Studies at the University of Leeds and overall it has been an incredible 4 years sadly interrupted by Covid – had Covid not happened I would have spent far more time at this incredible campus.

There are so many fantastic selling points for the University of Leeds and I’d choose it over and over. It’s a top Russell group university and the staff are incredibly knowledgeable, at least from my research postgraduate perspective. The campus is dynamic and exciting, an interesting place visually with lots of places to study: the Brotherton is especially beautiful! There are also a good number of places to eat or grab a drink, and it’s situated not far from the city centre which is perfect for going for food or doing some shopping in between lectures. The city itself is a true selling point: Leeds is a bustling and busy city with so much going for it.

But the no. 1 thing I would always highlight about this university is that it’s a friendly place to be. Everyone is ready and willing to help, which from my experience is not always the case at top universities. I’m a first generation PhD student so there was a lot for me to learn, but everyone was super helpful.

The only thing I would realistically mark negatively is that as a PhD student there’s often confusion in terms of finding out what you’re entitled to and how your course works. However, I feel like this is more to do with the PhD system as a whole needing work, and less to do with the university specifically, though the university’s marking of PhDs is somewhat baffling and left me in a bit of a tricky place. I would still recommend the university over and over again though, because I’ve been met with nothing but kindness and support from my supervisors and everybody I’ve met in my department (Languages) and at the university.