The University of Leeds is no doubt an excitingly charismatic and vibrant place to undertake a degree – the character of the city itself, it’s nightlife and the gregarious nature of almost all the students in the area means the potential experience waiting for a prospective student is highly appealing. I cannot praise the social experience of both the university and the city of Leeds itself enough; however, the underlying neglect of student’s welfare within the academic system has stuck with me throughout my time at Leeds.

Support for students that may not have as smooth a journey as others throughout their time at university is, in my opinion, lacking; the trouble with university already is that anonymity is mandatory and we are nothing but numbers to academic staff – not names or personal details. At the University of Leeds however, there is little to no attempt to unite students with their personal tutors (I never met mine in three years), and often attempts from students to seek support are either tackled half-heartedly or not at all. As someone who suffers from mental health difficulties and is registered as a disabled student, I was disappointed at the lack of support I received upon voicing my personal problems throughout my time at university – I was granted extensions on assignment deadlines and mitigating circumstances for examinations, however, no further long-term support was really offered. The counselling services at Leeds was always apparently completely full, with a waiting list of between 6 weeks and 3 months, regardless of the severity of your issue. Of course, it is worth noting that most universities struggle to obtain enough funding to provide a perfect pastoral support system, so it is not just Leeds that is at fault; however, I believe much more could be done to ‘check-in’ on students that required such care, and proper support programmes devised by either personal tutors or pastoral support officers that tackled both academic attainment and personal welfare. As far as extensions and mitigating circumstances are concerned, these only benefit a student to a certain point; I am sure many students would agree that had the right nurture been offered to them to help them meet deadlines and alleviate the stress surrounding them, the extensions themselves may not have actually been necessary.

Almost all of my peers at university have said that Leeds has been an unforgettable experience due to the social aspect of the city and the university, and of course, due to its prestigious nature, most students are thankful for the excellent academic experience they have been exposed to. However, I would urge any prospective students to properly research the support available for students so they are aware of where to go should they need help. I would also encourage reflection on their own mental health; if pastoral support is going to be central to your requirements in order for you to prosper at university, then perhaps the university of Leeds may not be for you.