Biological Sciences, University of Leeds

University: University of Leeds

Program: Biological Sciences

Year of Study: Level 2

Email: lena100900@gmail.com

Institution: Program:

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Campus Facilities: Academic Environment:

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Social Life: Career Planning Opportunities:

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Overall Experience:

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Contrast Between Workload hours in University vs High School:

I did less work in university than in high school

Same number of hours

1-3 more hours of work in university

4-6 more hours of work in university

7-9 more hours of work in university

10+ more hours of work in university

What made you choose your institution over others?

I chose the University of Leeds as it is a prestigious university with many great opportunities allowing its graduates to succeed, as demonstrated by the statistics. I also chose it as I like the city of Leeds. It is the perfect size in my opinion: small enough to commute easily but big enough to have lots of attractions such as cinemas and bars.

What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program?

I think I chose my program well as it contains content of various different courses I was considering. Biological Sciences gave me a little more time and insights to choose what I want to specialise in.

What was your best experience at university?

Meeting new friends. I have met some amazing people here and would like to maintain those friendships after graduating. There are many opportunities to meet people but it is important to put yourself out there and talk to everyone.

What was your worst university experience?

Trying to understand a topic taught by a lecturer who used too many anecdotes. This made every lecture confusing for me. University made this especially hard: no one will tell you what exactly you need to learn. However, this was only one teacher out of many that taught me during my first year.

What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?

Like I said before, the hardest part was figuring out what we have to know. Through a bit of trial and error, I found out that the best way to overcome this was to make notes from lectures and then add information from further reading to develop them. These notes can then be used to study for exams.

What was your favourite module/course and why?

My favourite module was genetics because it expanded so much from what we learned in college. I find it fascinating how a four letter code can code for a whole organism as complex as humans.

What tips and advice would you give to first year students?

My advice would be to meet new friends, join societies and explore how best they learn. Also, before I went to university, I wish I knew the advantages of living close to campus such as having lunch at home!