Hi Freshers! Congrats on your results and I hope you are super excited to come to Leeds Beckett!

I remember starting uni, it’s so exciting and so nerve wracking at the same time - a huge change in your life and a really amazing journey you are about to start. You might be worried about it, but will be absolutely fine - there are 1000s of people on campus - friends, staff and lecturers who are all happy to help at any time and with anything you might need. I’ve found the people at Leeds Beckett are all really accommodating and do actually really want to help.

There are loads of things to look forward to in Freshers Week - definitely make the most of it! There are loads of different nights out and clubs in Leeds, which cater for all types of music - Temple of Boom (metal), Mission (house) and all those in between - it’s worth a google and a Facebook search to find our your faves and what you might fancy. Varsity is also a brilliant couple of days - where Leeds Beckett and Leeds Uni play each other at loads of different sports, ending with a rugby match at Carnegie stadium. It’s a brilliant atmosphere and well worth getting tickets. Leeds Beckett have won it every year for 13 years now too! The university organises loads of opportunities for you to meet new people. The Freshers Fairs on both campuses are really worth going to for this, and you can join sports teams and societies (there’s even a Harry Potter one) and get loads of freebies - including Dominos pizza! Ahh!

After your Freshers Week (or during) you will need to prepare for your first lectures - the first one will probably be easing you in with admin stuff, enrolling and getting to know your new course mates. Getting new stationary, files and a printer if you can is really useful, though you can print on campus as well using your university ID card which is good value.

There are maps on the university website of the different campuses which you can look at, and save to, your phone if you wanted to plan your route from your accommodation, as well as finding out where the libraries are.

Before you move to Leeds here is a shortlist of essentials I found I needed as a Fresher in my first week:

  • Pans, knives and forks
  • Photos of your friends and family to decorate your room
  • Lots of pasta and soup
  • Files, notepads and pens
  • Print outs you want for your first day
  • Outfits / fancy dress for going out in Leeds
  • Laptop
  • Cloths for cleaning your bathroom and room (random but super useful!)

Leeds has lots of shops for you to grab essentials you might forget in the city centre, as does Headingley – there’s Wilko, pound shops, supermarkets etc so don’t worry too much if you forget to pack things.

I wish you all the best for your first week at Leeds Beckett! Stay safe and I hope you have an amazing time!

Jenny x

Jenny

My name is Jenny, I’m from Halifax and am studying Speech and Language Therapy. I enjoy travelling and am very lucky to have had lots of opportunities to do this - exploring new cultures and seeing animals from around the world makes me so happy. I absolutely love Leeds, it’s a wonderful city that always has something going on and loads of places to explore - I am super proud of saying I live here and study at Leeds Beckett!

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