1

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS

1

Monthly Activity Log

January

I took a direct flight operated by Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Manchester Airport on 23rd January, the day before

the suggested arrival day. I planned the traffic route and short-term accommodation in advance for two reasons. First,

there is no official meet and greet arrangement provided for international students in spring semester. Second, the

earliest check-in date of my hall is on 24th January. So I took the National Express Coach to the Leeds Coach Station and

then transferred for an Uber to the Kingston Hotel. In the next morning, I checked in to my hall and went to the student

service center for academic registration. For the next few days, I attended several orientation activities organized by the

school and met several new friends. 28th January marked a great beginning of the new semester.

February

February was a fantastic month that made me falling deeper in love with Leeds and other towns around Leeds. In Leeds,

I always went along different streets and used my camera to record every piece of stylish architecture (such as Kirkgate

Market, Corn Exchange and the Victoria Arcade) and the beautiful views of nature. I was so lucky that I could visit part of

the great drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition held in the Leeds Art Gallery and the other UK galleries. I also visited

some cities and towns such as York, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Scarborough during weekend. I would never

forget the Diagon Alley of York, Chinatown of Manchester, Beatles Pub of Liverpool, Cute Alpacas of Sheffield and stunning

sea view of Scarborough. It was so exciting to explore wonderful places with a group of lovely friends. We had a very great

time.

2

March

March was a magical month that I realized a lot of my dreams and I even met unexpected people during the journey. I

tried new things and chatted to new friends during the Give-it-a-Go sessions (such as yoga session as well as bubble tea

session) held by the school clubs. During the weekends, my friend and I went to London, Greenwich, Bath, Oxford and

Brussels. We watched “The Phantom of the Opera” in London, searched for the origin of time in Greenwich, visited the

Royal Crescent of Bath, listened to the anecdotes told by Oxford students, met the royal family members outside the

Westminister, and tasted the best chocolate in Brussels. I was so grateful for having all of these amazing experiences

which enabled me to delve deeper into various culture of different cities.

April

April was an unforgettable month for multi-country travelling. As there was almost one-month Easter holiday in

University of Leeds, my friend and I utilized our time to explore various countries including Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech

Republic and Germany.

May

The beginning of May not only marked the end of the study term but also the brew festival of one of my classwork. I had

the chance to try a diverse type of beer brewed by all groups and we rated the best beer among our peers. During the

study break, my roommates and I went to the Lake District for the extremely breathtaking sightseeing – the views that

were definitely worth-visiting. After the trip, I started preparing for five final exams scheduled in the end of the month.

3

June

June was a surprising month that made up my best memories with some unexpected issues. I finished all the exams at

the beginning of June. Soon I started another journey with my best friend who flighted from Hong Kong. We travelled to

the beautiful paradise - Switzerland, the romantic city - Paris and the artistic riverside city - Cambridge. However, I lost

my wallet with personal documents in Geneva. I tried to report to the police officers but they transferred me to the lost

and found office and made an online record, until now I still cannot find my wallet back. Worse still, when we planned to

take the direct flight from Manchester Airport to Hong Kong on 27th June, the check-in counter officer did not print out

the barcode of my flight ticket. Therefore I was not able to pass through the security custom area and missed the final

call of the flight. Cathay Pacific rearranged another flight for us for free and we finally flighted back to Hong Kong on 28th

June. Although there were some difficulties I would need to deal with, I was still thankful to have all these precious

experiences during my half-year stay in the UK. It was finally the end of this wonderful exchange journey. I will always

miss the good old days and all the nice people I have ever met during this journey.

4

General Exchange Information

Visa Procedures

If you are a Hong Kong Passport holder, you are permitted to stay in the United Kingdom for no more than six months

when you are undertaking an exchange program. In other words, there is no need to go through extra visa application

procedure in Hong Kong nor the UK. Nevertheless, when you pass through the immigration border of UK, you will need

to present the acceptance letter issued by University of Leeds as the proof of your student identity in the exchange school.

Orientation Activities

University of Leeds organized a plenty of exchange student activities for us to participate with no costs. The compulsory

one would be the study abroad compulsory orientation followed by campus discovery, you can get a comprehensive idea

of all you need to know about the university. The leisure one would be study abroad welcome social, you can meet other

international students through some funny games and tea time gathering.

International Services & Activities

University of Leeds puts great efforts on connecting international students through diverse activities such as weekly

“Global Café” (share different points of views with other international students), semester-based “Language Partner”

programme (online matching of two specific language learners so that they can learn and practice each other’s languages

in a more direct way) as well as “Cultural Insights” workshops (introduction and discussion of interesting customs

regarding different countries). Don’t forget to keep an eye on the latest activities announced by the International Student

Office, which located in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building.

Accommodations

Overseas exchange students are accommodated either in campus or off-campus rental housing. Different

accommodation types including on-suite, studio, self-catered and catered are available for students with different

interests and needs. Moreover, the accommodation website provides full guidance, transparent information and reliable

assistance to help you filter out your ideal accommodation options.

Luckily, I was assigned to my first-choice on-campus accommodation – Montague Burton Residences. The location is very

convenient as it is only 8 minutes walking distance from the main Parkinson Building and 15 minutes away from the city

centre. Also, the living environment is extremely satisfactory as it not only provides free laundry and drying machine

inside the common room, but also equips with two mirrors and one washing basin inside my bedroom. Diverse social

activities including “Pancake Day”, “Pizza Day” and “Free Ice-cream Day” are held in the open BBQ area, and they are all

free for residences.

5

Courses Registration

The course registration procedure starts before your arrival. You will need to submit an online application form which

includes the available [ISA] modules (isa = incoming study abroad) held in the coming semester that you are inclined to

apply. Before your arrival, you can simply add, drop or change the modules by sending an email to the related subject

department. However, when you arrive Leeds, you will need to hand in the module changing forms to your parent school

in person. You are required to take a total of 50-60 credits per semester with each module accounts for 10-20 credits.

The finalized module changing day is scheduled on the second week of term, so you will have enough time to observe

the lecture and consider whether to take the module or not.

Teaching & Assessment Methods

The teaching methods are quite similar to HKUST but with more flexibility. Most of the business courses are structured

by one lecture plus one seminar (tutorial) per week, each of them usually lasts for 50 minutes. For the interesting common

courses, not only the Environmental Science module adopts e-learning method to meet different study needs, but also

the Traditional Alcoholic Beverages module arranges brewery tours for students. Most modules held in Leeds emphasize

on self-learning so you would need to get yourself well-prepared before each lecture. Each week, you will need to spend

time to read through the assigned readings (2-3 per module) and finish the pre-seminar questions for further discussion

during the seminars. For assessment, most of the business course requires you to write one to two essays while the

common courses are usually assessed by MCQ plus short essays.

Sports & Recreation Facilities

The Edge is the main sports center that promotes healthy living and frequent exercising. There are indoor swimming pool,

squash rooms and dancing rooms for you to practice. Also, the gym room is fully equipped with basic sports and

recreation facilities for you to do some jogging and stretching exercises. Free fitness classes such as yoga and swimming

are also available for you to sign up. If you are the residence of the on-campus accommodation, you will be granted free

entry permission to the Edge during the specific time slots. For some of the accommodation, on-site gym room is located

within the building. Do take a look if you are a gym enthusiast.

Finance & Banking (including currency / expenses)

I brought a large amount of cash (for accommodation fees), a HSBC credit card (for online shopping) and a Hangseng

debit card (for withdrawing pounds from Hong Kong bank account) to UK. While you are exchanging Hong Kong dollars

for pounds, remember to ask for pounds with face value below 50 as some of the shops will reject 50 pounds notes. Also,

for Hangseng debit card, each overseas withdrawal would incur HKD 20 transaction fees. After I settled down, I opened

a bank account in the HSBC branch located in the Park Row, the city center of Leeds. The procedure was very convenient

and the staff was really helpful. All you need to bring are your passport, student ID card and the bank letter issued by

University of Leeds. You will then receive your debit card and password within one week. In UK, most of the small amount

transactions below 30 pounds can be paid with debit card contactless thus you don’t need to bring much cash for

shopping.

6

Here is the breakdown of my expenses:

Items

Air ticket (CX exchange student

discount scheme with HKUST)

£740.00

Accommodation £2553.00

Daily Expenses £1700.00

Travelling Expenses £2800.00

Total £7793.00

Social Clubs & Networking Opportunities

There are a lot of social clubs for you to join and have fun. A comprehensive list of club information can be found on the

Leeds University Union website, ranging from out-door caving club to horse-riding club, you can easily find the club that

fits your hobbies well or just try something new for exploration. Moreover, weekly Give-it-a-Go session and most of the

union events listed on the LUU website are not only the best time-killer, but also a great way for you to meet new friends

with similar interests.

Health & Safety

For health, an NHS Medical Practice application form will be provided in your accommodation welcome package. You can

either mail the form or submit an online application form to register for this medical practice. My roommate used this

service once and she found it very useful. In UK, it is quite hard to find the medicine we usually found in Hong Kong, so

you are suggested to bring some common medicine that fit your medical needs. Regarding safety, Leeds is a very safe

city. Although I usually needed to return to hall at late night during weekends, I never met any robbers nor thieves. Having

said that, hanging out with friends is always safer than walking alone. You should always keep an eye on the surroundings

and see if anything is suspicious.

Food

For worldwide cuisines, there are a great variety of international restaurants around the city center. You can try Nando’s,

Zaap Thai, Chinese Beef Noodles and Hong Kong Siu Mei Rice etc. For daily self-cooking ingredients, I would highly

recommend Kirkgate Market! You can find almost any kinds of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, condiments and

snacks with the lowest price but the highest quality there. For specific Chinese food, you can go to the Chinese

supermarkets named Sing Kee Foods (next to the Morrison) and Hang Sing Supermarket, both of them are located in the

city center.

Transportation

Transportation is very expensive in UK. I seldom take the bus in Leeds as most of the places are within walkable distance.

But if you are also a travel lover, you might consider applying for the 16-25 Railcard issued by the National Rail Service

(£30 per year) or the Young Person Coach Card issued by the National Express Coach (£12.5 per year). Both cards give

7

you 1/3 off when buying train or coach tickets throughout Great Britain for a year. As I usually travel by coach and the

advanced coach ticket is much cheaper than train ticket, I get myself a young person coach card.

Climate

The temperature is quite stable and cold in Leeds. During winter and spring, the temperature is usually 3 to 10 degrees.

Although Leeds was not hit by heavy snow this year, I would still need to wear sweater and thermal underwear to keep

myself warm even in early March. When it comes to summer, the temperature is around 16 to 26 degrees, which makes

you feel cool and comfortable. Regarding the weather, heavy rain and wind always come unexpectedly. So remember to

bring a waterproof jacket and a quality umbrella to get through the bad weather.

Communication

English is the official language of the United Kingdom. Residences of different cities have different accents, but it is really

subtle in the case of Leeds. Even if you cannot hear the words clearly during conversation, the people are so nice here

that they would slow down and repeat the message again until you catch their main idea. So, don’t be shy to speak out

loud and share your thoughts with anyone else.

Cautionary Measures

What should you do if you have unfortunately lost your wallet?

1) Report to the police station and get a crime report if possible.

2) Create a lost report at the nearest lost and found center.

3) Make a note of the lost items such as the ID cards, credit cards, debit cards and cash amount.

4) Search for the relevant 24/7 customer hotline to make a lost report of personal ID card, block the credit card and

debit card immediately, and jot down the reference number of the stated lost reports.

5) Wait for the status of lost report to be updated.

Other notes:

1. Remember to turn on the data roaming service of your Hong Kong sim card before departure. In case you will need

to deal with personal e-banking issues that requires your sim card for code validation messages.

2. Always be caution when you are travelling outsides the UK, keep an eye on your financials and bags when you are in

the train stations or any crowded areas.

3. For money exchange, you can always get a higher rate with online transaction than physical transaction in the stores.

4. Download “Unidays” mobile app to keep track of the discount information of brand name products.

8

Items to Bring

- Passport

- HKID card

- ID photos

- Exchange acceptance letter

- Cash (pounds and small amount of HK dollars)

- Credit card

- Umbrella

- Waterproof jacket

- Thermal underwear

- Medicine

- Adaptors (European Adaptors for travelling)

- Laptop computer

- Portable power bank

9

Useful Links and Contacts

1. International students information: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/info/123000/international_students

2. Leeds Student Union: https://www.luu.org.uk/

3. Accommodation: https://accommodation.leeds.ac.uk

4. Trainline website: https://www.thetrainline.com

5. National Express website: https://book.nationalexpress.com/coach/#/choose-journey

6. Omio (multi-country transportation) website: https://www.omio.co.uk

If more information is needed, please feel free to get my contact information from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at

bmugexch@ust.hk.