Jemma Tait

Hi I'm Jemma, a final year undergraduate student studying BA Chinese and Japanese.

I have spent 5 years with Leeds, including 2 year-abroads! Leeds has given me a wealth of opportunities and excitement. I chose Leeds primarily because of the two year abroad opportunities, which take place after your first year, as well as its well known East Asian Department. I spent time in Taiwan and Japan and had the chance to spend a funded two weeks visiting Beijing and Xi'an. Thanks to these experiences my language improved so much, I made friends from around the world and gained invaluable skills. As you can see study abroad options at the University of Leeds are vast and you will always be supported by Leeds while abroad.

I have also been involved with EARS (East Asian Research Society) where I got to hear special talks from authors and hang out with fellow students across a range of subjects.

My time at Leeds so far has been varied and fulfilling, both academically and socially. I have had the chance to study cultural modules in addition to language, from international relations to ghost stories! In addition I attend netball matches at the Edge, our student sports centre, which is a fun way to get active after class! There are over 300 societies, so there is definitely something for everyone.

Leeds is also such a great city to live in. Having come from London it has been nice to live somewhere where the pace is not too quick, but also a city bustling with students, there is always something going on. There are also a lot of parks nearby, which I make use of in the warmer months. Most of the city is walkable and I'll often take detours to walk through the parks, but if I am in a rush there are plenty of buses and trains running throughout. It is also a very diverse city and I have found meeting people from around the world easy!

Through my course I have set up language exchange events and been able to find language exchange partners to practise my Mandarin and Japanese. So if you are interested in learning another language there should always be people to practise with!

Thanks to this I have tried food from all over the world and learnt to cook so many different recipes. Not to mention the numerous restaurants Leeds has, I can always find whatever food I am craving.

In my first year I lived in Devonshire Hall, one of the many student accommodations. There I met some of my closest friends and made so many memories. For my last two years in Leeds a group of friends and I found a private house to live in. Although it is private, the house is usually rented out to students. I found this to be a more comfortable and homely option. If you have any questions about the process of finding private accommodation, feel free to ask me!

Leeds is also a great place to travel from. Nearby you have the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, and there are also trains running to Scotland. If you fancy a long weekend to Edinburgh it is only a train ticket away! It is also easy to travel to other European countries from Leeds Bradford or Manchester Airport. As someone who loves travelling this was perfect for me. In my free time I also enjoy reading and have found Leeds Libraries to be a great resource, including their online service where I can borrow eBooks and audiobooks.

Furthermore, I have gained valuable work experience through the Exclusive to Leeds scheme which I found out about through the Careers Centre. I completed two internships through this scheme, one as a research assistant with the School of Media and another working in policy with the Civil Service. These experiences have been important in forming the base of my career and discovering what sort of sector I would like to work in after graduation.

Leeds has brought me so many opportunities and I am always happy to talk about it! I look forward to hearing from you 🙂 Please feel free to get in touch with me via Unibuddy or email me at jemma-link@leeds.ac.uk.