Mitsuki Yamauchi

Hi! I'm Mitsuki and I am a second year Medical student from New Zealand. I was born in New Zealand but moved to Fiji when I was 4 years old and lived there for 7 years before I went back to New Zealand to finish high school. I completed the International Baccalaureate programme in 2021 and took a gap year before coming to Leeds.

I had only heard about the University of Leeds from my careers counsellor at school but I had my mind set on going to Australia for university, however, after spending a year here, I am so happy I made the decision to come to Leeds. Being an international student, I was really nervous about moving so far away from home, but it has taught me so much about independence, friendship, perseverance and more. I have thoroughly enjoyed my course so far with placements from first year and being exposed to various different modules that really enrich the learning experience.

This year I have had the opportunity to be the president of the Japanese society and a volunteers coordinator for a charity called Restart a Heart. My parents are both Japanese so I have grown up speaking the language and incorporating the culture into my life, being president this year has meant I have connected more deeply to my roots and made new connections. These roles have given me the opportunity to meet an array of people from varying backgrounds and leadership experience. There are so many different societies in Leeds and there genuinely is a place for everyone, there are also various events and activities that are catered towards international students such as Global Cafe which I found was a really good way of meeting new people.

I have also found that looking for accommodation even as an international student has been very smooth, I lived in university accommodation at Central Village last year and this year I am living in a house with my friends in Hyde Park.

I genuinely believe that I made the right decision moving across the world to Leeds, the friendships I've made, the opportunities I've had and the lessons I have learned.

I would love to help anyone who is thinking about moving to Leeds for university, email me at mitsuki-link@leeds.ac.uk or chat to me on Unibuddy.