What everyone's already said really. Great social life, excellent academic reputation, nightlife....blah de blah. Let's just say there's a reason it recieves the second largest number of applications in the UK. I'm going to outline some more interesting positives/negatives that set it apart from other unis.
Good points:
- Hyde Park (Woodhouse Moor)...a massive green park that separates uni from the main student housing areas. It's lovely to walk through, there are two major pathways with trees either side creating a little canopy over you (I walk every day through it to uni and it's so lovely, even in the snow it's pretty and in the summer it's packed with students having barbeques and picnics). Don't walk through it late at night though.
- Uni is about a 10 minute walk away from the city centre, which is really lovely...great for shopping with a Harvey Nicks and a billion little boutiques and vintage stores along with the generic high street stores.
- The house parties are unlike anything I've ever experienced...a typical party will have 200-300 people in a single house, with DJs in every room (including usually a basement), people selling nitrous oxide, copious amounts of drink (and usually drugs, but no comment), and usually go on until either the police shut it down (in which case it's usually started up again 5 mins later) or until well into the morning (8-9am). And the best part is that they're free, happen every weekend or so and you always see loads of people you know.
- The societies and clubs are very active with everyone wanting to get involved...Leeds Snowriders has over a thousand members and is the largest student club in the country, with infamous socials and trips to Val Thorens and Val D'Isere.
- Nightlife is great, the great thing is that all the students will go to pretty much the same clubs (there's about two or three good'uns to choose from per night) and you'll see people you know all the time, none of the annoying chavvy locals.
- Everything's pretty cheap. Drinks, club entry generally won't exceed £5 (most of the time it's £3-4 unless you're going to a night like Metropolis which is £17, but they are few and far between...and worth it). Taxis are cheap, especially if you share. And if you don't have enough money you can give them your student card (Amber Cars, this is) and get it back the next day from the Union, paying your fare at the reception desk.
- Weather. Even though it's up north, Leeds seems to be very good at avoiding the rain, somehow. It is cold, but often it's been colder in London. Some geographer told me it was something about the land elevation or hills nearby that makes this so, but I can't remember exactly why.
- If you're into the media, Leeds has an award winning newspaper (Leeds Student), award winning radio station (LSRfm.com) and TV station (LS:TV), it's really easy to get involved with and is excellent for the CV since they are so critically acclaimed.
- The famous Otley Run. Brilliant fun on a night out, usually with a ridiculous theme and there are only a few other well known pub crawls in the country. Fancy dress pub crawls are so commonplace that you'll see fifty rugby players in pink tutus cavorting down the street without batting an eyelid.
- It has 33,000 students. I.e. it is HUGE. You're bound to find SOMEONE you like, even if you're a sourfaced old coot.
- It has two main student 'ghettos', Hyde Park and Headingley. Yes, some families and such live there too (god knows why) but come second year you have a million neighbours who are also students, and most of your friends live within a one mile radius. And, house parties galore...which I've mentioned earlier. Plus if you live here there's a Sainsbury's Local, One Stop, Co-op open 24 hours for any random 3am cravings for Pop Tarts and a plethora of takeaways of various cuisines, very cheap.
Bad points:
- Hyde Park (big student residential area) can be dangerous if you're not careful, I don't really feel safe walking around there alone at 2am. But to be fair, that hardly ever happens since you've always got people with you.
- Roger Stevens. 'Nuff said. I feel sorry for the poor bloke after whom it is named, since it's the ugliest building I've ever seen, not to mention the confusing interior...it seems to have been modelled on an M.C. Escher painting. For your first lecture in there I recommend you give yourself at least 10 minutes to find your lecture theatre. Luckily once you know where it is it isn't too much trouble.
- Walking to uni can sometimes be a succession of near death experiences, as when you're late you take chances crossing roads and it is a city area after all. Especially since the road after the Library pub has no pedestrian crossing but they are changing that soon, I think.