GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Student Report
Name of the University: Leeds Metropolitan University
Exchange semester: Fall 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
We had some worries because we didn’t have any information about the University and
housing before July. We received the welcome package in July and from that point it was
very easy to find information regarding the university, housing, payment etc. We got an
email from the international office in Leeds.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
We travelled with Norwegian to Manchester and took the train from the airport. The train is
approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the
school?
The housing was provided by the university. Both their website and welcome package
provides you with good and clear instructions about how to apply, the residence halls and
housing in general. A residence hall is an easy option for students who are in Leeds for one
semester.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food,
transportation, and other personal expenses?
Rent
Books
Food
Transport
Other
NOK 4000
NOK 1000
NOK 1600
NOK 400
NOK
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
- How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
There were no language problems.
Every city has a train or bus station so that it is easy to explore the country. In addition, the
tickets are cheaper when you buy them in advance.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
The university consists of to campuses; one in the middle of the city and one located about 1
hour walk from city centre. It’s a bookstore 5 minutes from each campus. There are over
27,000 students at Leeds met. including 3,500 students from around the world.
Study structure
Each module has 1-hour lecture and 1 hour seminar per week, with some exceptions
depending on the week. “Homework” every week, everything from just reading a chapter in
the core textbook, to making and presenting a sales presentation.
Course registration
We choose the courses we wished for before arrival and had to confirm/make changes in this
within the first two week. We had some minor problems with the timetable not being correct,
but that was fixed almost immediately
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
First day of the semester:
Last day of classes:
Examination period:
Any special events/holidays:
Other:
6th September
9th September
76h December
8-19th December
Arrival
The first couple of days where spent in different lines to register and sign papers. This was
bound to happen due to the amount of new students starting Leeds Met. There might be some
potential to improve the system for registration, but it didn’t bother us that much.
We had a couple of presentations by different people from the university and the Erasmus
project giving us all the information we needed. Going to these presentations will save you a
lot of time later on when it comes to finding people, places and getting help in general.
There is a fresher’s week for first year students, so there are a lot of events going on and a lot
of people everywhere.
The International Office
The international office helps you with everything, but be prepared to stand in line for at least
30 minutes during the first couple of weeks.
Promoting BI and Norway
Didn’t do any promotional activities.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Social activities
- How was the relationship with other students?
The classes are small, with people who have been going to uni together for two year already,
this and with only 5 - 10 minutes to get from one lecture/seminar to another (often in a
different building) makes it hard to make friends with people from your class. We did
however get many friends at our accommodation where we shared flats with people from
different parts of the world. The accommodation (Sugarwell Court) is located a bit outside the
city centre and is made up of 6 buildings filled with students, this results in a lot of flat parties
and other activities, which are great for meeting new people.
-
Is there a student organization, and if so, are the exchange students a part of it?
It’s a large student union with many native students as members, some of the international
students joined different sports clubs etc., but part from that we didn’t notice any international
students actually working for the union.
Are there any special activities and gatherings for exchange students?
There are many events and activates during the first couple of weeks. There are about 2-3
events a month the rest of the semester.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
- How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
It was one lecture and one seminar for each module every week. Both last for 1 hour. The
lectures are more theoretical orientated, and the seminars have a more focus on the practical
bit. The major different between the lecturers and the seminars is that students are supposed to
discuss in the seminars and be quiet in the lecturers.
The level is easier compared to BI, and the workload is fairly similar.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level
of course material etc).
Mostly books, powerpoint and online articles.
Exams
The exam is based on a combination of the course materials and the lectures, but the course
also introduced us to some additional topics that weren’t included on the exam.
One of our courses where evaluated on a written exam, two where evaluated on a 3000-4000
word home assignment, and the last course had two 2000 word assignment.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE STUDENT REPORT
Library and technology
There is a 24-hour library with a very helpful staff. You will have no problem finding an
available computer, as there is 2,500 computer workstations around the two campuses.
- How is technology used in teaching or to distribute information?
The lecturer and seminar tutor uses a computer and projector in every lecture and seminar.
- Description of courses
Course code & name
BVH330024 Strategic Marketing
FIH330006 Advertising Strategy
& Media Planning
Master/
Bachelor
Bachelor
Bachelor
Exam form
Prerequisites
Comments
None
Approved
as
Strategy
3-hour written
exam
2x Individual
assignment.
2000+2000
words
None
Elective
Lead by the
best
lecturer we
have ever
had.
Same
lecturer as
in FIH
330006
BVH330005 - Digital
& Interactive
Marketing
Bachelor
Individual
assignment
3500 words
None
Elective
BVH330002 B2B
Marketing
Bachelor
Individual
assignment.
4000 words
None
Elective
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
We had a fantastic semester in Leeds, from both an academic and a social point of view. It
have lead us to a desire for more of England and can be seen as a main reason for why we are
applying for a masters degree in England next year. We would recommend everyone to take
one semester in the UK and at Leeds Metropolitan University. You will not regret it!