Leeds International Summer School

This July, I was able to escape the Australian winter and go to the University of Leeds for the Leeds International Summer School. This summer school had hundreds of students from around the world studying all different disciplines.

I took the “Introduction to Photography” module, and went from a complete beginner photographer to taking some really cool shots! We had class every weekday from 9-12 and our fabulous teacher Mike would give as a photo assignment each day and the next day we would give feedback on everyone’s photos. This allowed me to learn super quickly and practically. I also finally got to understand all the settings on the digital camera we had lying around at home.

LISS took us on heaps of excursions around the Yorkshire area, which was perfect for practicing my photography. I visited Fountains Abbey, Bolton Abbey, the Yorkshire Dales, York, Ilklely, Knaresborough, Whitby and Harewood House. I tried a delicious high tea, Nandos and a LOT of Tesco meal deals. It was so cool to be immersed in British culture which I grew up watching about on TV.

The Leeds campus is much bigger and older than UTS. LISS had the gym membership included which was really great. We also had breakfast and lunch included in the refectory which provided a great way to chat with other participants and took the decision making out of two meals of the day. The LISS assistants also planned plenty of social events and the community vibes were excellent as we all stayed in the same uni accommodation. I participated in an international potluck in one of the kitchens and tried food from Ghana for the first time. I made some really close friends and I can’t wait to visit them all in the future. Particularly I met a lot of Canadians and am planning a whole Canada trip.

Leeds is in the north of England, which also made it a perfect base to visit Scotland and the rest of England. I had a fabulous time visiting a friend in Glasgow and travelling to the Scottish Highlands, as well as watching as many West End shows as humanly possible in London.

I definitely recommend LISS if you are looking for a British summer adventure.

Caitlin Murphy
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice
University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship

For more information about the UTS Global Short Program visit: www.uts.edu.au/thinkglobal