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Leonie, Netherlands, student profile

Student Profile

About me

Name: Leonie
Course: Media, Communication and Cultural Studies BA Honours
Study mode: Full time
Where I’m from: Netherlands

Choosing Newcastle

For as long as I can remember I have said that I wanted to study abroad. So when I finally graduated high school I did. I just wanted to see more and have a feel of campus life. I specifically picked Newcastle because my course was the no.1 Media course in the country at the time, and Newcastle as a city is amazing. It’s big enough for three years but small enough to really get to know it well. Overall Newcastle was the perfect choice for me.

Studying at Newcastle

I really enjoy that our course is very current and applicable to everyday life. It teaches you to appreciate and think critically about the cultural landscape. My favourite module has been Advertising & Consumption as we could finally combine our theoretical knowledge with practical assignments. It was taught really well and was always filled with new current examples from magazines and TV. Even though I don’t think I can ever watch a TV programme or read anything anymore without recognising all the different constructed discourses. But that is actually one of the most enjoyable things as you really see how the course has influenced us.

Clubs and societies

I have been a member of a variety of sport clubs and societies over the past year. I have met so many great people and everyone was welcoming every time. Activities have included everything from nights out, dinners, bowling trips and beach BBQ’s. The sports trips have also given me the chance to get outside of Newcastle on away games, so I also got to see some other cities in the North East.  I would definitely encourage anyone to join a sports club or society as I think that has been the best thing about university life. 

Career aspirations

I have absolutely loved university so far and I am not quite done with being a student yet, so I decided to do a post graduate in Marketing or Management after this. Studying at Newcastle has helped me apply for some of the best courses in the country as our course is generally really well received. 

Accommodation

I lived in Marris House in first year which was so close to both Uni and Town. I moved to Jesmond in second year and stayed there for third year. It was really easy to sort out a house as there are so many options. I do think we all underestimated it in second year and tried to look for the cheapest house, but by third year we all knew what to really look for and negotiate a better deal. 

Living in Newcastle

Newcastle has been an incredible little city. After three years there are still new little quirky coffee places to find or that new night in a club that you have to try. But it’s also very beautiful; the quayside is definitely my favourite place. Jesmond, is the social heart of student life and it really is a small weird little community. You will almost always be guaranteed to run into some friends on your way to Tesco.