Jyoti Saha

Email Jyoti: jyoti-link@leeds.ac.uk

I completed my undergraduate studies at Amity University Kolkata and I joined University of Leeds in 2021.

Biology has been my favourite subject since I was introduced to it, and I have always been interested in anything related to food from an early age. So I was sure that I wanted to take my career path in that direction as well!

During the pandemic, we did not have much to do, so I started doing my research and looking for universities where I could find a course which would help me learn more about food and help me utilise the knowledge I have from studying Biotechnology.

That is how I came across University of Leeds, as it is one of the top universities for my course, and without a doubt, I knew that this is where I wanted to get my further education. 

The main reason for choosing University of Leeds, was because it was the top university in the UK for studying Food Biotechnology, and after looking into the University in more detail, by talking to the ambassadors (like myself now!) I got to know how culturally diverse this place is and about its wonderful campus life as well. 

It’s been almost seven months since I moved to Leeds, and became a student of University of Leeds, and so far, my experience has been extraordinary! The University has some amazing professors, who are always there to help us out whenever we are stuck, be it in academics or even if we are facing any mental issues.

I am currently in my second semester, and we have been introduced with a new module called Functional Foods for this semester, and it is by far the most interesting module I have ever come across. The lab classes and all the group presentations we have are the best things about my course.

We also have Careers Centres for all the departments. We have one particularly for the students from the School of Food Science and Nutrition, where we keep getting weekly updates about various job opportunities and placements. I wasn’t very sure how to search for jobs or make a proper CV in the beginning, but the people from the Careers Centre helped me out and made sure I had a clear idea about everything. 

I think for me the best thing about my university would be the libraries and the various societies we have. I am a part of the Chess society, and when I joined, I knew nothing about chess, and wanted to learn the game. The society and all the members in it were very friendly and helped me all throughout the way. Whenever we play, I learn something new about the game from them.  

I live in St Mark’s Residences, which is student accommodation for postgraduate students. In the first few weeks after coming to Leeds I was quite anxious about everything, but the University accommodation has some wonderful Resident Life Assistants, who are there to support us in every way possible.

There were also several international events held during the fresher’s week, which helped me to meet new people and get out and explore various places. The other wonderful advantage of living in University accommodation is that we get free access to the gym and swimming pools of the University, which are my go-to places if ever I need to clear my head or if I want to take a break.

Sometimes sitting alone and studying in my room becomes boring, so that is when I use the libraries the most. Watching others study helps me get the motivation to study too.

The best thing about the city of Leeds would be beautiful cafes it has. I love visiting new cafés with friends and sometimes I like to go to the café alone, drink a cup of coffee and complete some pending work which I have.

Recently I came across a small but a beautiful café near Hyde Park called Coffee on The Crescent. It has one of the best hot chocolates that I have ever tasted.