Report from Alex Gerritsen – Bursary Winner 2010

 

University is the best experience of my life. I have made lots of new friends and am enjoying my course greatly. Since early days of freshers week I have settled in very well. Leeds is a great city with many things to do and explore, from the student atmosphere of Headingly to the grandeur of the Victorian arcades in the city.

In the first week I joined many of the societies on offer at Freshers Fair, although have only continued with a few. Firstly, I have joined the University hockey team and we train and play three times a week, happily the team are to date doing well in the League. Secondly, I have joined ‘Hitch’ which is a charity based society which encourages the development of education in sub-Sahara Africa and I will be helping to raise money by hitch hiking to Morocco during Easter. The rest of my time is spent on studying and having fun with my hall friends.

The course that I read is ‘International History and Politics’ and is very interesting. I have debated whether modern democracy was inevitable or not in Europe; why the Roman Empire collapsed and how international politics operates, with topical debates such as whether the United States has become a more hegemonic power since 9/11. In semester two I will be concentrating more on the evaluating of primary sources, and am also doing two modules in law which are criminal law and comparative European law systems, which I am greatly looking forward to.

I would like to offer Many Thanks to the Ashcombe Dorkinian Association for the Bursary which they have kindly extended to me. I plan to spend the money on the relevant texts books I need for next semester, as well as putting the rest of the money towards a hockey tour to Spain and any costs I may need for Morocco at Easter time. Finally I would like to thank you again as without this Bursary I would be unable to participate and experience any of the above and I hope to make a difference to other peoples lives  too.