Henry Berry

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your background? 

Hi, my name is Henry. I’m from South London, from a mixed-race family and I’ve just finished my second year at the University of Leeds. I practice Buddhism and I’ve got a part-time job as a private tutor alongside my studies. 

What made you want to apply to your course and to Leeds? 

My course is extremely interesting, and the breadth of study in all three aspects really enticed me. The course isn’t like any other in the country (literally – it's the only course of that code in the country!) meaning I was very interested in it. 

Leeds is an incredible city, and the student life, nightlife, facilities and city life are all contributors to it being a great choice to attend University in. 

What is it that makes you passionate about your area of study? 

I’m very interested in the philosophy of logic, metaphysics and mind, so this course linked those through philosophy, neuroscience in psychology, and the history of science and physics. 

What aspects of the course do you enjoy the most?   

I like the tutorials the most; because of the variety on the course the tutorials are varied, and no day of learning is going to feel boring or similar. 

What would you say about the learning facilities in your School and at the University in general? 

The learning facilities are pretty good, obviously with covid there’s been no real need to go to lectures in person. However, the library facilities are excellent, and I used these several times throughout quarantine because they remained open with precautions. 

Have you worked closely with a particular tutor or member or the University’s academic staff? Tell us about that experience.  

My personal tutor, Professor Heather Logue, has been amazing for the two years I’ve been at the University. She will always email to remind me of our meetings together and I haven’t missed one yet. They’re always helpful and she has given me great advice on my dissertation choices and general module queries. 

What other activities are available for students to take part in outside of their studies, and which ones have you tried out yourself? 

Honestly, if you can think of a society to join then the University probably provides it. I joined the boxing and badminton societies; I hadn’t done boxing before and so I was fairly new to it, but the society was very welcoming and now I own my own punching bag! The Edge (University gym) is really good as well, and you can never go wrong with petting the rabbits that the union sometimes bring outside on campus. 

What do you plan to do when you’ve finished your course, and how do you think the skills and knowledge you’ve developed so far at Leeds will help with these plans? 

My plan is to go into Artificial Intelligence, and the transferable skills and content from philosophy have helped this greatly. The history of science modules that I have taken have given me great essay writing skills and historical analysis, and my psychology modules have given me insight into the philosophy of mind studies that I have taken. 

Overall, I think that my studies have been invaluable to my future aspirations. 

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to your course? 

Do it! Not only is the course interesting, but there isn’t a better city to study in than Leeds!