My name’s Emma Long and I am currently studying my final year of a PR degree at Leeds Metropolitan. Originally from Norfolk (don’t hold that against me!) I chose to study at Leeds Metropolitan University as it is considered the best PR course across Europe.
The course has allowed me to explore both practical and theory elements of the industry encouraging students to undertake both short term placements and longer sandwich year placements allowing you to experience a year in industry. I undertook my placement year at Air Products, an industrial gases organisation based in Surrey where I was a member of the Internal, External, Community Relations and Change Management communication teams. It was a year that I thoroughly enjoyed and believe set me up ready for the demands and pressures of final year whilst being a brilliant opportunity to build contacts and experience to my CV.
The highlight of my final year so far has been being nominated for the Claire Maskall award. I was lucky enough to be shortlisted and was a brilliant experience which will set me in good stead for the future. It is opportunities and experiences like this which makes Leeds Metropolitan and good choice for a PR degree.
Any fan of The Strokes will understand just how special it was to see front man Julian Casablancas perform his solo album Phrazes For The Young right here at our university. Bringing with him from New York a retro sound similar to the work of The Strokes, it was a treat for fans new and old.
Wearing a black, leather blazer that no one else could get away with Julian introduced the gig with Ludlow Street. Anybody who still wasn't dancing by this point soon began to rock out as upbeat, pinnacle album song 11th Dimension went down a storm.
Although quiet natured he expressed his thanks to the crowd. What was actually said remains a mystery due to that distinctive, gravely, deep voice. The crowd were very welcoming to an acoustic version of The Strokes smash single You Only Live Once. I was singing along with arms firmly in the air.
Praise must be given to the band also. No band could ever upstage the other members of The Strokes but these guys certainly gave them a run for their money. There were some pretty impressive guitar solos in 4 Chords of the Apocalypse and Out of the Blue. With The Voice and a great band playing great music, Julian delivered an album that although similar to his work with The Strokes, had a fresh and fun twist to it.
Introducing the final surprise song, Julian admitted that he wasn't sure whether to play it or not. It was I Wish it Was Christmas Today. When I first heard it at home I wasn't too sure how seriously to take it, with it being a wee bit cheesy. Nonetheless, it is Christmas and everyone got into the spirit! A quick thank you and Julian was off the stage in the blink of an eye. That's what was so good about this gig. It was Julian and the band performing his awesome album to the crowd. No gimmicks or effects. He absolutely rocked it.
What the students thought:
Ruth, 19
“Everybody went a bit crazy when 11th Dimension came on. It was a really good atmosphere.”
Dave, 24
“I love The Strokes so was quite excited at the thought of Julian playing in Leeds. His solo stuff is just as good.”
Lucy, 20
“I enjoyed it lots. The ticket price was a bit steep but I suppose it was worth it!”
On Tuesday August 13th BTEC Business students travelled all the way from NewcastleCollege to find out about Leeds Met, university life and the city itself.
The morning kicked off with an informal, yet informative presentation from Nicola Horner: Marketing Co-ordinator, covering all aspects of the LeedsBusinessSchool.
Aspiring young students were interested in everything from Law to Marketing and had plenty of questions about the university and the courses themselves.
Also present were student representatives Ellie Langton from BA Marketing and Racheal McHugh from BA Marketing who had their work cut out for them acting as “bankers” in the games that followed…
After the presentation and Q&A sessions the students were split into five groups and each group was given £250, sadly though for the students, these notes wouldn’t have much hope of been passed in the shops.
The challenge was to build a bridge of 50cms wide and 10cms off the ground, within 30 minutes, using only the tools which were available for purchase from the dedicated bankers. These tools included; paper, sticky tape and paper clips.
The teams set off to work with dedication in their eyes as they faced the challenge of ingenuity, the time flew by and before any of us could be ready, it was time to test the integrity of these structures…
The only way to truly test these not so magnificent feats was of course with tiny toy cars. The structures were judged on quality, budget used, time taken, whether a car was actually able to make it from one side to the other and how many cars it could hold in total.
As the students watched on some were met with disappointment and others with roaring victories as bridges fell and others stood tall, but the most important thing was of course that everybody got involved, had a great time and cheered their rivals along.
The day concluded with a tour of the Civic Quarter Campus and then students were free to go into the unknown and enjoy the delights of Leeds, before returning to their home in Newcastle.
You can definitely tell it's the first day of Freshers' Week, freebies are flying around left, right and centre and the foot fall in the Rose Bowl has certainly picked up.
Today my "job" has been to lend a helping hand on events such as The Apprentice, Babble in the Bar and Are and You the Next Dragon?
Watching Freshers struggle to throw an egg off a flight of stairs without breaking it may sound like a strange way to spend your morning, but the principles behind it were valid. The point was to see how different people handled the challenge and to see what they came up with, using the few and simple tools they were provided with. Sadly for the eggs no one managed an entirely successful landing, but people got creative and that was the whole point.
Babble in the bar was great fun as I got to try my hand at cocktail making and shaking the shakers - something I have always wanted to do, they tasted great and more importantly they were free!
The Apprentice is by far and away the best event we have going, it's a great opportunity to be set a real "Alan Sugar style" challenge. Newlife Foundation a children's charity has supplied Leeds Met with boxes full of jewellery, the aim is to sell the contents to anyone and everyone, raising as much money as possible for the charity. A worthy cause indeed, not to mention that the winners get a trip to Alton Towers.
The turn out could have been better, but the Rose Bowl was taking all the focus, and maybe for some 10am was a little early. However it's well worth getting up for - lots of freebies, prizes and fun, not to mention a chance to meet new students and start making friends. So join me in spreading the word as these events and many more are going all week, just check out the Freshers Festival programme or one of the many signs dotted across the university.
