I arrived in Leeds for Freshers Week three years ago - and it completely changed my life

Growing up in a small town in the Midlands, I never really experienced big city life.

I was quite shy, I had a close-knit group of friends and was comfortable with what I knew. So moving to Leeds for university was a pretty big gamble. I had never even visited the city before I moved into my student accommodation, and suddenly I was going to be living here for the next three years of my life.

I will always remember that first day. Crying as you pull out of the driveway of the house you’ve lived in for 18 years, trying to fit your entire life into the back of your car and wondering what on earth you’ve got yourself into.

When my mum and dad were trying to leave me in my accommodation, I kept finding reasons to delay them. I made them another cup of tea, asked them to put up my fairy lights on the wall, and eventually stood outside my room telling them: “I’m not ready to live on my own.”

Freshers’ week was probably one of the hardest, but also one of the most exciting times of my life. Everything was new and I had no idea what the next three years had in store for me.

Now, every year when I see new students arriving in Leeds, I remember exactly how that felt.

But Leeds quickly became home.

I met some of my best friends here and found people who shared the same interests as me.

I joined tons of societies at university, including Leeds Student Radio, something I had wanted to do for years, and found myself surrounded by people who were just as passionate about it.

The city also gave me opportunities I never expected. From discovering new places with friends to getting work experience and starting to build a career, there always seemed to be something going on.

Moving to Headingley in my second and final year was another big change. Suddenly I was walking distance from my friends houses, and I was having a completely different experience of Leeds from the one I’d had in my first year in the buzzing city centre.

Looking back, though, I think the biggest change was in myself.

Before university, I often felt like I couldn’t be myself. Three years later, I’m far more confident and willing to put myself out there. I don’t think the 18-year-old version of me would quite recognise me now.

So if you’re arriving in Leeds for university this week and are feeling nervous, you’re not the only one.

You don’t have to feel ready on the first day. The city that feels completely unfamiliar now might end up becoming somewhere you’ll always think of as home.

For me, it certainly did.