School of Politics and International Studies

Donna Quinn

Politics and Parliamentary Studies | 2009 - 2013

About me
I come from Hale in Cheshire and went to Withington Girls’ School in Manchester from 11 to 18 where I studied Government and Politics as one of my A Levels.  It was only really the pretty interesting and varied curriculum, and a great A Level Politics teacher that initially began to get me interested in politics. However after a few months of grasping the subject I knew that this is what I wanted to explore and understand in much greater depth and at university level.

I decided to take a gap year before coming to university where I spent time interning at a local MP’s constituency office. The experience really hooked me into the world of politics, linking what I’d learnt from my A Level course with reality and to local politics in practice. During my gap year I spent most evenings of my year out working at a local bar to save money for a trip and during the summer spent 2 months volunteering at a nursery in a township in Cape Town, South Africa.

I am now in the third year of my Politics and Parliamentary Studies degree and have spent the last semester on a placement in the United States Senate, working for Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland which has been the most incredible opportunity and amazing experience.

My motivation to study Politics
I heard about the PPS course from past Sixth Formers at my school and had always wanted a place on the programme; largely due to the opportunity to spend a placement year in both Washington DC and London. I’d also been up to visit Leeds a couple of times before I applied to the course so had a relatively good idea that it was a great place to live as a student  where the social side of things were concerned, and for me being in a city was also pretty significant.

The more knowledge I gain in my subject area the more I understand and enjoy it.  The fact that every day when you turn on the news there are new developments, new policies and proposals, new scandals and even disasters shows how relevant and important politics is.

Whether it be war in the Middle East, famine in Africa, or the European debt crisis, politics affects us and our everyday lives and is something that everyone should have a grasp on and be aware of to some degree. So many people seem relatively oblivious to what is going on around them domestically as well as internationally and I feel it’s so important to have some level of knowledge to our political systems, how we are governed and what is happening in our country, our continent and our world.

My experience
I am now in the third year of my Politics and Parliamentary Studies degree and have just has the most fantastic experience on a placement in the United States Senate, working for Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland. I think the past semester has definitely got to be the highlight of my time at university and I’ve been so lucky to have had such a great opportunity. However, now I’m very much looking forward to starting my internship in Parliament and to also my final year of study on PPS next year.

Student support
The staff are very much the core of the POLIS department in Leeds. They are very willing to help with any queries and questions that arise academically, and work hard to make you feel part of a student community within POLIS.

Each student has a personal tutor to work alongside and approach for advice within POLIS and I think this particular facility has been indispensable to my studies at Leeds. Developing a personal relationship with a member of staff who is easy to approach and willing to help really does make you feel part of the School, and as a valued student rather than just a number.

Personal tutors, as well as seminar tutors within POLIS all strongly advise students to visit them within certain hours of each week with any queries they may have and I’d definitely urge future students to take advantage of this.

Outside of study
There’s an endless list of activities that students can take part in outside their academic studies. Many politics students get involved in some of the extra curricula political activities on offer such as joining a political party and volunteering for them with other students, or joining Amnesty International, Green Action, Socialist Students, the UN Association, Medsin, or the Palestine Solidarty Group for instance.

There are also huge numbers of notable politicians and other figures that give talks and briefings at the university which also prove very interesting and offer students a broader knowledge on a particular subject area or a topic of current relevance.

Students can also get involved in countless charity initiatives, sports and dance societies and even the great student newspaper, television and radio station. Leeds has been continuously voted as having one of the best student unions in the country where there is something on offer for everyone and is something all students should fully embrace, explore and make the most out of.

Outside of studying I tend to spend some time at the Edge, the new university gym where there are lots of classes to get involved in, as well as meeting up and socialising with friends. As a fresher I tried out a few clubs that the university had to offer and went to Amnesty International and well as a few Leeds Student Radio meetings.

During my time at university I have got involved in several charity events with RAG and was also the second year Course Rep for PPS where I worked alongside other students and staff members to form links between the two and discuss any issues and new initiatives that the POLIS department may have.

Leeds Uni also offers many trips abroad and last Easter I went on an incredible ski trip to France with the Leeds University Snowriders, an experience I’d recommend to anyone!

City life
Leeds is a fantastic city that is completely catered around its huge student population. Unlike many universities, I think one of Leeds strongest selling points is that the university buildings are within a campus and this really creates a sense of community amongst the students where it’s hard not to bump into someone you know throughout the day.

The city of Leeds itself also has an amazing nightlife with clubs catering to any genre of music, great restaurants and decent shops. Hyde Park is an amazing student place to live in second and third year but Headingly is also a really good location with loads of bars and restaurants.
 
My future
As I’ve been lucky enough to have a gap year where I spent some time travelling, and experienced interning aboard during my time at university, I think that during my final year of university I will spend some time applying for grad schemes and hope to get onto the job market shortly after finishing university.

At present I’m still keeping my options open in relation to which specific career angle I wish to take, maybe something linked to politics within the business or industry sectors, perhaps  a political analyst. A degree from POLIS opens up a great variety of career paths and finding something I hope to be passionate about and want to base my career on is something I’m really going to explore and focus on both this year and during my final year.

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