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University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Manchester

What you wish you were told about the uni of manchester before coming

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Original post by *Johanna*
Have you ever considered the huge amount of money international students pay to come to study in England??? Maybe that's why they work harder than the rest ...And maybe it's a real privilege for them to study rather than a right!

Also have you ever lived abroad for a while? If not don't judge international students for their behaviour if you haven't been in a situation like that.


Actually, yes, I have lived abroad before. And no, I didn't stick to only talking to British people - admittedly it was an English speaking country, but I can assure you that, whilst I did mix with a fair few Britons, I also mixed with locals and people of other nationalities.

I understand how & why some internationals come to shut themselves off from the local culture, but ultimately it is to their detriment (most of them will state "improving my English" as one reason for coming to the UK . . . those who opt to speak their own language outside of lectures & tutorials find that their English doesn't improve as much as they'd hoped). I have several friends who have found themselves living in flats with high proportions of international students, and the report what I wrote in the previous post. I've seen some of them scurry into the kitchen, give myself & anyone else in their a nervous glance and scurry back out again, without saying a word!

Now, a fair few international students do choose to mix with others (guess what, I'm living with one of them next year!) but their can be a tendency for them not to do that, and so I think it's only fair that new people coming into halls have the chance to make an informed decision.
University of Manchester
University of Manchester
Manchester
Original post by *Johanna*
You can't really compare that to students which come from e.g. Asian countries because Europe is a lot different to what they know and for some the language is really difficult.

Let them just do what they want. As long as they don't disturb anybody you shouldn't bother. I much prefer flat mates which don't come out of their rooms than those who party all the time, make noise and leave a chaos!


You asked if I had ever lived abroad, and I have. I know it's different when there's a language barrier involved (probably the closest I've come to that is language exchanges - and I well and truly threw myself into trying to speak the language I was learning, unlike some others), but at the same time it would be better for those students if they did tend to mix outside of people who speak their own native language. That said, I think in part the fault lies with the universities (and this isn't just Manchester by any means) for taking people without a functional level of English. I don't know if the universities are taking people with IELTS scores that are too low, or if there's something dodgy going on at the test centres, but I've come across people who struggle to string a sentence together in English, and who clearly don't understand everything that's going on in tutorials.

I do let them do what they want - that's entirely their choice - but I know that I prefer a little chaos in my life (it makes it more interesting!). Others may prefer a quieter life, so from threads like these and posts like mine, people can make an informed decision.
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/
Original post by taylorg292
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/


You'll be surprised, I thought there wouldn't be too many this year but most of the people on my course had taken one or two. Guess it depends on your subject.
Reply 184
Original post by taylorg292
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/


I took an unintentional gap year, and turn 20 a few days before freshers week
20 is not old at all, there should be no issue integrating with those straight from sixth form.
Reply 186
Original post by TheFoxBlip
20 is not old at all, there should be no issue integrating with those straight from sixth form.


Haha I know, I was just saying that I too would be a year older than others, 20 is far from old
Reply 188
Original post by taylorg292
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/


your going to be old at the age of 19 in your first year?

Get ****ing grip will ya.
Reply 189
Original post by taylorg292
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/


Don't worry, I'll be 23 when I start at Manchester, plus I actually have an (as my friends refer to it) "old man hip". I'm not too worried about the age difference, so you should be fine :smile:
Reply 190
Warning about the Tower Challenge,

Make sure you take sober people with you to get people home if needed we did it as a large group (none who live in the tower), we had one quy end up in hospital with severe facial injuries, and few others unable to walk after half an hour or so of leaving OP, I myself woke up in bush in the early hours of the morning somewhere in fallowfield (still cant remember where or how :smile: )

We did it as a shot on each floor and three on the ground floor (i think if you live there your meant to take an extra shot on the floor you live on hence the three on the ground), every one made it down (thats the easy part) and only one person was sick ironically not in his own room however it was probably due to necking a quarter bottle of vodka thinking it was water.

So just be careful.

Chris.

ps. Whitworth park isnt bad during term times it has a good social side, however it is dead during even the short holidays :smile:
Reply 191
Original post by Sam1309
I took an unintentional gap year, and turn 20 a few days before freshers week


Don't worry about being 20, im 24 and have made many friends 18-27 on my freshers year, age isnt that important :smile:
Original post by taylorg292
Anyone on a gap year now and going to Manc this Sept? I'm worried I'm going to be old compared to everyone, hardly anyone took a gap year this year :/

I did. Despite the fee raises I think its still been fairly comomon, and a year won't make any difference if you're 19/20 instead of 18/19.
I had a gap year, and I have friends from all years in the university, and invariably you can't tell who's had a gap year and who hasn't, with the exception of an enhanced ability to cook and fend for yourself!
Original post by Mr Ben
Don't worry, I'll be 23 when I start at Manchester, plus I actually have an (as my friends refer to it) "old man hip". I'm not too worried about the age difference, so you should be fine :smile:


Ah okay I definitely am not worried anymore!
Reply 195
Original post by Boyddex
Don't worry about being 20, im 24 and have made many friends 18-27 on my freshers year, age isnt that important :smile:


Oh I wasn't worried was trying to reassure someone else, one year will make minimal difference, it's not as if I'm going to be in early with a hot water bottle at 20, thanks for reassuring though
Reply 196
Original post by Origami Bullets
Freshers cost me the best part of £150 on tickets + drinks, but that was obviously way out of the ordinary. Nowadays, I typically go out on average about every 10 days (primarily because I have too much term left at the end of my loan, not gonna lie), and each night out will cost me around £10 (£5 club entry + drinks + maybe a bit more if it's fancy dress and I have to buy a few bits and bobs).

Plus, I spent £70 to join a sports club at the beginning of the year, plus the same again on kit, but each time I go it doesn't cost me any extra.


Was casually browsing through this old thread and noticed this. Does it cost money to join societies, sports clubs or the gym. And how much does it cost? I was under the impression that people joined like 10 societies and clubs, then narrow it down to just a few after a few weeks of noticing that they dont have the time or interest to be a member of 10 societies and clubs.
Reply 197
Original post by 4RealBlud
Was casually browsing through this old thread and noticed this. Does it cost money to join societies, sports clubs or the gym. And how much does it cost? I was under the impression that people joined like 10 societies and clubs, then narrow it down to just a few after a few weeks of noticing that they dont have the time or interest to be a member of 10 societies and clubs.


Some cost, most are free. Usually the ones that cost involve an activity which would usually cost you more if you weren't with the society.
Original post by 4RealBlud
Was casually browsing through this old thread and noticed this. Does it cost money to join societies, sports clubs or the gym. And how much does it cost? I was under the impression that people joined like 10 societies and clubs, then narrow it down to just a few after a few weeks of noticing that they dont have the time or interest to be a member of 10 societies and clubs.


When people refer to 'joining' a society / sports club, what they often mean is handing over their email address and never turning up!

Those societies where membership is a noticeable sum (it's usually a bargain, even if the sum is still noticeable, simply because if you did it outside uni then it would cost you 4x as much) usually have taster sessions and / or temporary membership options, so you can try it out. This is the norm for more niche activities that you are unlikely to have tried before coming to uni (anything other than things like football and netball, essentially). Some societies will also charge for each individual session, but for others it's all included in the membership cost. There will also usually be trips away - either for matches, or protests, or whatever it is that your society does, and potentially a trip to Europe (often at Easter). There will also be some spending on nights out for socials - although this isn't money that goes directly to the society.

The gym definitely does cost - you can have a look at the costs and various options on the Sugden Centre, Armitage Centre and Aquatics Centre website.
Reply 199
Question spamming, considering applying to Manchester...

Is the fact that Manchester is a big University daunting?

For anybody who knows - how good is the student support? (I have a learning disability and am autistic.)

As a student, how much money do you tend to have to spend on activities? (I take music lessons, and whilst I'd have no qualms about giving them up if I had to, I'd like to continue. :tongue: ) Are there a lot of societies? (I look at the website, but websites aren't always accurate.)

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