Conditional offer for Philosophy

Hi, 3rd year UoM philosophy student here. I absolutely love the university and the city (so much in fact, that I'm planning to stay here to do a Masters). The university came a very impressive 30th in this year's QS rankings of universities worldwide as can be seen here: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014#sorting=rank+region=+country=+faculty=+stars=false+search=

Manchester's a Russell Group University, putting it among company such as Bristol and Cardiff as one of the better universities in the country. It also has more Nobel Laureates among its current and former staff/students than any other UK university, barring Oxford and Cambridge.

If you've got any questions about the course, the university or the city, let me know.

Thank you so much! How much would it cost to rent a flat in Manchester? How about its nightlife? In terms of the city, is it quite similar to London? I have never been there yet, but I will visit the university this year.

Prices for renting will vary a great deal by location and size of flat. The halls I stayed in in first year cost me £92 per week, if I remember rightly, but I think you could find a flat cheaper than that if you hunted around.

The city is much smaller than London and so more compact, which I think is a good thing. Most of what you'll want to see is in a much smaller area, relatively speaking. Transport is really good too (the bus service runs all day and night and is very frequent) and the airport is accessible.

Nightlife will be whatever you want it to be. Reggae, hip-hop, dubstep, house, metal, all genres are accounted for and there are always cheap, student focused nights to go to just about every day of the week. There are tons of pubs and bars if clubs aren't your thing as well. Drugs are also easy to come by if you're into that.

Brilliant! I do have one last question regarding the course: have you had any opportunity to work anywhere as a trainee? I am aware that it can be hard to find a job as a Philosophy graduate, but I thought that the university's prestige might influence those chances.

As a trainee in what field? Philosophy?

Well, just in general! I know some people who got internships at a bank, for instance.

I'm probably not the best person to ask about that sort of thing, to be honest. I haven't really been looking since I've been focused on continuing philosophy to postgraduate level.

The university careers service is supposed to be very good, though, and they could definitely help you with that sort of thing. It's free and anyone can make an appointment with them.

Do you know what the best websites are to look for flats in Manchester? I am especially looking for a cottage or something along those lines. By the way, is it typical for UK students to share a flat? I'd actually prefer to live on my own, but I really don't know much about accommodation in England.

The vast majority of first year students live in University-owned accommodation, it tends to be much easier to make friends that way. If you particularly want to rent your own place, Manchester Student Homes is a good website, it's endorsed by all the universities in Manchester. You'll probably find that there aren't many single bedroom properties on there though. It's mostly geared towards people wanting to live with a group.

EDIT: Here's the link for university accommodation, by the way: http://www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk/

Thank you! I really want to rent my own place, I'm afraid. This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to rent one bedroom on my own within a property? It seems like MANY properties specifically want all bedrooms to be rented.