Hows life for international students at manchester??

got an unconditional offer for manchester for economics,Im really excited but a tad bit worried about life for international students there (I'm from Pakistan),I heard about this guy whos having a bad time 'cause he doesnt drink because of his beliefs,people generally seem to ignore him n all.....I seem to fall in a similar catagory so I was wondering if anyone could help[ out here and tell me how it really is??

Reply 1

Rez

Well, I don't drink and I have never had any problem for that even though sometimes my friends expect me to drink something, let it be any soft drink or just juice, as otherwise, they feel quite bad.

Generally, people here will never force you to drink alcohol but I am only speaking from my experience. Initially, you might come across some students who are ignorant but you just need to avoid them. If you join societies or start doing some voluntary work, you will meet many wonderful people who will help you to settle in quickly.

University of Manchester

Manchester

Reply 2

alamode

Im from pakistan too and i got Conditional offer of ABB. I got AAA in AS so i expect to get atleast ABB. Im from pakistan too and i was wondering about the same problem as you are. I hope if i go to Manchester or to any other university in the UK, I hope i settle in quickly and people treat me nicely and dont just ignore me and be rude to me because im a Pakistani and a muslim.

Reply 3

tRG

Why are you lot so afraid? There are non-Muslims who do not consume alcohol, you know..

Reply 4

Danny27

its not the alcohol its about fitting in really.....

Reply 5

alamode

Exactly. As i said, i hope people dont ignore us Pakistani muslims or treat us differently then other people.

Reply 6

Ana

alamode

Exactly. As i said, i hope people dont ignore us Pakistani muslims or treat us differently then other people.

Why should we? If you get grief from Indian Muslims for being Pakistani (or whatever your particular worry is... I'm not too up on racial tensions :redface:

), just find people who aren't bothered. Manchester's a huge uni, you're bound to find someone you get along with, just as you're bound to find someone you don't.

Although, if you're Muslim, and don't drink, people may well treat you differently... by being respectful of your religion and by not putting you into awkward situations involving drinking alcohol. That's just common courtesy :smile:

And again, if you want to be treated exactly the same as your atheist, alcohol-consuming mates, I'm sure there are people out there who will (but personally, I prefer the other kind).

Reply 7

alamode

Well i believe that everyone should judge the person individually and not only judge him only because he's a Muslim or a Pakistani or an Indian and im fine with everyone if they are fine with me be it Indians, Sikhs, Americans etc etc.

Just that im hearing alot of stuff that people dont treat you really well when they know that you are a muslim. Maybe its true, Maybe and hopefully its not but i'll only know when once i reach Manchester.

Reply 8

Ana

alamode

You're right, some people won't. There are intolerant idiots everywhere, I'm afraid. But I would expect that the majority of people simply won't care. All of the Muslims I know seem perfectly happy here :smile:

Reply 9

Rez

I have noticed that many Chinese, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi people (you name the country!) tend to stick with the people from their country. By doing that, they restrict themselves in a group and develop some preconceptions about others. Same thing applies to the home students.

The fact is quite simple. We all have the same emotions. May be our lifestyles, values differ to some extent because of the culture but there are many similarities; more than you can imagine! That's what I found out in my school when I was working for the students. I would say people here are more polite even though many students do seem to lack the basic courtesy (e.g. talking during the lecture) but they are certainly not as aggressive as we tend to be back in our countries.

Reply 10

alamode

Well, actually i think they stick in their groups atleast initially because it would help them settle down quickly. You want to have friends who are pretty similar to you and are in the same position as you are. Like if i go to manchester, Im bound to make a few Desi friends rather then british friends, the main reason would be im not really comfortable at talking in english :biggrin:

and i wont feel comfortable around different people just yet. Maybe after a few months when i settle in i might also have english friends too.

Reply 11

hero-shimmer

Some tutors I heard hold their tutorials in pubs,and if you dont drink alcohol,you are the odd one out.In USA,at least in some states you cant drink legally till 21,in England if you dont drink by 16,you are the odd 10%??????

wasnt there a report recently that in the UK binge-drinking is increasing yrly?
How to toast sans etoh?