My Exchange at The University of Manchester
I first found out about the 360 International exchange programme from my friends. We were talking about it and none of us applied the first year – until others from our cohort came back and told us about their experiences! I was nominated to attend my first choice of host university: Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), which is part of the University of Manchester.
Arriving at my host university, the first thing that I noticed was the mix of old and new buildings, and how vast the campus was. It would take me upwards of 10 minutes to walk from one class to the other at one point. The exchange student orientation took us through all our requirements and explained how to reference in Harvard, had a session to have us all mingle with other exchange students and ended with a walking tour of the inner-city. My accommodation was a 30-minute walk from the campus. This wasn’t too bad since the bus was a 20-minute ride and cost the equivalent of NZ$4! My accommodation was new and modern, but the kitchen I shared with 3 others was very dirty – I would have rather paid a small amount extra per week for the accommodation providers to give us a weekly cleaner.
Classes were compulsory at AMBS and we had to check in during every lecture. If we missed more than a certain percentage, we’d get contacted by the university and asked to provide a reason. I found this interesting – if it was mental health related, the university would put you in contact with a counsellor. Most of my lectures were more workshop-style and interactive compared to the lectures I was used to, but this helped us cement the learning outcomes well. Each paper I took included one group project, and 3 of the 5 papers I took were all internally assessed.
Manchester is an industrial city, and one fact I found out from the first day orientation is that most churches were demolished in the past to make room for green spaces. I arrived in winter and saw two or three days of clear blue skies in the first two months I was there. Coming from summer in Auckland, it was a big shock, but the city definitely grew on me as spring, then summer arrived! A big positive of Manchester is that it’s so well connected to both the rest of the UK and Europe. In 20 minutes, I was able to reach two of the three main train stations in Manchester (Oxford and Piccadilly). The third station, Victoria, took approximately one hour, but I only took that train to get to Leeds and once to York. Most of my travel was via Piccadilly. To get to the airport, it would take me 40 minutes door to door. While the plane tickets were more expensive than London; some airports (with the exception of London City Airport) would take me 1-1.5 hours to get to from the city centre. The cost of living in the UK is quite expensive when compared to Auckland. In Manchester, I was spending a lot but luckily my part-time job (earning approximately £20k a year) was able to cover my day-to-day expenses. My travel budget was from savings from when I worked in NZ. While groceries are quite cheap, takeaways and eating out are a lot more expensive than NZ. Of course, when you compare living in Manchester to living in London, the living costs are much smaller. For example, you could easily house share for £600-700pcm in Manchester and be centrally located, whereas London could set you back £800-1000pcm in an area that isn’t as centrally located. One thing that surprised me was the public transport fares in Manchester. It is quite expensive, especially the tram. The city doesn’t offer student discounts, but one bus company (they are privately owned unlike Auckland’s Auckland Transport) offers student discounts which works out if you take the bus 4+ times a week. I did not, so I didn’t take the offer.
The highlight of my experience was that the exchange provided me with an opportunity to move overseas and be more independent. I was working while studying to help with the bills, which helped me focus on time management. My university schedule was well-designed, and I could take 3-day long weekend trips during the semester. I mostly went around the UK. In contrast, a challenge I had during exchange was budgeting. I was self-funding my living expenses and travel, and to secure a place (Manchester was having a rental crisis while I was looking), I was paying rent above the normal amount.
Some advice I have for others thinking about going on exchange, is apply! The experiences you have and the friends you make are well worth it. Also, keep in contact with friends and family – I also set up a separate Instagram for them to keep up with, and those who didn’t want to wouldn’t get the spam! I’d also take up a part-time or summer job to help fund the extra travelling you want to do, but I would focus on travelling during the semester break and after exams so you don’t fall behind.
Q&A
What were some of the highlights of the academic experience at your host university?
My degree plan worked out in a manner that I could select “BCOM ANY” for 3 of my 5 papers I took, so I focused on papers that really interested me but I couldn’t take in my majors. It broadened my learnings of commerce and these papers drew examples from Manchester/UK business case studies so I gained a deeper appreciation for the topics too!
Would you recommend any particular activity/activities unique to your host country or university?
Join the International Society (https://internationalsociety.org.uk/trips/)!! They have heaps of events and trips that you can join.
What are your top 3 tips for future students attending your host university or going on exchange to your host country?
- Put yourself out there and make friends through joining clubs and attending your classes! The friends you make are lifelong
- Keep in regular contact with friends & family back home! I also set up a separate instagram for them to keep up with, and those who didn’t want to, wouldn’t get spammed
- Take up a part-time or summer job before leaving so you have extra funds available for the trips you’ll inevitably do!
How much did you budget for your exchange? Was this enough? Were there any lessons learned that would help future students budget for their own exchange?
I paid for my accommodation upfront (approximately £3500 for the semester from memory) so I luckily didn’t have to worry about including this in my budget while I was here. In total, I spent upwards of $5000 but most of that was to do with trips within the UK and Europe. There are lots of free things that we can do in Manchester, and day trips to nearby towns are very budget-friendly! Just make sure you get an 18-25 Rail Card – it gives you a 33% discount on all rail fares. Also, if your train is delayed or cancelled, you can claim a delay repay compensation which meant I could save it or spend it on an extra activity! To decrease your spending, look at cooking your meals at home rather than having uber eats, stock up on fruits (extremely cheap here!) and getting clubcards for your groceries.
What are your most significant takeaways from your experience abroad?
I am stronger than I give myself credit for – moving to a country halfway across the world, only knowing one other person, was so challenging. I learnt to be independent and fend for myself. I found my travel for passion, in particular older looking cities, and having their cuisine there. I want to immerse myself more in my future travels to really get to know a place.
Do you want to share anything about travels you did outside your host city/country?
I was able to get away on day trips and weekend trips to other places in the UK while on my exchange! These included Edinburgh, Isle of Skye, York, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bournemouth (white sand beach, highly recommend if you’re missing the sound of the ocean!), Christchurch, London and Southampton. There are still many more to check off my list! In Europe, I visited Czecha, Poland, Ireland, Italy and Denmark. Solo travelling made me a lot more independent than I thought I could ever be!