Postgraduate student Monica, originally from India, studying MSc Management and Information Systems: Change and Development at the Global Development Institute at Manchester, shares with us her experience on moving to the UK for her master’s degree and her best advice to international postgraduate students.

On my motivation to study my course

Coming from an IT background, I have done my undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Engineering in India. I got a campus placement and worked 4.5 years in one of the biggest IT MNC there; only to realise my passion was not in what I was doing. I wished to perform a different set of activity than my current profile. I saw myself more as a leader and organiser than a developer. Rather than waiting for years for a promotion, doing a master’s would support me to climb up the professional ladder. The additional knowledge and expertise gained during a master’s course is an add-on.

On my course

Being one of the best universities in the UK, Manchester is one of the very few universities that offer a very non-technical management course. Management of Information Systems, as the name suggests, is a blend of technical intricacies and management orchestration. Most universities lace the course with analyst specifications by entwining it with the Business Analyst course. However, the University of Manchester is very true to the module construction, keeping the course management related. It is apt for candidates from non-technical backgrounds who fear coding skills. As in my case, I wished to change my domain from that of a developer to a manager. This course offered a theoretical-based learning platform to develop my all-around expertise for the industry.

On moving to the UK for postgraduate studies

Moving to the UK was a big step for me. I had never been outside India and was very sceptical about the whole new adventure ahead. But the teaching and faculty staff were very welcoming, and helped me settle in, especially my academic advisor. She was always available to help me settle and offered a kind word whenever I was in doubt. My other professors were also very supportive and understanding of the situation, and the few amazing friends I made helped me explore and understand life here. All this eased out my anxieties and I felt at home.

My advice to international postgraduate students

My suggestion to anyone looking to move to the UK for their postgraduate degree is to just be yourself. Explore the new surroundings around yourself. It is new for you so do not be afraid to make mistakes, but do learn from them. And make lots of friends! Get out of your comfort zone and mingle around. Come out of your closed community and enjoy the new phase you have entered.
And do not worry, everything will turn out well – persistence and determination is the keyword. Don’t get dejected with rejection, rather learn from it and use feedback to work on yourself. Remember, the future is a beautiful place! All the very best!!

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