Hi, I wanted to share with you what a typical week in my life as an Architecture student at Manchester looks like. Last year we unfortunately had to implement online teaching, which was a difficult transition especially for first-year students who did not get the chance to experience campus life in person. So, I hope that this little blog post will give you some insight into what it is like to study here now.

This semester my timetable consists of two units, while during my second semester, they will be exchanged with my other two units. Only having two units for six months, really takes off some of the stress and workload you would normally experience studying at uni. That being said let’s start off into my week:

My Monday in-person lecture starts at 2 pm, and although I could sleep until then, I prefer to wake up early to do some meditation, take a shower and make breakfast to start my day off. Before my lectures, I tend to try to get some work done and develop my ideas and positions either in Chatham or our new Co-works Space in Geoffrey Manton Building which you should definitely check out! My lectures last around 3 hours and it’s amazing to see my course mates in-person again. Most of us do self-appointed COVID-19 tests twice a week, to keep each other safe and sound which I personally think is a great solution to be able to be on campus again. After my lecture, it’s already getting dark, and I make my way back to the house close to uni to get some food and watch TV. After relaxing for a while, I continue working for a few more hours and start on the homework that I have been given that day to stay on top of my work and reduce stress later. Fridays are solely reserved for Studio from 9 am to 5 pm, starting off with an early morning gathering as a group to map out the day ahead of us. A lot of the time we attend site visits and have interactive workshops that give us the opportunity to gain skills for our future role as architects.

As already mentioned, studying Architecture is stressful and almost a full-time job, which is why keeping in touch with what inspires and makes one happy is key. That being said, Tuesday and Thursday are self-directed study days, where I go food shopping and also get a lot of society things done such as planning and hosting meetings. We have a lot of amazing societies at both universities and especially our Manchester Student Society of Architecture, the biggest architecture-related society in the UK has more than 9 subgroups to join and engage with. Although being part of a subgroup seems like a lot, for me personally it has given me so many opportunities, skills and friendships and overall made me feel more like home. 

With everything now open in the UK, my housemates and I can finally go to the pub and socialise with our friends. There is always something to do in Manchester, and amazing food places, definitely check out Northern Soul and Rudy’s Pizza.

I hope that gives you some insight into what life as an architecture student in Manchester is like.

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