I’m Zsófi, a final year undergraduate student in the course Environmental Management! I am from Hungary, and I would like to share some key things, which might be of help to you if you are a European (or International!) student, coming to the University of Manchester for the next academic year!

Moving to a completely new city and the country was a very exciting feeling for me! Of course, I was a bit anxious, but overall I was looking forward to this new phase of my life, including my accommodation, meeting my course mates and going to my lectures! Everything was new and different, but luckily the University provided me with all the information I needed to get settled in and learn more about Manchester. Additionally, there is an enormous amount of resources available, which provide all the answers to the millions of questions you might have moving here, be that academic or non-academic. Although, you can always ask questions through email or phone and your peers and staff will do their best to help you!

Hungarian Society

During this time, the main things I did was joining different societies and started to volunteer to get myself more familiar with how things work around here, and to meet new people, thus making some friends! Wherever you are coming from, I can assure you, there is a society here which suits you! For example, there is the international society, which also organises several trips within the UK! Besides, volunteering is another great possibility to meet like-minded people, and it feels great that you can give something back to the community or help other people. Not to mention that it looks great in your CV!

Apart from all the moving here and settling in process, for most of us, being a university student will be much different from our previous learning experience. However, although the learning approach might be different than in the country you are coming from, the lecturers understand that you could be quite unfamiliar with how to write reports or essays. In my first year, it was very encouraging that lecturers stressed that if we have any questions related to the course material and related subjects, do not hesitate to contact them. Furthermore, every student has an academic advisor who is here to help! Likewise, I have some fellow European coursemates who sometimes had the same struggles and it was nice to talk to them about similar experiences.

Overall, so far my learning experience was great and I love my course! Manchester is a great city, especially if you are seeking to do something all the time because my experience is that there is almost always something going on, be it an event in the city, or an event within the University and societies. Also, speaking of societies, my main tip for coming students is to join them, you can try out different ones and there are no obligations related to being part of them, but they are a great way to meet people! You might meet a fellow European friend or even people from your own country! But don’t forget, while being in a new country can be scary, you can always step back and get in touch with your friend and family at home from time to time, and the university can provide all sorts of help and resources to feel you welcomed and make Manchester your second home!

Written by Zsófi Kutasi

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