Arriving in Manchester for the start of my first semester, I was equally excited as I was terrified. I was leaving my family, friends, and job back in the United States to pursue my Master of Science in Business Analysis and Strategic Management (BASM) at the Alliance Manchester Business School. But the excitement quickly began to outweigh the fear.

During the welcome week of my program, we had many opportunities to get to know our course mates, through various case study workshops, campus scavenger hunt, and social events. This allowed me to build my support network and make new friends to explore the city of Manchester and university with. This shared experience was a huge comfort; I realized I wasn’t alone, as so many of my classmates were in the exact same boat, having left families, friends, or jobs behind in their home country or city.
Jumping into my coursework, I found every module in my first semester to be interesting, ranging from analysing companies such as Ryanair’s innovative business model to comparing the business economies of Japan and Germany to the United Kingdom. As part of my first semester, the BASM program has four mandatory modules. Sharing these four modules with all my course mates has helped grow a community within my cohort.

In addition to our coursework, as part of the BASM program we have the opportunity to take part in a business simulation challenge, allowing us to run a virtual travel company, competing in teams against our course mates to see who can run the most successful business. This has given me firsthand experience working with financials and making strategic decisions for an organization, something that will be especially useful to discuss in future job interviews. In addition, we have begun preparing for the opportunity to do an external consultancy project as part of the summer term, another experience through the program that will give real world experience that will be invaluable when it comes to finding a role following graduation.

Outside of the coursework, I have taken many of the opportunities that AMBS and the post-graduate career services have to offer, such as CV workshops, alumni panels, career search, and international student focused events. These events have helped prepare me to start putting together applications for graduate schemes and full-time roles following my completion of the program. This has been especially helpful as an international student as I was able to learn a lot about the visa process and best practices for international students applying for positions.

In addition, throughout my first term I have been able to explore the city of Manchester as well as the north of the UK. Manchester always has something going on, whether it be the Christmas markets, concerts, cultural events, or more. The diverse food scene of Manchester is also something I have found amazing, with food ranging from Armenian to American Biscuits (something I have deeply missed from home) to a good old Sunday roast and everything in between.

Overall, throughout my first semester at Manchester I have genuinely enjoyed my program, the friends I have made, and the city of Manchester. I have no regret in my decision to take the leap of faith and study my master’s degree at the university of Manchester and look forward to what my second semester has in store for me!

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