Starting a degree can be overwhelming in itself, and starting a postgraduate degree in another country feels entirely next level. When I arrived in Manchester from India, I knew instantly that the academic environment was different to what I was used to and adapting to this, along with adjusting to a new city all at once seemed quite overwhelming.

I didn’t realize, however, that all the support was already waiting for me.

To be quite honest, when I first heard the word “Academic Advisors” I assumed they would be some vaguely useful but ultimately distant entity that glanced at my grades and sent me off. That was not the case though, Academic Advisors are academic staff, assigned to a degree programme who are there to help you throughout your time as a student at university and in practice; they come in many guises, but one thing they aren’t is an optional add-on to university life.

One thing I struggled most with was academic writing. Here at postgraduate level there’s a completely different set of requirements that need to be met for submissions and assignments; the referencing, tone and structure all felt completely foreign. Through regular meetings with my Academic Advisor, I was really able to start to grasp what was expected from a UK postgraduate student, but the best thing was that it wasn’t about stripping my writing of personality; my advisor really helped me mould my writing style without compromising who I am. This was so valuable to me and gave me a great sense of achievement.

Over the course of the year (though not necessarily always in scheduled meetings) your Advisor will come to know your strengths, helping you get the most out of university, whether that’s talking through feedback, your progress, what comes next etc. These meetings are most definitely worth attending.

The other part of adapting which no one warns you about is the personal adjustment. Adapting to life in a new country is no easy feat. While your lecturers and advisors will all be helpful, sometimes what you need is to have a chat with someone who has already been through it – recently – from a student’s perspective, with no formal strings attached; this is where the Peer Mentors come in. You are placed into a small group led by a higher-year student on your course, who has undergone a training process to provide academic and social support in a relaxed environment. Talking to someone who has already made the transition helped me see that the things I was going through were completely normal and that things would indeed get better. It made all the difference to know I wasn’t alone.

If there’s anything you can take away from this as (especially international) postgrad students, don’t wait until you’re already struggling; don’t assume the support is not for you. Your Academic Advisors and your Peer Mentors are there for when university is daunting, the help is there everywhere, you just need to seek it out.

Written by Ashna Singhal, a current MSc International Business and Management student.

Related