Graduating in the class of 2022, my experience of the University of Manchester is impossible to decouple from my experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sprawling inner city campus is vibrant and everchanging, today providing many extracurricular activities and social opportunities. For me, however, more akin to a ghost town, decorated with health warnings and hand wash stations. The university’s staff, however, worked dedicatedly to ensure our experience was a positive one. The university’s large size meant that it was able to access a wealth of resources and research to provide competent and evidence based practice which meant that my educational experience was, overall, positive. One downside to this type of instution is the large class sizes, making it difficult to receive personalized attention. This was not a problem I personally experienced, but I am aware that it was a common complaint of the students on more popular courses. This aside, I believe the University of Manchester provided me with a standard of educational experience I would not have found anywhere else during those trying times, and I would not hesitate to recommend my alma mater to any prospective student.

The education major courses in University of Manchester are broad and multi-component. Give an opportunity to understand the education system form Global to Local, also made me see education as a tool to change the world.

I picked this course as I needed the BPS accreditation and it provided a clear postgraduate career path. The course content is very broad which may seem a bit overwhelming for some when it comes to writing essays, however, this does allow you to tailor what areas you study. All the lecturers on the course are genuinely enthusiastic about teaching while also doing their own research projects, so they provide a lot of support. The campus isn’t the most welcoming, but that may be due to it being a city campus so it is difficult to get a sense of the space.

I was overall happy to study at the UoM. What was challenging is doing independent research and reading lots of academic literature. However, the university provides with all the necessary facilities for this-libraries and learning spaces with computers and access to online libraries.
The professors on my course were highly qualified and eager to help. But I was struggling a bit to write my thesis paper because had just 5 meetings with my supervisor.
What was not very good is the student’s accommodation. It needed renovation and furniture renewal. And security can be improved as there was an attempt to burgle my room in the middle of the day.
The university gives lots of opportunities for extra-curricular activities like clubs, language classes and trips which makes the experience unforgettable.