Wednesday 04-05-2022 - 11:31

By Supraja Ramaswamy Srinivasan

 

The life of an international student at Manchester Met is like a rollercoaster.

Although we go through tough moments such as feeling homesick or being overwhelmed by the cultural differences, we also feel the exhilarating highs of being able to meet people from various cultures and forming friendships that last forever.

My name is Supraja Ramaswamy Srinivasan, I moved to Manchester from my home country, India on 11 September 2021. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in Speech & Language Therapy, and I am going to share with you my journey, my advice, as well as the highs and lows that have accompanied it so far.

 

 

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As an international student, I’ll say with certainty that finance and accommodation are the most challenging aspects of the experience.

Opening a bank account in the UK wasn’t a smooth process. I was given appointments by the bank for a date two or three months after my arrival, which meant that even money from home couldn’t be sent in until then. So, my best advice would be to open an online bank account (like Monzo) first to get you started when you arrive.

 

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In terms of accommodation, I was lucky enough to book my stay prior to my arrival unlike many of my peers who were unable to, due to availability. Accommodation can be tricky for us international students as we need to either make the entire annual payment upfront or provide a local guarantor to pay in installments.

This system was new to me as in my home country, we don’t need to usually provide a guarantor to make such payments. So, I suggest you try to secure accommodation before you arrive.

 

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The most exciting time of the year for me was fresher’s fair, which is held in the first few weeks of September. The fresher’s fair is where I found the International Student Group (ISG), which run events and trips organised for, and by international students.

The ISG is very close to my heart. The community we’ve built here is a backbone to many; members of the community provide reassurance and support to each other and help embrace cultural diversity. The group serves as a safe space for student led campaigns that allow for the empowerment of international students alongside conversations about wider global issues.

 

 

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Another major aspect of the student experience is the education. As a student who always knew exactly what to look forward to in terms of exams or assignments at home, I felt unprepared in the UK.

I don’t mean to scare anyone; it just means that you must be geared up to accept change. You’ve got to learn and unlearn.

My favourite resource has got to be the library portal and the access we get to international journals. Also at Manchester Met, each student gets their own personal tutor, a facility that I didn’t have in my undergraduate education.

 

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In India, we celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights annually in November. Although I was away from home this year, I really wanted to share my culture and celebrate this beautiful festival. This led to me having a conversation with the ISG to see if we could celebrate here. To my delight, this idea turned into reality in the form of Roshni, our Diwali event, which was the first event of the Cultural Connections initiative.

For Roshni, we got traditional diyas (lamps), a photo booth decorated with authentic Indian patterns, had several student performances, and also had an Indian food spread. There were 150 students in attendance who were all in traditional Indian attire.

Who knew I’d get the opportunity to wear my saree just two months after being in the UK?

 

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My favourite thing about this year was meeting so many wonderful people. When it comes to living in the UK, I am still a work in progress - trying to strike a balance between my education and personal life whilst making sure I prioritise my mental health and well-being. It has been an amazing journey so far and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

 

 

International Student Feeback

 

We are collecting feedback from you international students and giving you the chance to win some great prizes. You an get involved both online and in person.

 

Join in at one of our pop up stands around campus between Tuesday 3 May and Friday 6 May. Come and have a Polaroid photo taken for our feedback board and get some free sweets, too.

If you fill out the online feedback form, you'll automatically entered into a prize draw. Prizes such as Rail Cards, Taste Cards and University merch are up for grabs.