Fall2016

TravelReport

288084

IdidmypostgraduateexchangeattheUniversityofManchesterinfall2016studyinginthe

AllianceManchesterBusinessSchool(AMBS).InthisreportIwillcoverthemostimportant

informationaboutpreparingfortheexchange,studiesintheexchangeuniversity,freetime&

otherinformation,andlastlymyfinalcomments.

Preparingfortheexchange

Applicationprocess

AftertheacceptancefromAaltoUniversityittookuntilMaytohearfromtheUniversityof

Manchesterwhentheyaskedbetosendthenafewformsinordertobeofficiallyaccepted.

The“paperwork”wasrathereasyandeverythingwasdoneviaemail.BeforetheendofMay,I

hadtosubmitmy:

1. AMBSaccommodationapplication

2. AMBSapplicationform

3. Emergencycontact/medicalhistoryform

4. Academictranscript

5. 1colourpassportsizephoto

6. Copyofpassport

AftersendingthemIjusthadtowaitfortheofficialacceptanceletter,whichIgot13.6.With

theacceptanceletterIgotalotofusefulinformationaboutkeydates,visas,airportcollection

service,induction,studentIDetc.Themostimportantinformationwasthatinductionstarted

onthe19thofSeptemberandteachingstartedaweekafterthatsoonthe26thofSeptember.

NovisaisrequiredifyouareanEU-studentbutfrominternationalstudentsvisaisrequired.

Laterinthesummeryouarealsorequiredtoselectyourcoursesfromliststhatthehost

universitysendsyou.

Gettinganapartment

DuringtheapplicationprocessIhadtosendmyaccommodationapplicationformaswell.

Thereisaguaranteefor(atleast)everypostgraduateexchangestudenttogetanapartment

fromtheuniversity.Therentsarerelativelyhighcomparedtoprivatemarketbutitisbyfar

theeasiestwaytogetaccommodationespeciallybecausethelengthofthecontractsinprivate

marketusuallystartfromover40weeks,whichmeansthatasanexchangestudentyouwill

havetotrytofindsomeonetotakeoveryoucontractafteryouleave.Iwilldiscussthe

accommodationoptionsinmoredetailinthefreetimesection.

TravellingtoManchester

ItiseasytoflyfromHelsinkitoManchester.IflewviaStockholmbecausetheflightswere

muchcheaperbuttherearedirectflightstoo.TheUniversityoffersafreecollectionservice

fromtheairporttoyouraccommodation(ifyouliveintheuniaccommodation).Thisneedsto

bebookedinadvance.IneededtowaitforanhourforthebustotakeoffbutatleastIgota

freeridedirectlytotheofficewhereIcollectedmykeyssoIthoughtitwasworthwaiting.

Exchangestudies

Thesemesterstartswithanorientationweek.Ichosewhichlecturestoattendandwhichnot

asIfeltthatsomeofthemwereuselessforme.MainlyIattendedtheminordertoseemy

otherexchangebuddiesandgettoknowthem.Themostimportantdayisthefirstonewhere

youactivateyourIT-account(ifyouhavenotdonethisearlier)andgetyourstudentIDcard

andotherreallyusefulthings.

Ascourseselectionshadbeenmadebeforetheexchangesothenextweeksdependonyour

timetable.ThefirstweekofNovemberwasareadingweek,whereyoucouldcatchupwith

yourstudiesbutformost(includingme)itmeanttimefortravelling.Afterthereadingweek

lecturescontinueduntilthe16thofDecemberafterwhichwehadourChristmasbreak.Exams

tookplaceinJanuarybetweenthe16thandthe27thofJanuary.Apparentlyithasbeenearlier

possibletowriteanessayinsteadofanexambutnowadaysexchangestudentsarerequiredto

taketheexamswhereasnormalstudents.

Courseoverview

Iwouldhaveneededonly24ECTSfrommyexchangebutasthecourses(ormodulesorunits

astheycallthem)were7,5ECTSeach,itmeantthatIwouldeithertake22,5ECTSwhichwas

toolittlesointheendIhadtotake30ECTS,whichmeant4courses.

Eachmodulehadone2-hourlectureperweekplusaone-hourseminareitherweeklyorevery

otherweek.IonlyhadlecturesandseminarsfromMondaytillWednesdayasIchosemy

modulesaccordingtothetimetable.

Theproblemwithpostgradstudiesisthatallthestudentsmayhavedifferentkindofa

background,whichmeansthat(atleastinthemodulesIchose),theteachingstartswithquite

basicsbutfortunatelygetsharderduringtheendofsemester.Myflatmatesaidthathis

moduleswerereallyhardandhehadtostudyalot,soIguessitalsovariesaccordingtothe

subjectyoustudy.

Ihad3modulesfromtheHRMcourseand1modulefromtheCorporateCommunication

courseandInoticedthatthemoreyoutakemodulesfromthesamecoursethemoreyouget

outofit.Themodulescomplimenteachotherandtogetherprovidealotmoreinformation

thanindividualmodulesfromseparatecourseswould.

OveralltherewerequitemanyoptionstochoosefrombutbecauseIpreferredtostudyeither

corporatecommunicationorHRMmyoptionswerelimited.Corporatecommunicationhada

lotofcoursesthatIhadtookinFinlandalreadysoIwasn’tabletochoosethemandHRM

moduleoptionswerealsolimited.

BMAN64041CorporateReputationManagement

Level:Graduate

Lecturer:SaharMousavi

Courseevaluation:40%groupwork,60%exam

Thismodulecoveredquitebasicsaboutcorporatereputationmanagementandcrisis

communication.Foramaster’scourseIfeltthatitwasfairlyeasyandhadsomeofthetopics

thatwehadinourUniversityalreadyduringthefirstyearofbachelor’s.Itcoveredthebasics

ofcorporatecultureandbranding.Theseminarsontheotherhandhadsomeinteresting

cases,sothereallifeexamplesprovidednewinformationtome.

BMAN70051MultinationalsandComparativeEmploymentSystems

Level:Graduate

Lecturer:ArjanKeizer

Courseevaluation:100%exam

Inadditiontotheexam,themodulehadonepresentationduringtheseminarsbutotherwise

itwasnottoomuchwork.Ienjoyedthismodule.Itdiscussedhowdifferentissuesaffect

employment.Forexamplewhatkindofaneffectdodifferentwelfaresystemsoroffshoring

haveonemployment.Ithoughtitwasn’ta“normal”HRMcoursebuttookmoreaneconomic

perspectivetoit.Thelecturer(ArjanKeizer)inthisclasswasalsoreallygoodandhadan

interestingwayofteachingthestufftous.

BMAN70231HRM:StrategyandPractice

Level:Graduate

Lecturer:AnthonyRafferty&JillRubery

Courseevaluation:100%essay

Thegradewasbased100%onanessay,whichwasdueinDecember.Wehadoneortwo

grouppresentationsduringtheseminarsbuttheworkloadwasn’ttoobadinthismodule

either.Thismodulewasmore“traditional”HRM.ItdiscussedHRMpracticesand“bestfit”in

HRM.Othertopicsthatwerecoveredwereforexampleemployeeinvolvementand

participation,andperformancemanagement.Wehadtwodifferentlecturersinthismodule,

whichwasabitconfusingastheychangedfromweektoweek.Ithinktheteachingwasonan

okaylevelbutwasnotwellputtogetherasthelecturerschanged.

BMAN72391IndustrialRelations

Level:Graduate

Lecturer:AnneMcBride

Courseevaluation:100%essay

Thismodulehadbyfarthemostworkload.Thegradewasbased100%onanessaythatwas

dueinJanuarybutduringtheseminarswehadseveralgrouppresentations/othergroup

work.Inaddition,thetopicofthemodulewasquitehardanduninterestingtomesothis

requiredthemosteffortfromme.Thereisanother,quitesimilarmodule,Comparative

IndustrialRelations,whichwouldhavebeenmoreusefultome.Thismodulediscussedmainly

abouttradeunionsintheUK,itcoveredtheirhistory,purposeandeffectonemployees,

managementetc.Thenegativethingwas,thatbecauseIwon’tbeworkingintheUK,thetrade

unionsintheUKarenotveryinterestinginmyopinion.Thusacomparativeviewwouldhave

beenmoreinteresting.

Freetimeandotherinformation

Transportation

TherearedifferentbuscompaniesinManchesterthathavedifferentpricesforsingletickets

orbuscards.ThecheapestoneiscalledMagicbus,whereasingleticketcostsonly1pound.I

livedsoneartotheuni(3-5minwalk)andalsoclosetothecitycentre(25minwalk)soI

didn’tbuythebuscardbutusuallywalkedortooktheMagicbus.Ifyoulivefarawayfromthe

city,thenofcoursethebuscardisagreatoptionandthebussesarereallyeasytousethere.

TherearealotofbussesthatgoviaOxfordRoadtothePiccadillyGardensinthecitycentreso

youcanjustgotothebusstopandwait.Ifyouanywaywanttoknowawaysomewhere(to

theairportforexample)youshoulddownloadanappcalledCitymapper,whichworksinthe

samewaythatReittiopasdoes.

Culture

CultureinManchesterisamazing.PeopletendtoeatoutalotmorethaninFinlandandthere

arealotofcutepubsor

restaurantstochoose

from.Becausethecity

hasaverydiverse

populationtherearealso

alotofethnic

restaurantsthatare

reallygood.Currymile,

forexample,isaplace

thatisfilledwith

differentethnic

restaurants.Youshould

reallygotoeatthere!

Thecityisfilledwithstudentsandthereseemtobesomethinghappeningallthetime.

EspeciallythenightlifeinManchesterisreallygood,therearealotofpubsandclubstogoto

andeverynightyoucanfindsomethingtodo.Eitherhaveapintatapuborgoclubbing.

Becauseofthestudentsthecityoffersalotofdiversity,whichisreallycool.Itisinterestingto

seedifferentculturemixedtogether.Thecityhasreallysucceededincreatingamulticultural

atmosphere.

Eventhough,thereisalotgoingonandalotofpeople,thecityisreallysafe.Ofcourseitis

recommendabletousecommonsensebutIdidn’tfeelafraidatanytime,evenduringthe

nights.Although,therearesomeneighbourhoodsthatshouldbeavoidedduringthenight

time,butIdidn’tevenknowwheretheywere.OxfordRoad(wheremyaccommodationand

theUniversitywere)wassafearoundtheclock.

AsallaroundinEnglandandtheUKfootball

isveryfamousandsoitisinManchestertoo.

Manchesterhastwofamousfootballteams-

ManchesterUnitedandManchesterCity.The

Students’Unionsellscheapticketstosomeof

thematches.Youshouldbethereontimeto

catchaticketespeciallyto“good”matches.

Everyoneshouldgotoafootballmatchat

leastoncewhileinManchester.

Accommodation

Asmentionedearlier,theuniversityaccommodationcanbemoreexpensivethanrentinga

flatfromprivatemarket,butitismuchmoreconvenienttorentfromtheuniversityespecially

asitisguaranteedtogetaflat.IfIhadknownthat,Iwouldhavegivenmorepreferencesfor

theflatbutasIthoughtitisnotguaranteedtogetone,Idecidedtosettleforanything.You

havetostateyourpreferenceswhileapplyingfortheaccommodation.

Therearethreecampusesthatyoucanapplyyouraccommodationfrom.

1. Fallowfield:Thiscampusisthemostfarawayfromtheuniversity.Ithasareputation

tobeaplacefortheparties,butI’mnotsureifthisistruereally.Itisapprox.

30minuteswalkfromtheunisopeopletendtousebusses.Theareaisquitenice,

though,andhasalotofrestaurantsandpubsandlifeoverall.

2. Victoriapark:ThiscampusisbetweenFallowfieldandtheuni.Ionlyvisiteditonceand

noneofmyfriendslivedtheresoIcan’treallysayanythingaboutthecampus.Nottoo

farfromtheuniversityatleast.

3. Citycampus:ThisiswhereIlived.Therearedifferenthallshere(asareintheother

campusestoo).DenmarkroadandGeorgeKenyonhallswerelikehotels(reallynice)

butreallyexpensive,approx.3000poundsfromSeptember-January.Ilivedat

WhitworthPark.Itisrightnexttotheuniversityasaretheothercitycampushallstoo.

TheconditionofourflatwasnotextremelygoodbutIreallylikedthecommunal

atmosphereinthehalls.Ibecamereallygoodfriendswithalotofpeopleinthesame

hallwhereassomeofmyfriendswholivedinDenmarkroadorGeorgeKenyonbarely

everysawtheirflatmates.Isharedwith7otherpeople,whichatfirstfeltterrifyingbut

turnedouttobethefunniest4,5monthsinalongtime.Myrentwasapprox.

2000poundssoalsoalotcheaperthanothercitycampushalls.Inourhallwehada

pubcalled“TheGrove”whichturnedouttobeaverypopularplaceforallofmy

friendstohavepre-drinksorjusttohangoutandIwasluckyenoughtoliverightnext

toit.

OverallIpersonallywouldnotselectacateredhall.Someofmyfriendshaditandsaidthat

thefoodisfairlyokaybutIwouldrathereatsomethinghealthier.Inaddition,thebuildingsin

thehallsareusuallyseparatedforpostgradstudentsandundergrads.Forexamplemy

buildingatWhitworthPark,Acombhouse,wasonlyforpostgrads.Eventhoughthecondition

ofthebuildingsisnotthesameasinFinland,IwouldnotchangewhereIlived,Ialsogotmy

bestfriendfromthesameflatthatIlivedin.

Weather

Theweatherissomethingthateveryonekeepstellingyouinadvance,butIhadexcellent

weatherduringmostofmyexchange.ItonlystartedtoraintowardsDecemberbuteventhen

itwasn’taheavyrainbutafewdropsonceaday.InJanuary,onthehand,theweathergot

worseanditrainednearlyeveryday.ItisEnglandafterall,soyoushouldbepreparedforthe

rainbutnotoverexaggerateit.

Travelling

TravellingfromManchesteriseasy.Itravelledinthe

beginningoffallalot,nearlyeveryweekend.Thereisan

internationalsocietythatorganizestrips.Iwenttoafewof

those,butthendecidedtoorganizemyowntrips.Iwentto

SnowdoniainWales,fewtimestoLeeds,London,

Edinburgh,Liverpool,HowthandDublin.Trainticketsare

fairlycheapifyoubookinadvance.Youcanpayanything

from22-80poundsforatickettoLondonforexamplebut

theearlieryoubookthecheaperitis.Trainsareeasytouse

andwerealwaysontime.

Inaddition,Ryanairhasflightsfrom

Manchestersoyoucanflycheaplytoalot

ofplaces.Therearealsootherlovelyplaces

tovisitandIfeelsorryfornothavingtime

tovisiteverywhere.ForexampleLake

District,YorkandChesterwouldhavebeen

nicetosee.

Finalcomments

Eventhough,alotof

peopleaskedmehow

didIcomeupwith

Manchesterasan

exchangedestination,

Ilovedeverysingle

momentofit.Itmight

benotthemost

popularplacetogo

foranexchangebutit

isuniqueandhasa

lottooffer.Itisa

perfectplacefora

studentduetoits

amazinglifestyle,

endlessopportunities

ofstudentsocieties,

andlivelycitycentre.

Igotalotoffriends

fromalloverthe

worldthatIwillkeep

intouchwithforthe

restofmylife.Ifellin

lovewiththeBritishcultureandtheMancunianwayofspeaking.Definitelywould

recommendtoeveryoneconsideringManchesterandoverallexchangetogothere!