Studying at the University of Manchester
March 22, 2009 | admin
“University Place – the Baked Bean tin” photo by Joe Czechowicz
I never imagined I would study in Manchester, England when I first left home for college. Anything outside the United States was so foreign to me it seemed like legend and folklore. Yet here I am, living in a beautiful two-story brick house that’s at least 100 years old with housemates from Thailand, Chile and India.
I started a Master’s degree in Visual Anthropology at the University of Manchester in northwest England in September. The school did a wonderful job helping international students manage the logistics of moving to a new country – in addition to cultural briefs, they took us on a city tour and gave us a guide to setting up things like a local bank account and managing public transportation.
As an undergraduate student in Photojournalism, I had opportunities to travel nationally and internationally and I realized how much I grew personally and professionally with each new experience. I wasn’t content any longer to read about someone else’s account of a people or place, I wanted to visit a place on my own and hear first hand accounts of people lives there. Global societies interact daily in the modern world, and it’s important for students, as future leaders and business men and women, to learn how to navigate cross culturally.
In the Fall of 2006 I was offered a scholarship to study in London for one semester after I finished my Bachelor’s degree. Studying there was a great introduction to England, Europe and the idea of working abroad. So when I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Visual Anthropology, I made sure to take a careful look at some of the British schools as well as school in the US.
From a practical standpoint, I learned that the same degree would take one year in England or two years in the United States. In the US, my options were limited to Ivy League, private colleges and high rent locations like New York City and Southern California. Even though the value of the dollar is weaker than the British pound, it’s less expensive for me to spend a year in Europe than earn a two-year degree in the US.
Then of course there’s Manchester itself.
Manchester is densely populated (5 million people in the greater Manchester area), but incredibly compact as cities go; it’s also particularly known for being a friendly city. The student population dominates the social scene with an estimated 70,000 students between the three main Universities. And it’s home to one of the world’s best-known football (soccer) clubs – Manchester United. Manchester has a hip music scene, great museums and outdoor festivals year-round.
"Rope Art" photo by Joe Czechowicz
My course is very time consuming – we’re producing three short films this semester – but I’m enjoying the work and making friends within the program. We’re each interested in film and photography as a tool to communicate, but are very diverse in the way we would like to apply it. I’m one of two students this year with a background in journalism – there are 28 of us altogether. Students in this program could remain in academia, pursue Hollywood style filmmaking, or work in the humanitarian sector.
It’s motivating to be in a challenging environment with other young people who have an eagerness to learn. Studying overseas has offered invaluable experience interacting with students from all over the world. It is a great way to integrate subjects you may have studied throughout high school and undergraduate courses. Many universities in the United States have international societies or a study abroad office to help their students pursue overseas education. There are programs that allow study for a few weeks, a semester or a full-year – so you could tailor your studies to a time frame that’s comfortable for you. I would encourage other students to take the opportunity to experience another culture first-hand.
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University of Manchester photos “University Place – the Baked Bean tin” and “Rope Art” by Joe Czechowicz. Used by permission under Creative Commons License. Check out Joe’s work at http://mancdailyphoto.blogspot.com.
