If you’ll soon be coming to study at New College Manchester then we can imagine you’re feeling a real mix of nerves and excitement! We can also imagine you’re feeling pretty confused about exactly what you should be bringing and what you should be preparing!
We know it can seem like a really hectic time, so we’ve compiled a simple guide outlining our top preparation tips. These tips can be utilised before you leave home when you first arrive in Manchester and during your time with us; we hope you find them useful!
When starting a new course it’s always important to keep all your documents (and photocopies) at hand – especially when you’re beginning a course in another country! Make sure that you have all your necessary documents available when you’re registering at the college, it really speeds up the process. It’s also worth bringing a set of passport photos with you for any student cards or travel passes you may need.
When UK students move across the country to go to university, we’ll usually pack our family cars to the brim with kitchen ware, bedding and pretty much 90% of the things we own! If you’re travelling from overseas then you’ll probably have to travel with only your essential items, however, so it’s well worth finding out exactly what’s included in your accommodation before you travel.
Our home-stay accommodation may provide everything you could possibly need, but if you’ve chosen to rent privately or live in halls of residence then you’ll usually have to supply your own bedding, furnishings and in some cases, cooking equipment. There are numerous large department stores in the centre of Manchester to purchase your essential items – try Wilkinsons in the Arndale Centre or Debenhams or BHS on Market Street for home wear.
Arriving in the UK and finding your laptop, phone charger or any other essentials are incompatible is annoying and very inconvenient when you may want nothing more than a Skype conversation with your friends and family back home! If you forget to bring an adaptor from home then there are plenty of places in Manchester where you can purchase all of your travel essentials – try Boots on Market Street for a range of inexpensive adaptors.
As an international student, you will have already worked out exactly how you will fund your course fees, accommodation and living costs, but it isn’t always easy to stick to a rigid budget when you arrive in a new city – especially in a shopping capital such as Manchester! Try to stick to your daily spending allowance or use one of the many free tools to manage your spending. Many banks now have built-in budgeting tools, but for student-specific budgeting the Student Calculator website is great for managing your outgoings and seeing how much you could potentially save.
A quick email to your course convenor is a great way to determine if there’s any reading materials or textbooks which would help with your course, especially if you’re a little worried about taking on a new English language course.
Coming to a new city can be daunting, but keeping an essential list of contacts on you when you’re out and about can help you feel much more confident – it’s always useful to know help is at hand should you need it. It’s also good to keep an ‘emergency’ cash fund too and many students find that popping a £5 note somewhere safe (a jacket pocket or phone case) is very useful for any last-minute public transport trips.
We suggest you keep the following numbers stored in your phone/diary before coming to Manchester:
Of course, if you have any useful tips of your own then please feel free to share them with us on Facebook! You can also get in touch with our helpful team if you have any concerns or questions about life in Manchester, don’t be shy, we’re very friendly!
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