Beyond academics, The University of Manchester offers plenty of extracurricular activities and opportunities for development. The Students' Union is the largest in the UK, with more than 480 different clubs and societies. There is also a specific International Society, where you can make friends from all over the world, go on trips around the UK and learn about different cultures.
The University provides a great support network for students, with counselling services, free sports and well-being activities, and workshops for academic and personal skills such as time management, essay writing or referencing. Social responsibility is very important at the University of Manchester, and there are many volunteering opportunities across the city, as well as the Ethical Grand Challenge, where students work together to tackle problems facing the world today.
The city of Manchester is perfect for students; it is not only ranked as one of the best cities to live in the UK, but it is also very affordable in comparison. The centre of Manchester is vibrant and lively, with a diverse food and drink scene, thriving nightlife and inspiring cultural centres. There is also a wide range of shops; from your favourite high street brands surrounding Piccadilly Gardens, to independent vintage stores and markets in the Northern Quarter.
There is plenty of choice for accommodation in Manchester; the university offers plenty of different halls in either the city, Victoria park or Fallowfield. These three areas vary in distance from the university, and each has their own distinctive atmosphere. It makes it easy to choose the best place to suit you. Manchester also offers both catered and self-catered accommodation, private or shared bathrooms, and there is always the choice of renting privately - which the university can help with, using their website Manchester Student Homes, which keeps a list of accredited and trustworthy landlords.
Finally, the city has great travel links. The 147 Oxford Road Link bus is free for students and will take you to each end of the university campus. Alternatively, you can invest in a semester or yearlong bus pass which will let you travel on unlimited buses throughout the whole city. There are three major train stations in the city centre, which will take you anywhere in the UK, including London in just two hours. Manchester is also home to the biggest airport in the UK outside of London, with low cost flights to anywhere in Europe as well as connections all around the rest of the world.
