Erasmus experience in Manchester, United Kingdom

Why did you choose to go to Manchester?

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Because I wanted to go an English speaking city and for the quality of the university there, the University of Manchester.

How long does the grant last? How much grant did you receive as help?

The grant is part of the course and they give you approximately 1200€. You receive 80% in January and the rest once you have completed the course.

What was the student life like?

Manchester is a university city, so the student life is really good, with lots of students everywhere and lots of places to go out at night.

Would you recommend the University of Manchester to other students?

Yes I would recommend both the city and the university. I learnt a lot and had the best time of my life. The city is a perfect place to live in because it offers everything, and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it was going to be at the start.

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What is the food of the country like?

English food isn't great, but it's not terrible either. I lived in a flat so I used to do my own cooking, so I didn't waste money eating out in restaurants.

How did you find accommodation?

THe university has lots of residencies, but I wanted to live in a flat and I found it through a real estate agents. I recommend that you keep looking right to the end, because when I arrived two weeks early in Manchester with nowhere to stay, I thought I wouldn't find anywhere.

Was the accommodation expensive? What were prices like in general?

The cost of living is not at all expensive. To drink, the cheapest is beer. Going shopping on Oxford Road, there is a Lidl which is really cheap. Tesco isn't too expensive either if you get the offers, and there are always lots of them.

What is the language like? Did you take a language class?

I struggled to understand the language at first a little, because the Mancunian accent is really strong, but it was only the first few days I struggled, then I was fine.

I didn't do any type of course.

What is the cheapest way to get from your city to Manchester?

From Bilbao the cheapest way is by plane. There is an Easyjet route from Bilbao to Manchester.

What places would you recommend to go out in Manchester?

• On Wednesdays, go to Footage because a pint of beer is really cheap. Also, its closes early (at 2) so if you have class the next day, you will be able to sleep that night before going haha!
• The Erasmus parties at Ritz (every Friday) are really cool! The club smells a bit weird but despite this I've always had a good time.
• The main club in Manchester is Tiger Tiger (so a lot of people say), it has 3 or 4 rooms and they play a different style of music in each of them.
• If you like Indie and Rock music, I recommend 42nd Street and 5th Avenue. If you like this music, in the Northern Quarter there is a place (in Olham Street I think) that usually has live bands playing which is quite good. The only bad thing is that you have to pay, but you also have to pay for the rest of the places.
• Always take your ID with you, because they ask for it everywhere and for your student card, because in some places, you can get in for a cheaper price.

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And what about eating in Manchester? Can you name some of your favourite places?

I went to Subway, McDonalds... for somewhere a bit more expensive Krobar is good. It is really tasty and not expensive. There is one in Oxford Road opposite the Student Union. There is another one in the city centre. If you order a coffee and a cake, it only costs 2. 95 pounds.

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What is the city like culturally?

The Museum of Science and Industry is one of the best places that I have heard about. The imperial museum is also really good.

The John Rylans Library in Deansgate is really interesting, there are some really old books and you can't leave without visiting the gift shop.

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Any advice to give to future students going to Manchester?

Try and visit places outside of Manchester such as Chester or York. And try and make the most of discovering the whole city and not just stick to the same places, because there are always new exciting sites to visit.

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