This is my last blog! It’s crazy to think just how quickly this school year has flown by. As you may remember from my last post, I’d just arrived back in Manchester from the US where I spent the majority of the academic year.
I have been back for a little over a month now and have loved being here. A major concern of mine was whether or not I would make friends in the city because most of the degree programme had been held online and I’d been living in a different country. I didn’t need to worry at all! I jumped right in and made friends with so many people not only from my program, but across the university.
In this final blog post, I am going to write about the dissertation process. For the International Business & Management program, our final dissertation is due at the beginning of September. For the assignment, we can conduct or qualitative research on any topic that is relevant in the international business field. For example, my research is on the impact cultural resistance to change has on international marketing plans, specifically analyzing the marketing of African American music in South Korea and Japan.
At the end of our first semester, we all filled out forms regarding what topics we were interested in researching. From there, we were each assigned an advisor to supervise us during this project and give us advice. Advisors come from a variety of backgrounds and specialities, and also live in a variety of places sometimes! For example, my advisor lives in Finland and my friend’s advisor lives in Israel. The majority of advisors live in Manchester and throughout the UK.
I think the most important things when it comes to the dissertation are being proactive and choosing a topic that you’re genuinely interested in! The entirety of the third semester of this degree program is dedicated to writing an in-depth research project and that experience is much more rewarding if it is something that you are passionate about. For me personally, I’ve had so much fun writing my dissertation because all of the articles I’m reading are on topics I would also read for fun in my free time.
Being proactive alleviates the stress you feel when writing your project. It seems like you have a lot of time to write the assignment, but you’d be surprised how quickly the time flies by. Working ahead of time and remaining in constant contact with your advisor lessens your stress and makes the entire process clearer. I’ve had about four meetings with my advisor total and email him updates on where I’m at in the process whenever I find it necessary.
I hope my blogs throughout this year this have helped new and prospective students as you start your journey here at the University of Manchester! You will enjoy your time at the university so much, and while studies are your priority, don’t forget to make memories and enjoy your time here at the university! I know I’ve now had experiences and made friends that I’ll carry with me long after I’ve graduated. I hope you all have the same experience.
