Doing a master's degree and especially applying for a master's course outside your home country is a decision that is generally planned and thought of. However, it wasn't the case in my application.
I was writing my final exam for my undergraduate degree, and due to the pandemic scenario, it was online. I was pretty frustrated with all the lectures and assessments happening online. That is when I heard the news of the UK restarting their schools & universities for teaching. Suddenly, it clicked. I knew I wanted to go to the UK. With the academic reputation of the universities in the UK, it wasn't a hard decision to make.
I am from India, and the universities in the UK generally see a lot of applications from Southeast Asia. Thus it was vital for me to be unique and stand out in my admission application. So after researching what universities offer the course of my interest, I paid a lot of attention to my Statement of Purpose. It was encouraging that I got into all the universities I applied for and even fortunate that I chose the best of them, the AMBS. There are educational advisers (agents) in every country in partnership with the University of Manchester who can provide step-to-step guidance on how to go about your application. I made my application through one of the agents, making it so easy for me.
As I was very late in applying for the course (late May), waiting for the response made me very anxious. Still, I knew that the Admissions team had to go through many applications as it was a peak time for applications. I received my conditional offer letter in 20-25 days, and as soon as I accepted it, a draft CAS was sent to me to confirm the details. Once it was confirmed, I received my CAS in 7 working days. I was so happy and relieved! Now that my admission was confirmed and I had submitted all the necessary documents, I started researching things to take care of and what to bring as a student.
Going to a new country can be pretty intimidating. It is essential to know things that can help your transition. Blogs and information displayed on the Alliance Manchester Business School's website had everything that I was looking for. While I had some time before leaving for Manchester, I attended several webinars and alumni talks to have my doubts and queries personally tend to. Having known enough about where I am heading to settle my nerves. I came to Manchester in the first week of September, thus ensuring that I had enough time to make some friends and get to know my locality.
Some advice that I would like to give to prospective students:
- Research well about the place you are going to. This comes after you have decided and confirmed the course credentials
- Apply early. By early, I mean by Nov-Dec for next year's intake, and this will give you enough time to sort things out and give you flexibility in case there are changes in plans.
- Sort your post-graduation plans. Planning will help you work towards it while you are at the University. If you are looking to work for a company, you wouldn't want to start your applications at the end time. Knowing what you want to do will help you get the best out of AMBS Careers Services' resources.
Overall, because I gave a lot of time to research and with the admissions team's support, coming and studying at the AMBS was very easy. Everything was sorted on time for me to come and settle down and enjoy the fantastic place Manchester is.
