PhD Music (Electroacoustic Composition)

University of Manchester

I'm a fresher so I don't know many about my uni yet, but I love the campus and facilities here. I'm also enjoying my courses as well.

Music is an extremely social course so there is lots of opportunity to make friends and collaborate. If you are not a classical musician or jazz musician there might not be as many engaging modules or extracurriculars, especially in first year which has quite a classical focus.

The facilities at UoM are top notch. The Alan Gilberts Learning Common is a fantastic place to study, with plenty of work spaces, computers and helpful staff. The IT system is sometimes frustrating, with server outages making it impossible to sign in to lectures, making students appears as absent on a regular basis and the difficult to navigate blackboard being the main tool used for uploading files for submission, viewing assignments and course contents. The location is brilliant, its not far from the city centre (around a 10 minute bus journey), with plenty of places to eat, drink and go shopping nearby. The residential areas are also not far at all, making it easy to get to and from classes and lectures. The student support is also great, mental health services are readily available to all students and I've felt well supported in my time here so far. There's always someone friendly to help out with queries and other minor issues as well. Student life here is great. Compared to other universities in small towns, Manchester has access to a huge variety of clubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and other things. The nightlife is great, with a vibrant city centre as well as plenty of other places to go if clubbing isn't your thing. There is also great food available, with the famous 'Curry Mile' close to the campus. The students' union is fantastic here. They have great facilities, an amazing pub, regular gigs and concerts as well as events for all students. I also feel well supported by them, with the SU rallying for a cost of living payment to all students as well as backing the rent strike of 2023. In conclusion, Manchester is a fantastic place to go to university. The facilities and surrounding area is amazing, but be prepared for some truly awful living spaces. Make sure to do some proper research about where you apply to stay and ask current students if you can about the best places to pick.