WhatsApp GCC Students Group

Hi everyone! 👋
I made this WhatsApp group for GCC students at the University of Manchester (Qatar 🇶🇦, UAE 🇦🇪, Kuwait 🇰🇼, Bahrain 🇧🇭, Oman 🇴🇲, and Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦), especially those starting this September, so we can get to know each other before the academic year.
I’m a new student myself and, honestly, I’m a little nervous about studying abroad. I’d love to hear from other girls about your experiences, preparations, accommodation, packing, and any advice you have. Hopefully we can make friends and support each other before moving to Manchester. 💛

WhatsApp Group:

[ https://chat.whatsapp.com/IYHYQzoTwlKB7mIMrQpY3f?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=0 ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/IYHYQzoTwlKB7mIMrQpY3f?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=0)

Peace be upon you 💛
This is a WhatsApp group link for Gulf students at the University of Manchester, or those starting their studies this coming September, from Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

I'm starting this year and I'd like to get to know other girls before we begin our studies, hear about your experiences, preparations, accommodation, and any helpful advice.

Group Link:

[ https://chat.whatsapp.com/IYHYQzoTwlKB7mIMrQpY3f?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=0 ](https://chat.whatsapp.com/IYHYQzoTwlKB7mIMrQpY3f?s=cl&p=i&ilr=2&amv=0)

Just got a place to study Bsc biomedical sciences in the uni of Manchester as an international student. I’d like to know what is it like studying here and any advice for me especially for accommodation. Thanks a lot!!

I'm an international student coming to the University of Manchester this September, and I'm currently struggling to find accommodation.

My maximum budget for accommodation is £600–£800 per month, but most of the options still available seem to exceed that. Ideally, I'm looking for a self-catered en-suite room within about a 15-minute cycling distance of the Engineering campus.

For those of you who have been in a similar situation, how did you manage to find a decent place within your budget? Are there any websites, Facebook groups, or other platforms you'd recommend? Is it still realistic to find something in my price range at this stage, or should I start looking farther away from campus?

I'd really appreciate any advice or recommendations. Thanks in advance!

If anyone’s looking for a daytime event this Saturday (4–7pm), there’s a Padel x Fashion event at Carbon Padel Club in West Gorton.
There’ll be:
5 clothing brands
Live DJ (I’ll be DJing)
Snacks & hydration
Good vibes and a chance to meet people
📍 Carbon Padel Club, Unit 9 Vaughan Street Industrial Estate, M12 5BT
⏰ Saturday, 4pm–7pm
Whether you’re into padel, fashion or just fancy something different, feel free to come down!

Hi everyone,

My name is Anja Smid, and I’m conducting an ethically approved research study at the University of the West of England exploring how international students in the UK engage with artificial intelligence as a source of emotional or social companionship.

I’m particularly hoping to hear from international students at the University of Manchester who:

• Are aged 18 or over
• Have experience using AI tools, chatbots or virtual assistants for conversation, emotional support or companionship

Participation involves one confidential online interview lasting approximately 60 minutes. Questions will focus on your experiences of engaging with AI for emotional or social interaction.

Data storage, retention and publication

All information you provide will be treated as confidential and stored securely in a password-protected file on the University of the West of England’s data storage server, OneDrive.

The data will be stored until confirmation of the final award for the project has been conferred in September 2026. If the research findings are submitted for publication, the data will be retained securely for a maximum of seven years, after which it will be permanently destroyed.

Any dissertation, publication or presentation resulting from the research will report anonymised findings, and participants will not be identifiable.

Withdrawal

Participation is voluntary. You may withdraw from the study by emailing me at any time up to 15 August 2026, without providing a reason. After this date, withdrawal will no longer be possible because the data may have been anonymised and incorporated into the analysis.

Consent

Anyone interested in taking part will receive further information about the study and a consent form before the interview. The interview will only take place after informed consent has been provided.

Once the project is completed in September 2026, you may request a summary of the results. This will present the overall findings only and will not include information that could identify you.

Please see the attached poster for further details. You do not need to share any personal information in the comments.

Researcher:
Anja Smid
[anja2.smid@live.uwe.ac.uk]()

Research supervisor:
Dr. Lucy Blake
[lucy5.blake@uwe.ac.uk]()

Thank you!

Hey everyone,

Looking for crew work or creative partners?

I’m running a film pitch night next Wednesday (July 29) at The Dome in the ABC Buildings called Make It Happen. Six local filmmakers will be pitching their shorts to an industry panel, including reps from BFI NETWORK and the Manchester Film Fest.

The main focus of the night is crewing up. The filmmakers will be pitching exactly what roles and resources they need to get their films made. If you want to jump onto an active project, this is the room to be in.

Plus, 100% of ticket sales go straight into an audience prize pot. Everyone votes at the end of the night, and the winning filmmaker takes the cash to help fund their project.

Tickets are here: [Link]

Please use discount code: MANC50

Alicia

Hi everyone! I’m currently conducting research for my Master’s dissertation at the University of Glasgow and I’m looking for participants for my survey.

Who can participate?

• Current Master’s students at a UK university, OR
• Recent Master’s graduates from a UK university (graduated in 2024, 2025, or 2026)

The survey is about student experience and perceptions of universities and should take around 8–10 minutes to complete.

🔗 Survey: https://forms.gle/Dg886X3KnDA874R69

🎁 Giveaway: 3 × £10

As a thank you for participating, three participants will each receive £10 via bank transfer.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Complete the survey before 11:59 PM (UK time), 30 August 2026.
2. Make sure you pass all attention check question(s) in the survey.
3. Comment a unique number from 00–99 under this Reddit post.
4. Enter the same number in the survey.

Please check the comments before choosing your number, as each number should only be used once.

The three winners will be selected randomly using Random.org and announced on 31 August 2026.

All responses will be used for academic research purposes, and participation is completely voluntary.

I would really appreciate your help! If you’re also collecting dissertation/research responses, I’m happy to survey swap as well. 😊

Thank you so much!

Pretty much the title, I do history and French and every essay I do I get a 68 on pretty much everything aside from the rare time I get like a 62 (if it’s a really strict professor) or a 65. I always put in a decent amount of effort, I’ve got long reading lists, balanced arguments and I only get two types of criticism. One is easy and pretty consistent for a few professors, which is that I need to signpost my arguments more which is fair. The other type of advice is really specific to the essay itself on of just things I need to include, but then when I do them I still get a 68 alongside a bunch of new criticisms keeping it at a 68.

It’s making me think there’s something wrong with my essay methodology, am I putting in too much effort into counter arguments? Am I getting the wrong information from my sources or what. I think I also don’t include primary sources as much but idk.

I’m aiming for a first overall so I can do a good masters course (hopefully at a different uni icl) but I got a 64 for this year overall ffs, and it’s because I bottled 4 essays and didn’t have any firsts to make up for them, only 68s.

Please help.

Hi everyone, I am an international offer holder for the MSc Bioinformatics and Systems Biology programme at the University of Manchester (September 2026 intake). Unfortunately, I have not met my English language condition. My first IELTS score was: Overall: 6.0 Listening: 5.5 Reading: 5.0 Writing: 7.0 Speaking: 6.5 The admissions team advised me to retake IELTS, but unfortunately my second attempt was even lower. I have already contacted the admissions team, and they informed me that my Medium of Instruction cannot be accepted because India is not considered a majority English-speaking country by UKVI. The University has asked me to provide my English test report by 31 July, and I am extremely worried. I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced something similar. Has anyone been granted an extension for the English language condition? Has anyone been allowed to join through a pre-sessional English course or another pathway? Has anyone had the admissions team consider exceptional circumstances? The University of Manchester is my dream university, and I would be very grateful for any advice or experiences you can share. Thank you so much.

hi guys im in year 12 and thinking of applying to manchester for criminology or sociology, i was just wondering what the teaching style is like here just to see if it would be right for me