Produced by Sociology Peer
Hello, We’re Stephanie and Rosie, your student coordinators for the year 2013/14. Firstly, well done for gaining your place on BSocSc Sociology at The University of Manchester and congratulations on choosing a fantastic city to study in! You should be really proud of yourselves. Coming to university can be a daunting experience and we’re here to introduce you to The Peer Mentor Scheme for your discipline. The scheme is designed to offer support to students from a peer perspective. After all we’ve been in your position therefore we know exactly how you feel! This guide will offer a brief introduction to some of your peer mentors for the year, that way you’ll (hopefully) recognise a few faces in the craziness that it Fresher’s week! It will cover what we deem to be important pre-arrival hints and tips from a student perspective. Our e-mails are at the end of this booklet if you’d like to ask us any questions before you arrive. We hope you find this useful and we look forward to seeing you in September! Best Wishes,
Stephanie & Rosie
Who are we? A peer mentor is a second or third year student who is there to help through peer support. Whether you’re moving to a new city or country, or even choosing to commute, it can be difficult to settle into somewhere new. Managing your money and time whilst approaching a new level of study can be confusing for anyone when it all seems to happen at once. Therefore, your peer mentor team is here to help. We’re here to help answer questions on a variety of issues. From directing you to a point of contact for academic issues to where the best social events are, we’re here to assist you with any queries in your transition to university study. Peer mentors are an informal point of contact if you’re uncertain about contacting staff members directly (though they are all wonderfully helpful and don’t bite!)
Your role in the scheme: scheme: The scheme is student led, for students. Therefore we offer a variety of ways to keep in touch, either via email or through our Facebook page. It’s a completely optional scheme, however if you’re interested, we’d really appreciate your time at events we plan during the year. We’d also appreciate your contributions; if there’s an academic/social event that you think could really work, do let us know as we’d love to hear your suggestions!
Meet the mentors! mentors! Manchester University was my first choice. Not only because it is one of the highest ranked universities within the UK but also due to its outstanding social research department. Commuting into Manchester has not deferred me from making the most of what Course overview etc made many life-long the university has to offer. I have friends and have involved myself in student life. The transition from college to university was made easier by the continuous support of the sociology department. I would encourage you to keep in touch with academic staff as well as your peer mentors at crucial times such as exams and assignment hand-ins. All the best for your first year and good luck! Being a sociology student at Manchester University has been a mind opening experience. Learning particular concepts and theories has left me questioning society's formal structures with my opinions annihilated and astonished at how other subjects such as philosophy interlink; even my perspectives need some adjusting. The amazing lecturers will have you walking out of your own lectures and tutorials a changed person in sociological knowledge allowing you to continuously wonder about how we perceive the world around us.
De’Yonti
Char
Anett
Two years ago I moved all the way from a small city in Norway to the large city of Manchester. Everything was new, challenging, and confusing. However, don’t worry! Here are my secret 'weapons' for all you new students. Firstly, make a 'to-do' list with practical matters you consider important to have done before and after arriving to the university. Secondly, make sure you download the University of Manchester app. This is useful for many reasons such as checking timetable, locating campus buildings, checking opening hours for library, and so on. Lastly, once arrived, make sure you participate in Fresher Week activities, go to introductory lectures, gain information about different societies, because these are all golden opportunities if you want to make the most out of your university experience.
Starting my third year of the Sociology degree in September 2013, I have had a brilliant and eye opening time ti thus far, both academically and socially. One of the best things about my time in this vibrant University is that there are an endless number of things you can do. This is the great advantage of being in capital of the North. The city is buzzing with a whole range of intrigues. Specifically becoming a member of various societies gives you more opportunity to meet people in wider social circles whilst also keeping busy and trying something new. An avid skier and hockey captain of this year’s University hockey team I can honestly encourage anyone to try the most diverse and surreal activates that this University has to offer. You will learn about this throughout fresher’s week and specifically at the Fresher’s fair.
Leonie
The structure of Manchester’s r’s Sociology course reflects this diversity of interests in a number a great ways. The optional modules become more unique and thorough as you move through the degree. Compulsory modules do not reflect one way of doing sociological research but rather two foundational directions. You will be trained in skills to use both Quantitative and Qualitative Methods. Making your third year dissertation an entirely exciting yet independent experience knowing you can trust the knowledge you have been given in many fields.
My advice to you is to enjoy the balance in first year of studying and socialising, before the hard work of second year comes! As we all know a degree is not the only thing needed now to secure competitive jobs, so another piece of advice I want to give to you is to make the most of all opportunities and work experience, keeping your future in mind whilst studying! I volunteer with Student Action on outreach homeless projects through the student union and I have really enjoyed giving something back to the community in Manchester that has so much to offer to us! I have also enjoyed studying on the second year module ‘Manchester Leadership Programme’ which combines lectures with group projects and volunteering and which is a great addition to Sociology modules, equipping you with leadership skills and increasing your knowledge of culture, society and social issues around the world!
Beki
I've really enjoyed my first year of university and being a sociology student. The combination of living with 8 other people in Oak House, being independent, and studying an interesting course has made it so fulfilling. I would recommend everyone to go into university head first and experience as much as possible - just remain open to all the opportunities! When starting my first year, I definitely wish that someone had told me not to stress as much as I did in my first semester. Of course, it's all new - but if you find yourself stressing out too much just sit back and relax for an hour or two!
Maddy
Nicole Hello, I am a second year studying history and sociology. I loved first year everything was very exciting. Just a quick thing in some halls they don’t provide toaster, so make sure you bring one or go get one from Sainsbury’s for around £10. Don’t be too nervous, everyone is in the same boat as you! If you can I’d advise joining a sports team. It’s a lot of fun and a tiny bit of exercise. See you in Welcome Week!
My biggest piece of advice would be to not buy all the books for every course before the course officially starts (as not all the books are completely relevant) Not everybody does buy them though as we have a fantastic library. If you are going to buy books, you might consider getting them second hand from previous students, for example ‘Sociology of Personal Life’ by Vanessa May and Ken Morrison’s ‘Marx, Durkheim and Weber’ (the go-to-book for Modernity to Postmodernity I). I also wish I had a proper library tour, a good thing I did was to visit the library in my first week just to get used to where the sociology books are mostly kept (Blue 2) and a generally idea of spaces to work (Red area). Mostly I'm glad I came to Manchester as it offers lots of opportunities and joining societies is a good way to settle in and make more friends.
Amy
Mock Timetable
This is an example of what your first and/or second semester may look like during your first year depending on the amount of credits you take per semester (don’t worry – the credit system will be explained during Welcome Week).
Useful Contacts William Start Programme Administrator – Sociology Email: william.start@manchester.ac.uk Tel: 0161 275 3953 (You will hear a lot from William – he is your go-to-guy for the Sociology department)
Disability Support Office Email:dso@manchester.ac.uk Tel: 0161 275 7512. International Society Email: international@manchester.ac.uk Tel: 0161 275 4959 Accommodation Office Email: accommodation@manchester.ac.uk Tel: 0161 275 2888
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Download the University of Manchester app (available on Android and iPhone) – contains map and general course info Join our Facebook group: University of Manchester Sociology Society 2013 https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/190987842675/ If you’re applying to live in Fallowfield make sure you purchase your Uni Rider bus ticket from the Stagecoach website (it will save you a lot of money) If you’re applying to live on City Campus then the 147 bus is a great free link from Sackville Street to Oxford Road Here’s a good link for referencing on essays if you want to get to grips with it before you begin: http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/academicsupport/referencing/_f iles/JRUL-Harvard-referencing-guide.pdf (an invaluable link for getting a good grade on your assignments!) Here’s another link for academic English reading and writing skills: http://www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk/elplinks/academic/ Pace yourself financially – it is easy to spend your first Student Loan instalment in a matter of weeks – but first semester is quite long so don’t go to crazy. It’s all about balance Get yourself a student bank account – they really help you out when money is getting low. Don’t automatically get one with your bank provider now – surf around for the best deal e.g. Natwest offer interest free overdrafts and a free student railcard! Bring vitamins/Berocca to survive Fresher’s Week – cheap booze and late nights are a fantastic way to meet people but it’s important that you still go to your introductory lectures and meetings. Not only will you meet people off your course but you’ll also orientate yourself to university life Bring any important documents with you that you might need in order to register as a student – it speeds up what could be a stressful process
Last, but not least‌ Remember to enjoy yourself – first year flies by before you know it. Enjoy it whilst you can! Have a fantastic summer and we look forward to seeing you in Welcome Week
Our e-mails: Stephanie.jones-2@student.manchester.ac.uk Rosie.driscoll@student.manchester.ac.uk