Making Friends in Manchester

Guest post by Andrew Bagherpour, a Foster student studying Accounting, who participated in the Foster exchange at the University of Manchester in England.

Meeting people is not difficult when arriving in Manchester. The international exchange community they have at the alliance business school is great. I was able to make friends from across the U.S, Western Europe, and Asia. The first week of school is essentially an orientation where you meet people during ice breakers and a couple other fun events. Make sure to attend those early gatherings because it is always good to have some friends in your business classes to help you with studying or notes. The flat mates I met at Canterbury Court were a great group of guys and the housing was located in an amazing part of the city. It is situated next to the “Curry Mile” which has a phenomenal selection of Indian and middle eastern cuisine.

The locals from the U.K are a bit different than west coast sort of culture so be sure to not take the things they say to personally. Their friendliness tends to be more negative than the normal encounters here in the U.S but it is just part of the cultural change. After a few weeks, it will be something you rather enjoy and you will most likely get on with a lot of locals. Be sure to accept their slang and use words how they do, it is not only a lot of fun but it shows them that you appreciate their culture. There will be plenty of opportunities to make friends outside of school at pubs or other various events so be sure to explore around the city and see some plays or a comedy show at The Comedy Store in Deansgate.