TIMETABLE
Click on the activities to read more about them.
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9am |
10am |
11am |
12pm |
1pm |
2pm |
3pm |
4pm |
5pm |
6pm |
7pm |
| Mon |
Meetings |
Fair |
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Meetings |
Pub |
| Tue |
Intro meetings |
Supervisor meeting |
Swimming |
| Wed |
Explore area |
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| Thu |
Talks |
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Gym |
| Fri |
Faculty Research Symposium |
Relax! |
9am - 11am ¦ Meetings
Upon arrival at Manchester University, there were a series of introductory talks about the course. The staff were very friendly and immediately made us feel welcome and at ease. Prior to arrival, the administrative staff were excellent and promptly replied to e-mails, making the whole process run as smoothly as possible. Many of the reasons for being apprehensive can be quickly remedied when there is such a wide range of help available.
11am - 1pm ¦ Freshers Fair
During the break from the meetings, I took the opportunity to explore the union and fairs. The fairs were incredibly useful, and provided information about travel as well joining gyms etc. Despite being my fifth Freshers Fair it was still a couple of hours well spent, as there are plenty of freebies given out, and some (but not all!) of them prove useful when starting out. I definitely will not need to buy any more pens in the near future!
3pm - 5pm ¦ Meetings and welcome talk
The Faculty of Life Sciences postgraduate committee organised a welcome reception, which involved every student’s favourite, free alcohol drinks and food, as well as a quiz relating to Manchester University and the surrounding area. This provided a valuable opportunity to talk to present students, as well as staff and potential supervisors. The informal atmosphere made it an ideal situation to ask about any concerns that any new student may feel.
5pm - 7pm ¦ Pub - Jabez Clegg
Manchester University has plenty of bars and the Faculty of Life Sciences is fortunate enough to have a bar right on its doorstep. Jabez Clegg was recently refurbished, and is a great place to unwind after a day in the lab. It is important to meet people both inside and outside of your individual labs.
9am - 12pm ¦ Introductory meetings
One of the meetings that were particularly interesting in this session was the public engagement talk. The faculty believes 9t is important for scientists to engage with the public and it does it’s best to nurture any students who wish to undertake a career in public science. It is definitely something that I am considering myself, as I want to break down the unnecessary barriers that divide the world of science from the ‘real world’.
12pm - 5pm ¦ Supervisor meeting
I spent the afternoon meeting my supervisor and he made sure that I felt welcome and at ease. It can be daunting being in a new city, new faculty doing a new degree, but the staff at Manchester do everything they can to make the transition as smooth as possible.
5pm - 7pm ¦ Swimming
Manchester is one of the few cities in the UK to have a 50m swimming pool, and greater still, it is open to the public. I joined the Manchester Aquatics Centre swim and gym, for a relatively small amount, under £20 a month. This gives me unlimited access to the pool and gym. The facilities are fantastic and were home to the Commonwealth Games. It caters for all needs, from people who want to simply keep fit like myself, right through to keener sportspeople. What’s more, it is only a short walk from university so there is no excuse for not going!
9am - 12pm ¦ Explore local area
Wednesday was very much a free day so I took the opportunity to explore more of where I live, as well as Manchester City Centre. Salford Quays offers a wide range of activities, from shopping at the outlet mall, to looking at Lowry’s works in the Lowry Theatre and Gallery. There is also the Imperial War Museum only a few minutes walk away, which also houses some fantastic exhibits. I would more than recommend Salford Quays as an area for a post graduate student to live, as it is only a short commute to University by either tram, bus or car, and offers somewhere quieter for people who do not want to continue with the hustle and bustle that defines student life.
9am - 12pm ¦ BioHazard and Radiation talks
Even though students find these sorts of meetings tedious it is still important that safety is considered a priority when working in the lab. The presenters tried their best to make the talks as interesting and sometimes as humorous as possible which made it more enjoyable.
5pm - 7pm ¦ Gym
Back to the Manchester Aquatics Centre, but this time for the gym. The facilities are again superb and a wide range of gym machines are available from treadmills, cross-trainers, rowing machines right through to free weights.
9am - 5pm ¦ Faculty Research Symposium
The whole of Friday was spent at the Faculty Research Symposium. This was a fantastic opportunity to hear about all of the research that goes on in the Faculty of Life Sciences at Manchester. There were a number of talks from previous prizewinners, as well as a poster session displaying work from current PhD students. It really helped cement why I am doing a PhD as it helped me see the aims and goals of what doing research is all about. Furthermore, there was a free lunch with a great spread laid on for us, and it doesn’t get much better than that!
5pm - 7pm ¦ Relax!
I spent Friday night relaxing after a busy week, to make sure that I was fully charged for the busy weeks ahead.