GEEKS (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in general)

Member Name: chrissy_baby

Product:	University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in general
Date:	04/03/03 (138 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good employability, Central manchester location

Disadvantages: People have never heard of it, Manchester is the unfriendliest place on earth, So many geeks

I am currently in my second year studying maths and management sciences at UMIST. The reasons I chose UMIST were as follows:

* The open day was extremely well organised.
* UMIST's excellent employability and average graduate sallaries were hammered into us.
* The first year course looked interesting.
* Entry standards were high (AAB).
* Manchester is a "brilliant place to live if you are a student".
* Their management school is "one of the best in Europe".

However, after only a few weeks it became apparant that maybe I had not chosen my university wisely.

For a start, when you tell people that you are studying at UMIST you generally have to follow up with the words "in Manchester". Noone has a clue where UMIST is. This inevitably leads to confusion with people thinking that you are studying at the University of Manchester.

UMIST is not part of the NUS for some completely irrational reason. This results in one losing one's student discount at many major stores.

The library is woefully understocked. One of my modules was based on a book which went out of print many years ago, meaning that if the course was to be completed successfully, then a copy of the book needed to be loaned from the library. Suprisingly enough by the time I reached the library all 16 copies which were meant to service the 50+ students on the course had already been loaned out.

The high average salary was rather tenuously worked out the year I joined by a few students landing jobs which paid well in excess of the mean. Take the anomolies out of the figures and I'm sure that the average would be somewhere approaching that of other universities.

As for Manchester as a city, I have never encountered a more unfriendly society. Even during the time I spent in London I felt more welcome than I have done here. In my first year I was mugged twice, and have had six mobile phones stol
en. It has now reached the point where I am uninsurable.

Manchester is also an extremely expensive city to live in. Housing in the city centre is well-overpriced and my loan last year did not even cover my rent in Halls of Residence, let alone pay my fees. Nights out can cost in excess of £100 unless one likes vodka-Red Bull. Many bars do student nights where vodka-Red Bull is on sale at £1 for a double. After a few weeks, however, one does tire of this god-awful drink.

UMIST's student population is 80% male. It is also based mainly around stereotypical geeks. I gave up trying to coax anyone on my course out during Fresher's Week (which, by the way, should be avoided at all costs - if you do decide on UMIST then try and get into MMU or Manchester's Fresher's Week activities) after several attempts as they all had "studying" to do, or the didn't want to be late for lectures. The student union bar echoes this lack of socialising - it is mainly populated by staff, and drinks are more expensive than in many city centre bars.

On a more positive note, the careers service at UMIST is second-to-none, and the quality of teaching is superb. More work does need to be done, though, in embracing e-learning.

In summation, if you have endless supplies of money or you are at University solely to put your head into your books and get a good degree, then UMIST is probably the place for you. Elsewise, avoid it like the plague.

These are my personal views. Every other review here is positive, so maybe UMIST just isn't right for me. I wrote this review so that you could see a perspective other than those of people who could not fault the university.

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