Studying in the UK was one of the best decisions I have ever made

In my own experience, if you want to study in the UK, it is possible, dare, all the effort will be worth it.

During my university career, I had the opportunity to study abroad for 6 months, it was one of the best experiences of my life, so since I returned to Mexico, I had the conviction and decision to study for a master's degree. Studying abroad makes you grow in different ways, I like to divide them into two very important ones, personal and professional. You grow in the sense of becoming responsible for yourself in all aspects and professionally because you learn different ways of working, that's why I wanted to study for a master's degree abroad. Studying in the UK was one of the best decisions I have ever made, an incredible experience of much learning and growth.
 

Liverpool

Liverpool is the fifth most important city in England, a small city compared to others in the UK, where you either like music because of the Beatles or football because of Liverpool FC or Everton FC. A diverse city with many historical places to visit, as well as many places to eat, party, and walk around like Sefton Park.

For me Liverpool was the best host city if I could choose it again, I will do it. It is a small city avoiding the excess of people but with everything you need as the big cities, cinemas, shopping malls, bars and activities such as concerts, galleries, etc.

The city is passionate about football, a taste that I share and enjoy a lot, as well as the walks in their parks and tasting the different types of beers.
 

University of Liverpool and life within the University

The first criteria I took to decide which University to choose was according to the career I studied and what I am passionate about in the area I studied, and I am referring to what is known as "Supply Chain". An area with a broad branch of Industrial Engineering, in which I have developed professionally. When I started looking for universities, I searched for study programs that were aimed at that field, also with certifications. The University of Liverpool is part of the top 25 Universities in the United Kingdon, as well as a member of the Russell Group or Redbrick, meaning that is one of the leading universities in the UK. Additionally, the good references and the facilities that it gave me made me decide to enroll and pursue my master's studies.

The University of Liverpool has many supports for students, from mental health talks, various sports activities, language classes, events, and different courses. On the other hand, it also has facilities, such as a gym, a pub, and accommodations.
 

Accommodation

The University of Liverpool has shared accommodation with 4 other students where you live on the same campus, so moving to lessons becomes extremely easy, it has everything you need to live comfortably, for example, your own bathroom and a shared kitchen.

Depending on your needs there are 3 types of rooms, but all with the essentials, the only drawback I found was the high demand for rooms, it is necessary to "compete" to rent the room, in my case I looked for a different company, but with an agreement with the university, a little cheaper, but close to campus as well. The lodging had the same facilities and workshops such as mental health talks, outings to different points of the city, etc.
 

Differences in study and life between the UK and my country

The way of teaching between countries is different, where I come from is evaluated continuously, i.e., continuous activities that count for the final evaluation, in some cases, it is important to attend classes and finally, an exam, at the University of Liverpool, is evaluated by an essay at the end of the course. At the beginning, it was very complicated for me since they were more theoretical and essay evaluations. The activities were different from the ones I used to do in my country. It was an opportunity area that I had to improve; however, the university supports you with workshops to know how to do those assessments.

In the UK the social life is like everywhere, there are good and bad places, people with good and bad intentions, however, it depends a lot on the values you grew up with to avoid any inconvenience. In Liverpool, the main universities are very close to the tourist areas and nightlife, so it is safe and fast to access them.

The nightclub area is practically open every day, Liverpool is famous in the UK for its nightlife, which is fun and lasts until late at night, for a student living close to this area is a good advantage.
 

My course

Due to the career I studied and where I developed my working life, I decided to take the master's degree in "Operations and Supply Chain Management", a program that helped me to think differently on the subject of supplies, focused on sustainability, a subject that concerns us due to the current situation of the planet, which is why I decided to study it and it has helped me to applied it in my work activities.
 

Studying in another language

One of the challenges I wanted to take when studying in another country was the language, it is not the same to study English at school as to live with it. It was complicated because the English we are used to are American English and although British English is understandable, the accent spoken in Liverpool is too complicated, since they mix accents from different areas, at the beginning it was a challenge, but as time went by it became easier. Having to work, study, and live in another language is an important challenge and makes you learn to cope in different ways.
 

Advice before studying in the UK

Many of the tips I got before I left to study in the UK were thanks to the meetings given by the staff of Across the Pond. Some of the ones that worked for me and that I could add from my own experience are the following:

•  Take the essentials, it is possible to get everything there, from clothes, kitchen utensils, medicines, etc. If there are any spices from your region, it would be good to bring them because it could be complicated to get them, but first check if it is allowed to enter the country.

•  Consider opening a virtual bank account, in the UK it is very common to use this type of bank account. Bank cards such as HSBC, Santander, or similar, it is difficult to get, because of the delivery time or the letters requested to acquire them, on the contrary, virtual banks such as Monzo or Revolut are very accessible, reliable, and only ask for your visa.

•  In my case, renting "accommodation" was the most practical, before leaving I already had where I was going to stay, it was not necessary to leave a deposit or look for a guarantor, and the services were included, which does not happen when you rent individually.

•  Look for someone who can guide you upon your arrival, I was fortunate enough to contact a student from the alumni association, she helped me from the moment I arrived at the train station until I found my way around the university and the city.

•  Locate extracurricular activities that can help you, in my case I took writing workshops to learn how reports were handed in at the university and find out about available sports activities, meetings that are held periodically (they help you get out of your routine and meet people).

•  Look for day trips, some companies make trips to places near your city, and this also helps you to meet people and new places.
 

Across the Pond

I am very grateful to Across the Pond, thanks to them the whole process of admission and arrival to the university was very easy.

The British Council recommended to approach to Across the Pond for help, which they kindly gave me in the first email. They helped me with the scout of schools, the programs of each one of them, and the requirements to be able to apply for admission.

They told me about the necessary documents and how to apply for the options I had chosen, later I also received their guide to apply to the visa, how to make the payment, information about the sponsorships available in my country, and the most economical way to get a plane ticket.

- Carlos