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Page 1 What would you like to know? 1. About The City 2 2. About Your Course 4 3. Tips and Tricks 5 4. Peer Mentors 7 5. Getting Around 8 6. Know the Lingo 9 7. Final Notes 10
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1. About The City
No matter who you are, or where you’re from, Manchester is a vibrant, diverse and interesting
place to live. There truly is something for everyone here, so in this section we will give you an
overview of the city and the smaller areas that comprise it, in the hopes that we can point you
in the direction of something you love!
The Manchester skyline.
1.1 Oxford Road/University Campus
This is probably the area of Manchester in which you will spend the most time – all
lecture theatres and seminar rooms are in this area, plus the Main Library and the
Student’s Union.
Highlights: The Alan Gilbert Learning Commons is in this area, which is open 24/7 in
term-time. For art lovers, check out the Whitworth Art Gallery that has just recently
been renovated (free entry). For beer lovers, check out the trendy Big Hands bar.
1.2 The City Centre
If you hop on a bus to Piccadilly Gardens, then
you can find your way to the Northern
Quarter, Deansgate, Spinningfields, and much
more besides.
Highlights: The recently renovated Central
Library and its spectacular central dome are
worth a look. Also check out Albert Square
and the pretty Town Hall, which is especially
beautiful during Christmas when a famous
market takes place there.
The Dome in the Central Library.
1.3 Deansgate
The commercial hub of Manchester, which is home to many recognisable shops, pubs
and clubs.
Highlights: For a lively and loud place, go to Deansgate Locks, which is home to Baa
Bar, Sakura, Missoula, The Comedy Store, and more. Definitely have a look around the
University’s gothic John Rylands Library as well.
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1.4 Spinningfields
Part of Deansgate that is not typically a student area as it can be rather pricey, but
worth a look if you fancy dressing up a little and going for a nice meal or some
cocktails.
Highlights: For theatrical cocktails and a great atmosphere try The Alchemist, or for
some authentic American BBQ food then try a restaurant called Southern Eleven.
1.5 Northern Quarter
The Northern Quarter is a very trendy, chilled and
bohemian sort of place. There’s no end to its quirky cafés,
vintage boutiques, trendy bars, and cool music venues.
Highlights: For alternative music gigs in a small venue
check out Night and Day Café. If you like tea and cakes,
check out Sugar Junction. Have a quick look around the
indoor market Affleck’s Palace, for all things alternative and
unique.
Street Art in NQ.
1.6 Rusholme
Rusholme is a multicultural hub that is home to the
famed Curry Mile; a mile of delicious and authentic
South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants, take-
aways, and shisha bars.
Highlights: When the weather is right, head to Platt
Fields Park for picnics, barbecues, and outdoor sports.
If you like your spices, lentils, rice, and meats (and like
them cheap), then check out Worldwide Foods.
Platt Fields Park.
1.7 Fallowfield
Very student-friendly area that is a little bit out of town, but which is home to a lot of
student accommodation and thus many bars, clubs, and take-aways.
Highlights: Definitely try a pizza (or a slice, as they are huge) from 23rd Street Pizza.
Or for those rare sunny days, have a beer/coffee in the beer garden of 256.
1.8 Salford
Very close to the city centre and nice to go for a relaxing stroll around as it is full of
canals.
Highlights: Home of MediaCity, which itself is comprised of Channel 4, ITV and BBC
television studios (you can go and see shows being filmed). Also home to The Lowry, a
large venue for art, music, comedy, and more.
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MediaCityUK, Salford Quays.
1.9 Useful Links
Official tourism website for Greater Manchester: www.visitmanchester.com
Top things to do in Manchester: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g187069-
Activities-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html
Manchester area guide: http://www.timeout.com/manchester/features/748/manchester-
area-guide
2. About Your Course
There’s no doubt that you will have heard more than enough on this subject already (we hope
so, anyway!), but this section contains a few bits of information that we think you might not
know already about your course, that we think you would benefit from.
2.1 Campus Buildings
The main Philosophy building is the Humanities Bridgeford
Street (pictured). What it means is that all of your lecturer’s
offices and all of your support/information staff reside
here. There is also a common room, computer cluster and
café that you can make use of.
The Humanities Bridgeford Street Building..
Your lectures and tutorials will take place in this building as well as a variety of places around
the South Campus, including but not limited to the Samuel Alexander Building, the Zochonis
Building, the Williamson Building, the Alan Turing Building, and so on. Note that this does not
mean that all of these buildings are philosophy buildings; it simply means that there is no
designated building in which you will be spending all of your time. By the time your degree is
finished, you’ll probably have seen the inside of almost all of the University buildings!
Page 5 2.2 Course Units In your first year of University, your modules are fairly inflexible. You must pick 6 modules for the year (3 per semester), and 5 of them will be compulsory. However, this does leave you with a free choice to think about! You will get more information about the kinds of modules you can pick when you get to Manchester. One possibility is to study a language, which you can do at a complete beginner’s level, or at a more advanced level, in a large variety of languages (French, German, Italian, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, and more). As you progress in your degree, you have more choice in your modules, and in your 3rd year you will even have the opportunity to specialise in a particular philosopher, by studying a ‘Special Author’ module on someone like Russell, Wittgenstein, or Kant. 2.3 Staff The staff in the Philosophy department are a varied bunch, however the department is quite small so you will probably get well acquainted with most of them during your studies. You will also come to know some of the PhD Philosophy students quite well, as often they will be teaching and leading your tutorials/seminars. Once piece of advice: don’t be scared of them! All of the fancy titles and huge amounts of knowledge they have may seem daunting at first, but get stuck in and you will find them to be very normal and very cool. 2.4 Useful Links All contact details of all of the staff that will be teaching you: http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/philosophy/our-people/ More information about the University’s language school: http://www.ulc.manchester.ac.uk/languages/leap/ 3. Tips and Tricks Moving to Manchester to study Philosophy (or anything, really) can be a daunting thing. For most of you this is a new place, full of new people and new experiences/opportunities. This section is full of tips and tricks that we wish we’d known before coming to study at Manchester, so hopefully they can help you. 3.1 Tutorials Go to as many tutorials as you can because they really do help you to develop a better understanding of the material discussed in the lectures. Papers assigned to be read as preparation for the tutorials are influential works of Philosophy which all future Philosophers would want to be acquainted with. 3.2 Lectures
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Although attendance at lectures is not mandatory, lectures are always very useful. If you do
not understand an issue being discussed in the lecture, you can always stop the lecturer and
ask questions. This is a great opportunity to get your lecturer’s attention, so make the most of
it.
3.3 Course Mates
It’s all too easy to make friends with the people you live with and then never branch out from
there. Making friends on your course is important, as you will be studying with the same faces
for at least 3 years, so it’s worth getting to know them! Having friends on your course is also
useful to your degree, as you can share notes and study together when the time comes.
3.4 Facilities
Your University has gone to great lengths to
make your time here as easy and enjoyable as
possible. One thing to make special note of is the
many computer clusters dotted around the
campus, which are extremely helpful for your
study sessions and for essay writing. The Samuel
Alexander building has two, the Mansfield
Cooper building has two, the Main Library and
the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons both have
many (plus more in other locations). Keep an eye
out for these, as during the exam period, a free
computer is a rarity! State-of-the-Art Facility: the Alan Gilbert Learning Commons.
3.5 Academic Advisors
You will be allocated a member of the staff from the Philosophy department as your academic
advisor. Be sure to develop a good relationship with your academic advisor. A meeting once a
month can help you overcome any difficulties that you are having. More importantly, when it
comes to applying for jobs and graduate studies, you would want a good recommendation to
accompany your application. This can be the case, only if your academic advisor knows you
quite well.
3.6 Societies
There are many, many societies at our University. For philosophy-related ones try PhilSoc and
PhilChat. There are also many others: sports societies, cultural societies, academic societies,
and much more besides. Join them and experience new things. Going to cultural events can
help you discover interesting things about other cultures. Joining societies is also a great way
to make new friends and you will never feel bored!
3.7 Student Discount
The majority of shops, pubs and restaurants in Manchester will
do student discount. Be sure to ask before you pay, and be
prepared to show your student card. For example, McDonalds
Page 7 sometimes offers free burgers/McFlurrys as an extra to your meal. Apply for a student discount card, such as an NUS card (costs £12) and you will get even further discounts. Also, if you travel by train a lot, it is probably worth getting a Young Person’s Railcard, as it can save you up to a third on train travel. 3.8 Useful Links For a full list of our societies: http://manchesterstudentsunion.com/groups#club-society#all Information about computers on campus: http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/students/pc-on-campus/ 4. Peer Mentors The people writing this guide are your Peer Mentors – we’re a group of 2nd and 3rd year Philosophy students who have experienced exactly what you’re going through right now. We’re here to provide you with support on a more relatable, student-to-student level. Each of you will be allocated to one of us at the start of the year, and we will do our best to make your experience at Manchester the best possible. This section contains all of our contact details, and a little information about some of us. 4.1 Contact Details Name Year Email Maisie Lee 3rd Year maisie.lee@student.manchester.ac.uk Martha Gold 2nd Year martha.gold@student.macnhester.ac.uk Charlotte Guest 2nd Year charlotte.guest@student.manchester.ac.uk 4.2 Student Coordinators As well as being one of your peer mentors, Maisie will also be student coordinator for the upcoming year. Student Coordinators are those who give feedback to lecturers and administrators as well as organize events for 1st Year students and their peer mentors. A particular highlight is an evening of table tennis and drinks in a local city bar!
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5. Getting Around
The transport links around Manchester are easy to use, (mostly) reliable, and quite cheap.
This section contains some basic information about what kinds of transport are available,
specific information about how to get to and from popular destinations, and also some helpful
tips and tricks to make your time travelling around Manchester as straightforward as
possible.
5.1 Buses
Buses in Manchester are extremely frequent. From
the city centre, to the University Campus, through
Rusholme and down to Fallowfield (which is
basically one big stretch of road), there are a
number of ‘magic buses’ (numbers 142 and 143)
that cost just £1.50 for any single journey. There
are also a few night buses, which run (as you
might guess) all night! There are also a few free
buses such as the 147 which runs from the North
to the South campus, and the Metrolink buses
which will take you around the city centre for free.
The Magic (School) Bus!
Manchester also has a few bus stations, which you may frequent when travelling longer
distances by bus, such as Shudehill Interchange, the Central Coach Station (Chorlton St.),
Piccadilly Bus Station, etc.
5.2 Trams
Trams are good for getting to and from parts of Manchester that are a little outside of the
centre. They are also quite fast. If you want a flavour of outer Manchester, stops you may want
to try are MediaCityUK (Eccles line), Chorlton (East Didsbury line) and Sale (Altricham line).
The tram also has a direct line to Manchester Airport.
5.3 Trains
There are 4 main train stations around the centre of Manchester; Piccadilly, Victoria,
Deansgate and Oxford Road. The Oxford Road station is the one closest to the University, and
Piccadilly is the largest.
5.4 Taxis
For short distances (such as from Oxford Road to the city centre) hailing a black cab on the
street is not too expensive. However, for longer distances, definitely book in advance with a
company like Manchester Street Cars (0161 228 7878). Street Cars even do 10% off for
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students and provide a service whereby students of Manchester Universities can get home
even if they have no money on them (ring and quote ‘Manchester SU Safe Taxi Scheme’, give
the driver your student card, and collect it/pay the next day at the SU).
5.5 Bicycles
Biking around Manchester is popular as it is a flat city and there are lots of bike lanes, and
places to secure your bike. It’s also a cheaper alternative to buses/trams, however be sure to
bring a good quality bike lock with you!
5.6 Walking
The campus area around Oxford Road is not large
and you can easily walk around it, plus if you
fancy a bit of a stroll then walking to University
from any area in central Manchester is not a huge
distance. From Fallowfield (the area where
student accommodation is), the walk is probably
around 50-60 minutes.
Oxford Road, Manchester.
5.7 Useful Links
Further information on transport in and around Manchester:
http://www.tfgm.com/Pages/default.aspx
Further information on the tram service (Metrolink) specifically:
http://www.metrolink.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
6. Know the Lingo
This section is perhaps a little silly, but it might save some of you a bit of head scratching
and/or embarrassment when talking to seasoned Manchester dwellers, or University goers!
6.1 In University
‘Let’s go to the Ali G’ = ‘Let’s go to the Alan Gilbert
Learning Commons’.
‘I had a lecture in the tin can today’ = ‘I had a lecture in
University Place today’ (see image).
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‘Contact time’ = How many hours you are in lectures/tutorials, per week.
University Place.
‘Computer cluster’ = A grouping of computers
provided by the University, usually with printers
and a café nearby.
6.2 Useful Links
See this link for more common Mancunion slang:
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/mancunian-
sayings-guide-common-words-6465030
7. Final Notes
Finally, we’d like to say that we look forward to meeting all of you in September (there may or
may not be a quiz planned), and then getting further acquainted with you throughout the year
as your peer mentors. We hope you all have a great summer, and we hope that Manchester is
everything you hoped it was. Don’t be too nervous, this is a big and scary step in life but we
think you’ll find it to be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve ever had.
See you very soon!Page 11 2018/2019
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