Posted 6 April 2020

On Tuesday 25th February, I attended a trip to one of the most prestigious universities in the north- the University of Manchester. Myself and five other students from Carlton Bolling had the opportunity to explore the campus and expand our knowledge about the different student societies at the University. We took part in many fun workshops from learning about animation to discovering a deeper insight into pollution. We also had the opportunity to ask questions to current students about university life, student finance and their reasons for choosing the subject they are studying.

The trip also involved students from other local schools from my area, such as Hanson Academy and Bradford Academy. The purpose of the trip was to provide us a chance to visit a university which was further out from our city and experience the atmosphere, and gain a deeper insight to life at the University of Manchester.

The trip started out very early in the morning, before school lessons started. The weather was hit and miss as the weather forecast said it might snow, and the day before the trip our school was closed due to snow. I packed snacks as it was going take an hour and maybe longer due to the weather, however once we set off on to the M62 the weather improved. When we arrived at Manchester it was astonishing to see all the towering buildings, it felt like the city was brimming with life. On arrival at the university, there were lots of historical buildings, a gallery, a library, and a canteen. We started off in Whitworth gallery where we were greeted by Manchester university students who were helping us on the day. We had the chance to explore the space of the gallery and worked with a teacher to create a short animation video using multimedia equipment and a chalkboard. After the workshop we were briefed about the university and wrote questions down on paper to ask the students at the University. I wanted to know why they picked their course, why did they choose to come to Manchester University and what job they hoped to do after finishing their degree. For lunch we had a buffet of jacket potatoes, different fillings and dessert.  In the afternoon we learnt about the different societies at universities and worked with students from Hanson to present our ideas for creating a new student society for university and recruitment strategies such as freebies and having fun social events.

The last workshop we took part in was on the environment and pollution, it started with a really powerful rap video about how humans are affecting the environment- evoking a strong message on the dangerous effects of humans on the environment. It was really interesting to hear about scientific developments to tackle pollution. The day ended with a question and answer session with the university students. We learnt that the students picked their courses based on their interest and that they liked Manchester as it was a very multi-ethnic and friendly city, whereby regardless of your interest you could find a society and people who shared them.

After a long day, even though I was tired from all the information I had learnt I really enjoyed the day. It was informative and beneficial. I thought it could have been improved by having more interaction with tutors and learning about the city.

Rabiya, student at Carlton Bolling