Undergraduate Current Students | Student Testimonials

Name: Allegra Ingerson

Highlight of my semester abroad:

The best part of my IBEX experience was living among the students of the University of Manchester. I loved meeting people from all over the world. Not only did I get to meet the other exchange students within the business school, but I also got to spend time with full-time students from various parts of the UK. It was hard leaving all of the people I met, but now I have the motivation to travel again and visit them! 

If you go, you must...:

See a concert. Music is a huge part of the city's culture and it's super easy to find a great deal for tickets.

Interesting facts I learned about the United Kingdom and Manchester:

Manchester is a major city in the UK, but it also has a very college town feel. There are three universities in the city, so you are constantly surrounded by other students. The nightlife is amazing and there is something going on every night of the week. Fifth is a great club that has 90s night on Tuesdays with 1 pound cover. While abroad I learned that the UK is the best place for curry outside of India. Mughli was voted one of the best curry houses in the UK and definitely lives up to the title. Nando's is another huge must when you're in the UK. While I still think a slice of pizza is the best late-night snack, I embraced the late-night cheesy chip  (fries) craze. There are tons of places offering them, but I definitely recommend the ones from Kebab King. Better yet order them with curry sauce or garlic mayo. These were a few of my favorites, but there is much much more to do in the city. My UK roommates definitely came in handy when I wanted advice.

What I would say to students considering participating in IBEX:

Do IBEX! I was a little nervous going into it because it seemed scarier than NYU Global, but in the end, I was glad I did it. It was such a unique experience, and I loved being able to take my business core classes while abroad. Picking IBEX was honestly one of the best decisions I made in college.

Contact me about Manchester:

Allegra Ingerson - ai712@stern.nyu.edu

• Expenses
• Banking
• Housing
• Academics
• Course Registration
• Course Recommendations
• Student Life
• Restaurants, Shopping, Must-See Sites
• Travel Tips
• What To Bring

Expenses

• Airline ticket to/from IBEX site: $800 - $1,500 USD
• Housing: $2,800 - $3,500 USD/semester
• Food: $40 USD/week
• Books: $0-100 USD/semester
• Local Transportation: $100-200 USD/semester
• Phone: $20-80 USD/semester
• Travel: $300-1,000 USD/semester

Banking

• "I mostly used a credit card that did not have international fees. Planning how to get cash when traveling is quite tricky. I would always bring some US Dollars in case you need to exchange and do not want international fees from withdrawing from an ATM."
• "I got cash by withdrawing money. I would not have handled things differently." 
• "I didn't anticipate the expense of a $5 ATM withdrawal fee every transaction."

Housing

• "School dorms were great. Of course, it can depend on which dorm, like at NYU, but generally, all were good and you get a single room in almost all cases. I opted to live in a dorm without a meal plan, so we had a kitchen to cook whatever we needed. You can always choose to live in a dorm with a meal plan if you wanted to, and your kitchen would be much smaller."
• "The living accommodation was nice because everyone, no matter where you live, got their own room. Although the buildings were much older, this was not an issue for me. I did not choose a meal plan and instead picked up cooking so I could eat what I wanted. Those on the meal plan did not find it that satisfying. Walking 2 minutes to the nearest eatery or ordering off Seamless is a New York luxury!  Be prepared to make some changes in lifestyle." 
• "I stayed in a residence hall that was like an apartment. It came with basic dorm furniture, but it was a self-catered hall."

Academics

• Workload: Easier than at Stern
• Grading: Harder than at Stern
• Classroom Climate: Lecture and small discussion groups (like recitations at NYU)
• Teaching Style: A combination of lectures and discussions
• Course Content: They were too theoretical for business classes. They did not reinforce the practical implications of the theories and I felt the studies were too generalized.
• "The school taught everything much more theoretically than at Stern. Stern is just a job-focused school, everything we learn, we try to apply to the real world, but in these courses, they just focus on the theory behind everything. Sometimes it made it difficult to learn concepts like in Futures & Options, where the futures and options are traded in the real world, but without knowing how they were traded, I struggled to learn the pricing theories behind it. The courses don't have any homework or midterms, pretty much all the classes are based on only the final, so it can be hard to get the motivation to keep up during the year."
• "The workload was much less on a day-to-day basis. The classes are mostly large lectures, but they are very long compared to Stern classes. The end of the term papers, however, are a lot of work in a short period of time. If you plan accordingly, your semester will be less stressful towards the end."
• "The workload is light, but the grading is quite different from Stern. The quality of instruction was good, however, they emphasize theoretical over practical."

Course Registration

• "For Fall the course offerings came out sometime in the Spring semester, I think around March/April. It was very easy to register, they send you the form you need to sign up for courses as well as the list of courses that are open to exchange students. It's all written on a form, but you scan/submit it online."
• "Registration was smooth. I believe I knew most of my classes before arrival. I changed classes by emailing the adviser in charge of it."
• "It was submitted through a form. Manchester staff emailed us course offerings and schedules, and we had to base our timetable on the information given. It was easy, and changing courses once abroad was also made simple."

Course Recommendations

• "My favorite class was Economics of Sports. The class itself was actually more economics-heavy than expected, but it was still interesting to learn about the differences between European and American sports leagues."
• "Operations Management with Nico Savio was my favorite class. I thought he was interesting and taught in a meaningful way. Most of the classes were interesting."
• "Decision Modeling (may be challenging)"

Student Life

• "Depending on which dorm you live in, you could be very close to all the local students. It's easy to join clubs at the school and many of them have a very strong social aspect to them (the Ski & Snowboard Club is the biggest club), but most people join because they have so many social events. I even played on the Squash team which was fun."
• "Student life in Manchester is great -- it's a city of college students. I participated in a couple of clubs -- the international business society was very well organized and helped plan trips and outings for all the exchange students."
• "I participated in some business clubs as well as the MBS International Society."
• "The great thing about living in school accommodations is the chance to meet students from the host country. I spent most of my time with other British students; however, I also spent a fair amount of time with other Americans. It is easy to spend most of your time with Americans (or those from other English-speaking countries like Canada and Australia), but your experience will be much more rewarding if you branch out."
• "The students were friendly and helpful. Lots of opportunities to meet students in the dorms, at parties, student socials, and school events."
• "We received an orientation (one hour long) about the history of the institution, how the university systems work, and some tour information. It also covered academic issues and social activities."
• "It was an incredible experience that puts a lot into perspective. Everyone should do it if given the opportunity. Manchester is such a laid-back, beautiful city. It was amazing."

Restaurants, Shopping, Must-See Sites

• "Restaurants: Nando's, Changos Burritos (honestly, the food is not great in Manchester), any Indian restaurant is pretty good.
• Clubs: Factory, Sankeys
• Bars: Revolution
• Shopping: Arndale Shopping Center, Primark
• Must-see: Scotland, Ireland, Wales"
• "For restaurants try Shere Khan or Darbar at Rusholme"

Travel Tips

• "You have to pay for a bus pass, the school does not have a free bus like NYU. But the bus pass was very convenient and could be used all over the city (to the airport and back, to the city center)."
• "I traveled a fair amount. I traveled mainly with discounted airlines. My tip is to pack lightly -- checking in a bag with a cheap airline is less reliable. And bring the right converters. The UK and continental Europe have different outlets!"
• "It is easy to travel, but I didn't travel too much. Airfare is cheap with RyanAir and Easy Jet. Buses are also cheap."
• "Old Trafford is a must-see in Manchester."
•  "You must attend a Manchester United game and the Christmas markets if you are there in the fall. I would also go to the Northern Quarter and of course the city center. Nightlife in Manchester is great if you are interested in it. You could go out every night if you wanted -- and many students will."

What To Bring

• "If you are going during the winter, make sure to bundle up. Bring lots of warm clothes because you will be needing them even in May."
• "Power converters. Everything there runs on 220V, and make sure to purchase the correct plug head; it is actually different from the one in London."
• "Bring a laptop! Although it may not be crucial for schoolwork, you may find that you miss the Internet." 
• "Resumes. Try sending them to companies in London. This is a perfect opportunity to secure employment there."
• "ATM Cards and Credit Cards"