Interview: a 2024 Manchester MSc Digital Marketing admit

📍 Interviewee background

Tina

Bachelor's: National Chung Cheng University

Major: Business Administration

IELTS: Overall 7.5

Relevant experience: Microsoft Taiwan campus ambassador + marketing internships at inline/Uni-President

Admitted:

Manchester - MSc Digital Marketing

Leeds - MSc Consumer Analytics and Marketing Strategy

📍 Chasing the dream starts now!

When I traveled to Europe with my family as a kid, I was captivated by its culture, people and beautiful architecture, so I really hoped to spend some part of my life in Europe. I also wanted to experience studying in an education system completely different from Taiwan's. Together, those two reasons made me want to study abroad. I once read a line in an online article: "Life is for experiencing." I think that sums up studying abroad best!

📍 Why Manchester?

It's the UK's third-largest city, with good transport links and a convenient location, which makes it a great choice for someone like me who loves to travel. Many of the university's buildings are also impressive and full of history, and I was drawn in at first sight. On top of that, the University of Manchester has a strong academic reputation and plenty of faculty and learning resources. I thought it would be a great place to study and very helpful for my future career!

📍 Plan ahead and feel less stressed!

While preparing my application documents, I found time management the most important thing. Over the summer you should start planning what needs to be done in the coming months, for example finishing your CV and SOP during the summer, contacting professors to arrange recommendation letters at the same time, and submitting your application as soon as schools open in September and October.

And remember to start preparing for IELTS. I took it once in December and again the following February, when I got a qualifying score. There's a lot to do, from applying to schools, taking IELTS, finding housing and paying the deposit to getting a visa, so do everything early to avoid surprises.

📍 IELTS tips, part 1

I think a prep school is just a support tool. Once the teacher has found your problems, what matters most is practicing hard on your own; that's how you get the most out of it. Reading: you can practice reading and listening with the Cambridge IELTS past papers, working from the later books back to the earlier ones (going back to about book 10 or 11 is enough; the earlier ones differ a bit from today's tests). That way you gradually build your test-taking skills. Writing: I was stuck at 6 in writing, so I took online tutoring on AmazingTalker. The teacher pointed out techniques for IELTS Task 1 and Task 2 and analyzed what was wrong with essays I'd written before, which helped me a lot. Strongly recommended: find a native-speaker teacher! You get to practice speaking too!

📍 IELTS tips, part 2

Listening: in my free time I listened to YouTube and BBC 6 Minute English. The videos are fun: two hosts chat about current events and global trends and teach some phrases and vocabulary along the way. Over time it adds up to a lot of listening practice! Speaking: I searched Xiaohongshu for IELTS speaking topics, picked up useful phrases and wording, and wrote them down to use on other topics. Since IELTS speaking is mostly about everyday life, this material is easy to reuse. Besides taking notes, the most important thing is to practice speaking out loud so you do better in the exam. I think confidence matters most in the exam: even if you make a mistake, don't go back to fix it, just keep going.

📍 Choosing a consultant

I chose Harry because a friend recommended him. I think the best thing about Harry is how fast he replies: whatever problem you have, you get an answer right away, and the information is kept up to date. He also offers school-selection advice and discussion on writing your documents, so from choosing schools and writing documents to getting the visa at the end, I felt the whole process went very smoothly!

📍 A few words for you

I think your mindset matters a lot. When you're choosing schools and programs, you'll keep seeing "School A vs School B" articles online. Use them as a reference, but don't let them make the decision for you. Everyone cares about different things and sees things differently; knowing what you need and finding the school and program you like or that suits you is what matters most. Also, prepare and finish the documents, language scores and everything else you need to submit early, because UK schools sometimes reply slowly during peak application season, and it's safer to leave yourself some buffer!

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