Support for students
It’s the support and belief from the University community that helped Tisya Gunawan, BSc International Business, Finance and Economics, from Indonesia, get involved with student societies.
Why did you choose to come to The University of Manchester?
I looked at rankings, applied for universities across Europe, America etc and the rankings were great here, and I had a family friend in the city. I knew I wanted to do business but I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to pursue. I knew I was going to find something I liked here and the course gave me loads of options.
How have you found it so far?
When I came here I was surprised by the number of international students, and there is actually a big international community here. I’ve made a lot of friends, found what I like and what I want to do in the future.
What opportunities have you had to get involved with the Students' Union?
Manchester has a strong culture that says you can do whatever you want to do. The Students' Union has really helped us with the funding we need to make our TEDx society better, gain exposure and put on our events. We know we can make these events happen because there are people in the University who believe in what we do and want to get involved with us. The Students' Union backs us up with all the funding we need, with barely any funding from external companies. If you believe in what you want to do, the Students' Union can help to build your vision into a society from the ground up.
What societies have you been involved with during your time here?
In first year, I went to different societies trying to find what I like and what I wanted to do. In the second year, I wanted to get something on my CV, so I applied for the committee for TEDx and UNICEF on campus. I’ve found it really interesting because you get to meet so many people from across the University regardless of your course. Because Ted X is spreading a lot of ideas from multiple disciplines I get to learn about other people's passions and expand my knowledge on issues facing the world around us.
What’s do you think of the societies offering at Manchester?
The Students' Union at the University is really large, there’s even a quidditch society! As the sponsoring and finance exec for TEDx I deal closely with the Students' Union. Every time we go to them for funding, we discover new societies catered to every different interest.
What advice would you give to someone starting their journey with The University of Manchester?
A lot of people starting university aren’t completely sure that they know exactly what they want to do. At The University of Manchester they give you a lot of opportunities to branch out and discover new things. The University College for Interdisciplinary Learning lets you go out of your comfort zone and try something new by learning a new language or studying modules outside your course. I found what I like to do through societies, getting to know a lot of people from other courses with different interests.