About UCAS

It is the end of April beginning of May, the period when students can’t wait to see all the replays from the five universities which they applied to. There are INTO students who have already made their two choices, but others (like me) are still waiting for the decision-time.
In the UK there is a special way of applying to universities, which is different from the other countries. In my home-country, for example, Moldova, each student has to apply himself just to one Uni. After you have your exam results, you should go straight away to the University where you would like to study, and apply for a place there. Obviously you could be rejected if you don’t meet all the requirements.


Well, in the UK, you can make five choices. UCAS is the organization responsible for managing applications to higher education courses. This means that A-level students, or Foundation students, like us, have to decide which universities is good for them, write a Personal Statement, fill-in your personal details and information about your education and the rest of the work is done by UCAS. They send the application and the recommendation letters from your teachers to all the 5 Universities. Then all you have to do is to wait and work hard to get the grades that you need. UCAS provides a track system, which allows you to keep the record of your application and its development .

After you have the 5 replies, you have to choose 2 out of 5 universities. Make one firm and one insurance choice. Your firm choice has to have higher grades than the insurance one, because in the case that you don’t get the needed grades for the FIRM choice, you’ll be accepted at the Insurance University.
UCAS “makes the things run smoothly”, processing more than two million applications for full-time undergraduate courses every year. They aim to help students make informed choices about higher education, guiding them, their parents and advisers through the application process.
I think this is a good information for the INTO Manchester students who just have begun their foundation year, and maybe for prospective students.

Enjoying an extended holiday?

If the words ‘I am sorry, you’re flight was cancelled’ are familiar to you, then we are in the same situation. A dormant Icelandic volcano has erupted, ripping a 1km-long fissure in a field of ice. Icelandic as well as the European airspace has been closed, flights diverted and cancelled roads closed. This affected seriously my plans about going back to Manchester! And I am not in the worst position, because I was at home when Eyjafjallajoekull erupted. It was really odd packing and unpacking my clothes, but at least I could sleep in a normal bad, not on a chair in the airport. But there are many students who got stuck for days, without food or normal sanitary conditions. As a coin has two parts, so does this eruption for us, INTO Manchester student. On a side we enjoy an extended holiday, meaning more time at home with our families, but on the other side we ‘ll have to catch up the lessons we’ve lost. Therefore a lot of work is waiting for us.

Thanks God that the flights were resumed and we can return to Manchester in order to finish our studies. But there is still a problem. Even though the sky is open, this doesn’t mean that there are available seats on your wished flight. Therefore you’ll have to wait, like I do…
Firstly, I wish you a pleasant flight, and secondly I am sorry for not posting earlier this week, I am really confused because of this volcano eruption!

The International Society

It’s the 13th of April and it’s still time for holiday! I am sure that those INTO Manchester students who went back home are having great time with their families, but who’s stopping the other ones, who stay in Manchester to enjoy the rest of the holiday?! Apart from thinking about the Politics coursework (which is driving me crazy) focus on recharging your batteries for a new, challenging period of studies.

If you really want to have great time don’t hesitate to become a member of The International Society. It is opened for all the nationalities, from all over the world! Located on the Oxford Street in the direction of the University of Manchester it is very near to New Medlock House, so that it takes about 15 minutes to get there and 5 minutes to become a member.
If you still didn’t hear about this Society, it’s a pity! It offers a wide range of services from language courses, dance classes, guitar lessons to visits across the UK. The members of the Society organize events with amazing topics, such as the Mexican evening or the Evening of Easter traditions! It is a great chance to meet new people and discover new cultures.
I am a member of the Society and I’ve been twice in trips organized by them. I just had to pay for it and the success was guaranteed. The comfortable coach and the guide are provided, as the pleasant atmosphere. The trips are organized in weekends, but you still have one available!

One of my classmates takes Spanish courses and he is pleased as well, therefore go for a foreign language if you are still in doubt!




In my opinion becoming a member of The International Society is a key for becoming more open-minded and more sociable!

http://orgs.man.ac.uk/intsoc/

Easter in Moldova !

It is Easter time and I am enjoying it at Home! It is very unusual that this year both the Christians Catholics and Orthodox celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus at the same time, on the 4th and 5th of April. Usually the celebrations are separated by a week or two. This means that in any given year, you might find Roman Catholic Hungarians in the area celebrating Easter one Sunday, while the Orthodox Moldovans might be celebrating a week or two later. In 2005, the dates were spread very far apart: the Western churches celebrated on March 27 and the Orthodox churches on May 1.

Even though Easter is celebrated in the same day, the way it is celebrated is different. Moldovan Easter celebrations are looked forward with great enthusiasm, hope and joy. We celebrate it in a special way, taking into account old traditions which were taught by our grandparents.

The first thing that we do is to bake special bread called “Pasca”, which is filled with caw cheese. Together with the Red Wine they signify the sacrifice which Jesus Christ had to endure. Afterwards we decorate
Eggs in different colors as each color stands for a specific religious symbol. Red, for example, signifies Christ’s blood and green for fertility. Our traditional meal is mellow lamb, which is cooked with care by the housewives, and it is delicious!
In the Easter night we go to the church where the priest blesses our food and we purify our souls in order to celebrate this Holly Day with an open heart.
This is how Easter is celebrated in Moldova, my home-country.

New Medlock House TOUR !

It seemed to me that you enjoyed the tour of INTO Manchester and this acted like an amazing motivator for me! Thank you for being such receptive! Here I am, posting a tour of New Medlock House- INTO Manchester students’ temporary accommodation.

New Medlock is an UNITE property, which is the largest provider of student accommodation in the UK established over 15 years ago. It is home to over 39,000 students in 126 properties across 33 towns and cities across the UK. Obviously you can opt for a private accommodation while studying here, but I would say that living in a student atmosphere is a great experience which makes us more sociable, self-confident and open-minded. I personally enjoy being surrounded by multinational neighbours and I think that you (‘ll) enjoy it as well!

C'mon, Healthy people !

If in my previous post I’ve tried to convince you with facts that eating too much fast food is dangerous, in this one I will go further and give some explanations about the standards of a healthy life-style.
You hear a lot of rumours about this “trend”, but what does it actually mean? Well, it is generally considered that a healthy person is not a tobacco or alcohol victim, has a proportional weight, eats healthy food and does physical activity with regularity.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it is not, even tough creating a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to mean drastic changes. In fact, drastic changes almost always lead to failure. Making small changes in how you live each day can lead to big rewards, so figure out what you can to be healthy today.

A Healthy diet is an essential part of the healthy lifestyle. Not only can a clean diet help with weight management, it can also improve your health and quality of life.


The Food Guide Pyramid determines how many calories you need and what food groups you should focus on. As you can see oils, fats and sweets are likely to be consumed in small portions. The meat and milk products are a good source of vitamin B, which

•enhances immune and nervous system function

•maintains healthy skin and muscle tone

•promotes cell growth and division—including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia etc.

You already know fruits and vegetables should be consumed in big proportions, as they are rich in fibers. Rice, cereals and brown bread are high in fibre as well, and they help you in maintaining an optimal level of cholesterol in blood.

Exercising! The secret is that the more you do, the healthier you'll be. Even moderate activities like walking can make a difference.



Just adding a little movement to your life can:
• Improve joint stability

• Maintain bone mass

• Improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

• Improve memory

• Reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes

The Manchester aquatics Centre has many excellent sports facilities on which all offer student discounts. It has a state-of-the-art 50-metre main swimming pool, 50-metre training pool, 25-metre diving/training pool, leisure pool with flume and large fitness suite. You can find more useful information on this site: www.manchestersportandleisure.org

I do believe that you want to be a healthy person! Take every opportunity to improve your own health and the health of your loved ones. Healthy people have more wishes, it has been proved!

Still eating fast-food?

It is not by accident that fast-food consumption is strongly linked to students eating habits. During our lunch-time break I can see that most of my INTO colleagues don’t hesitate to poison their body with burgers and fried potatoes… Evidently it is because of a reason, and that reason is lack of time + laziness.

Let’s go for the lack of time’s explanation first. Well, I assume that INTO Manchester students are very hard-working and conscious of the fact that their University degree depends on their success on this foundation course, and don’t even have enough time for cooking. My suggestion is that you go for dried fruits and nuts in your break instead of fast-food. It is a perfect combination that boosts your energy level! But let’s be honest, you could find one hour per day to make a soup, boil two eggs or a couple of potatoes. At least buy a pre-washed salad from a grocery shop. It is just an excuse that you don’t have time or don’t know how to cook. There are plenty of recipes on the internet for beginners, and I am sure they could help you!

I am aware that fast food is an integral part of our society because it is relatively inexpensive, quickly prepared and easy to eat on the go. But this accessibility can lead to dangers that may impact your health.
Illness and obesity are the two main fast food problems that can become dangerous. Illnesses with symptoms such as nausea, fever, diarrhea, cramps and dehydration are widespread among fast-food lovers!
Fast food contributes to obesity as well and it is more prevalent among individuals who routinely eat fast food meals several times per week. While a few extra pounds may not have severe effects, extreme obesity is a fast food danger that can lead to serious health problems, including diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, tooth decay and arthritis.

I made a conclusion for myself. I try to eat fast-food as less as possible. This means once per month, or even once in two months. I prefer eating healthy food and doing sports in order to achieve “A healthy mind in a healthy body”, and I suggest you to do this as well. Think !