Decision for the university
Since I really wanted to do a Marketing Master with a bachelor’s degree in the humanities, I asked the Master & More fair in Munich about suitable universities. There I met the MicroEDU team who were immediately able to recommend some universities in the UK to me. After extensive internet research and renewed advice from MicroEDU, I finally decided on the MSc International Marketing degree in Newcastle.
Application process
For the application were a motivation letter, CV and two letters of reference necessary. In addition, you had to pass the IELTS with at least 6.5. At this point in time, I did not have my Bachelor’s degree certificate, but documents can be submitted later. The filling in the online form of the Uni is pretty simple, but I asked anyway, MicroEDU.com to check everything again.
After I had sent the application, it took me about 3 weeks to receive a conditional offer. In May I got my bachelor’s degree, which I had translated and then handed in to Newcastle University. About 2 weeks later I received my unconditional offer and was very happy
A few weeks later I got an email saying I had been selected for a Business Excellence Scholarship, worth £ 2000. I didn’t expect that at all because I hadn’t applied for a scholarship. Apparently the business school selects students with very good bachelor’s degrees for this scholarship. But how exactly the selection process works is still unclear to me. About a month before my departure, I transferred the tuition fees and received my certificate of enrollment.
Accommodation in Newcastle
In itself there is an incredible amount of accommodation from the university. As a rule, these are student residences with 5 or 6 person shared apartments. Everyone has their own room with a small bathroom, but the kitchen is shared. The big advantage of these accommodations is that they are in the city center and very close to the university. However, they are also quite expensive (between £ 90 and £ 140 per week). For this reason I chose private accommodation. The Gumtree website is good for looking for private apartments. As a rule, the landlords are looking for new tenants there and you therefore have no chance of getting to know your future roommates. Jesmond and Heaton are good neighborhoods for private apartments, although Jesmond is still within walking distance of the city center. I found a flat share for 4 people in Heaton very quickly, for which I paid around 300 GBP a month. From there it was 15 minutes by bike to the library and to the business school I always took the metro (10 minutes ride).
Course content and university life
The first semester was pretty stressful because we were thrown into the deep end, so to speak. We all had basic courses on marketing and international business which were also very interesting. However, with around 130 people, our course was simply too big. Of those around 60-70 percent were Asian and the rest were mostly Europeans and a few Americans. We also had a group project for marketing research and a very time-consuming practical project with the “Greggs” bakery chain. The latter was extremely exhausting, as we had no influence on the division of the groups and, in the end, usually 4 Asians and 2 Europeans worked together. This turned out to be more difficult than expected, as the academic prior knowledge of the Asians is not comparable with the European standard (e.g. when it comes to quoting). In addition, the schedule was very tight and we had to finish part of the project every week.Looking back, the stress was worth it, as the learning curve was extremely steep and I learned a lot about intercultural cooperation. At the end of January we had three exams and it went seamlessly into the second semester. In the second semester we had fewer group projects and more routine, so everything was a little more relaxed. Towards the end it was again very exhausting with six exams and a master’s thesis. In summary, I had the impression that the workload is greater than at German universities, as you have to be present every day. Right from the start, everyone goes to the library or to one of the many computer clusters in the business school after the lectures (even on the weekends). However, it really is only one year and then you have your master’s degree under your belt.
Life in Newcastle
According to liuxers, Newcastle is a city of around 300,000 people, around 80,000 of whom are students. The “Geordies” are extremely friendly and helpful even if the accent takes a bit of getting used to. In the last 5 years the former coal and workers town has developed extremely further. Above all, the range of restaurants, bars and pubs is impressive and cannot be compared to German cities. At the weekend it gets crazy, as countless bachelor parties are celebrated in Newcastle and all bars and clubs are full of party-mad English people. But the nice thing about Newcastle is that there is something for everyone(from a cozy pub to a large disco). Aside from the nightlife, the Quayside with its bridges is also worth a visit during the day. If the weather is nice, you can reach the coastal town of “Tynemouth” in 20 minutes by metro. Here you can get the best fish and chips at Marshall’s, go for a walk on the beach or just enjoy the view. For a year Newcastle is just perfect because there is enough to see that it doesn’t get boring but you can find your way around very quickly.
