Julia Gerda Sokk
International student Julia, originally from Estonia, studies Organisation Change and Development MSc at the GDI.
On choosing your course
Julia graduated from her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication from the University of Tartu in her home country Estonia before joining the GDI to complete her master’s. When asked about her reasons for choosing the course, she says: “The pandemic made many organisations move from office work to remote work, and I became interested in how such changes can be best achieved and conducted.”
On your highlights and challenges
Julia is doing her master’s part-time, which means she spends over 10 hours per week in classes and seminars, and around 7 hours in private study. When questioned about her highlights and challenges of the course, she says, “Being able to discuss the topic of organisational change with others as interested in it and getting to share our knowledge and experiences was one of my highlights of the course. However, online long-term projects proved to be a little difficult at times.”
On your student experience
Julia describes her student experience as pleasant overall, with tons of opportunities for extracurricular activities and plenty of fellow students to interact with. Having worked as student representative for the duration of her course, Julia describes her experience as follows, “I am a student representative and I will be working in the Students’ Union from August onwards. Having been a student rep for nearly a year, I recommend it to students who are interested in solving student issues and improving life in the university. However, I do not recommend it for students who are not interested in others’ feedback and do not use it to improve student life.”
About your experience as international student
“From my experience everyone I have met so far has been welcoming and there’s a mix of different cultures and backgrounds in Manchester, making it easy for anyone to fit in. I was nervous about studying in English, as I had only studied in my own language (Estonian) prior to this. However, the practice I received from writing academic papers, discussing topics related to my course with my peers and professors, and discussing everyday life with my friends has made me much more confident in my English.”
About your future
“My plans after graduation are to find a remote job I am happy with and to travel the world while working for a few years. I feel like my time in Manchester will help me because it has shown me the variety of cultures existing and cooperating with different people.”