Julie, aged 19 years, first year student, living in university accommodation. Home student.

I have wanted to be a physiotherapist for several years, and I was really pleased when I was accepted by the Manchester School of Physiotherapy. I had already attended an open day and had really liked both the school and also Manchester itself. I particularly wanted to come to Manchester because it is a big city with a large student population, unlike the small town where I grew up. I also knew someone already here, and she was veryhappy with the course.

The social life is very good.I play a lot of sport, and Manchester University has very good facilities. It has also meant that I have quite a good circle of friends, both from the course, and also from the university. There is always plenty to do in the evenings, lots of people around, and we go out about once a week into Manchester to a bar or club.

I like the way the course in taught. We are given tasks to research, and then the work is followed up in tutorials. It is hard work, but I am enjoying it very much.

I am looking forward to next year when we start clinical practice, and I enjoyed the two days clinical observation that I did at the end of the Christmas term. I went to a hospital near where I live, and worked with a physiotherapist in the out patient department. She treated some people with shoulder problems while I was there, and I found this particularly interesting because we had just covered problems around the shoulder in some School tutorials.

When I first came I thought I would specialise in sports physiotherapy. Now I am not so sure, There are lots of other areas that I think might be equally interesting.