Over the summer I was fortunate enough to go to the USA—more specifically I went to Chicago, Illinois. In the Chicago metropolitan area there are 32 different universities, and you’re very much made aware of this. Everywhere you turned, there were people in t-shirts, jumpers, and scarves advertising where exactly they had gone to for college. And this was not just where they had personally been, but there were some very proud moms who did the same except wear merchandise from where their child was currently studying, too. If university-branded clothing was not enough, bumper stickers were also proved to be incredibly popular!
I do admire the variety of college apparel on sale—even big brands like PINK from Victoria’s Secret market a line of college-specific clothes. No matter what your style, you can still show school spirit. This is a far cry from the selection available for University of Manchester students. I would love a cool university sweater or t-shirt for the gym to wear, but I’m not mad on the selection available. I know this is quite picky, but I just wish that the logo was embroidered rather than printed on.
However, it’s probably not that big of deal really, because in Manchester, people seem eager to show off their personal style. And in my opinion, American collegiate clothing is too close to a uniform—and I’ve had enough of wearing uniform from my time at school. With all the great shops in Manchester, it would be a shame not to explore! In fact, it would actually be quite rude not to, really.
I don’t think I would be able to generalise what students wear in Manchester—though I do think that it is very different from an American student. You certainly see an array of styles around campus, and I think that’s part of the fun. We’re all young and it takes time to figure out what you like as well as what you’re comfortable in. Sometimes a purple sweatshirt with ‘The University of Manchester’ printed onto it is exactly what you feel like wearing. And that’s OK.
Photo: UoM Giftshop
