Every semester, the University of Manchester receives around 500 exchange students from all around the world. Although cultural shocks are a natural part of adjusting to a new environment, it can sometimes feel disorientating to arrive at an unfamiliar place. Moreover, a lot of things can change when moving to a different country. Social norms, ways of communicating and building relationships, the climate, and daily schedules are just a few of the challenges you might encounter.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has addressed this social phenomenon, describing it as the ‘impact of moving from a familiar culture to one which is unfamiliar’, explaining that while usually temporary, culture shocks are a frequent experience for international students arriving to the UK.
I had the opportunity to speak with a few exchange students and gain deeper insight into their experiences through a survey, where they were able to vote on the most significant cultural challenges they have faced since arriving in Manchester.
Different mealtimes
The top-voted shock. Most said that this is especially true for lunch and dinner times. Based on Project Britain, an educational website about British life, culture, history, and traditions, typical English mealtimes are as follows: breakfast is usually between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m., lunch is from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m., and dinner takes place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Susana from Spain said that this is the cultural shock that took her the most time to adjust to: “Breakfast and lunch were okay, but dinner around 6 p.m.? That’s too early, that’s time for merienda (afternoon snack, often enjoyed between lunch and dinner)!”.
Security over fires and driving/ walking on the left-hand side
These two tie for the second most-voted shock. Due to numerous historical, cultural, and legal factors, fire prevention and security is a big thing in the UK, and for most of the polled students, a big shock. Puck from The Netherlands said that fire safety is the biggest cultural difference she has experienced since her arrival in Manchester: “I didn’t know there could even be this many fire safety measures. Overall, I do think it’s a good thing to be extra secure about fire, but at first, it felt a bit excessive when coming from a country that is far less concerned with fire safety”.
On the other hand, driving and walking on the left side was also voted as one of the main shocks. Only 30% of the world’s countries and territories use left-hand traffic, and most countries that drive on the left were once British colonies, such as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
Culture of heavy drinking and vaping
According to information posted by The Manc in 2022, Manchester ranks among the top five UK cities known for having a problematic drinking culture, coming in at number 4 on the list. The city is well-known for its abundance of off-licences, along with a wide array of pubs and clubs.
Rebecca from Australia said that while her country also has a big drinking culture, the drinking and vaping culture in Manchester was a massive shock for her: “Alcohol and vapes are much easier to access here – like the alcohol being sold in supermarkets and not bottle shops, vape stores on every other corner and even on a stand in Poundland”.
According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) data, in 2024, 18% of young people aged 11 to 17 in the UK have tried vaping, which equates to approximately 980,000 minors. This highlights how normalised vaping has become in this part of the world, along with the numerous vape shops found throughout various areas of the city.
Other common cultural shocks gathered in the survey include the “bean and potato obsession” in English cuisine (20% of participants listed this as a top shock), constantly busy and noisy streets (15% of participants listed this as a top shock), and people being rude to strangers (15% of participants also listed this as a top shock).
As shown by the answers, the cultural shocks range from social norms to British traditions. These are a natural part of adjusting to life in a new country, and it can take time to get used to them, but embracing these differences is what makes studying abroad so enriching, academically and personally.
