The journey to manchester

It all started back in 2012 — a young student from Cyprus (yes, that was me) had just been accepted into a foundation course in Accounting and Business at MMU.

Back then, applying to university through a student agent was the norm. What I didn’t realise, though, was that many agents would push you towards universities they had partnerships with — not necessarily what was best for you.

I got an offer from Southampton Solent University, but I really had my heart set on MMU. Sadly, my application was denied. Even though I had an overall IELTS score of 6.5 (the requirement), one of the sections was 6.0 — and that was enough for them to reject it.

That’s when my mum stepped in — and honestly, shout out to all the mums out there who go the extra mile. She reached out to MMU directly and made a case: “He’s not applying for a Master's — it’s a foundation course, and he’s ready to learn. Give him a chance.” (Not her exact words, but you get the point!)

And just like that, 10 days before I was due to fly to Southampton... we got the acceptance letter from MMU.

And that’s where it all began.