By Daniel J Broadley

Manchester Metropolitan University’s (MMU) Geoffrey Manton Building was taken over on Wednesday afternoon by the Soon is Now faculty event in which graduates from various subjects shared their experiences of post-university life.

The afternoon began with a Faculty Enrichment Fair which featured stalls from MMU’s Make A Difference and Environment Teams. Also offering advice and information were the Greater Manchester Police, Military Intelligence and a variety of MMU societies.

Olga Khrushcheva, the organiser of the event, said:

“We are hoping that students will learn about different opportunities available to them whilst studying their degree and what they can do after graduation. People who study specific subjects – like English, Politics or Philosophy – may go on to do very different things in the future.”

She added: “This is all about broadening students horizons and giving them additional information they may not otherwise have.”

Lisa Bach from MMU’s Make A Difference Team emphasised the importance of students doing more than just their degree whilst at university:

“Make a Difference believes that ‘Your course is more than what you do in the classroom’. We provide a variety of extracurricular opportunities to students, particularly those in the Humanities, Languages and Social Science faculty, ranging from work experience and placements to volunteering or even running a social enterprise project- helping them enrich their lives while at university and get the skills they need for a better future.”

Humanity Hallows also spoke to Ailsa McConnachie-Folwell from the MMU Environment Team. Ailsa was promoting the importance of carbon footprint awareness as well as the massive effect the meat industry has on C02 emissions. She said:

“Is vegetarianism the way forward? I think it would obviously help the environment and the planet to cut down on the amount of meat and dairy we eat but I don’t think everyone will stop eating meat at all.

“I think it’s important to educate people about the impact that meat has on the environment. If people reduced their meat consumption by just one meal per week I think that would make a really big difference.”

After the Enrichment Fair, the Soon is Now event moved on to six separate faculty talks, including information sessions about Criminology and Sociology courses, with visitors from Greater Manchester Police and National Crime Agency, and the English faculty, with writer Greg Thorpe and editor Sarah Glenister. Also available to give information were the Information Communications, Languages and History, Politics and Philosophy faculties.

These sessions provided an opportunity for students to listen to and meet graduates from various backgrounds. They showed that students do not have to be limited by the subject they study. For example, in the English talk, English graduate Rioghnach Connolly, talked of how she went on to become a vocalist and lyricist after her degree.

After the faculty talks, students were treated to refreshments and the opportunity to talk more informally with the speakers.

The Soon is Now event and Enrichment Fair were a great success, informing all those who attended about the countless opportunities available to them both during and after university.