My transition to postgraduate studies

The transition to postgraduate studies involved many elements, some I found easier to manage and others took time to adjust. I completed my undergraduate studies in 2021 so had been away from studying for 2 years. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that the majority of my undergraduate studies took place online, so when I started my masters I hadn’t had any in-person teaching for nearly 4 years. It felt odd to start with, especially having to travel to and from university rather than logging in and attending lectures from my bed! However, I preferred having in-person seminars, it is easier to share thoughts and ideas and I felt more of a connection with other students. The length of seminars and lectures has changed between my undergraduate and postgraduate studies with lectures being 1 hour and seminars being 2 hours. Postgraduate studies involve more complex themes and topics, longer seminars meant that ideas could be discussed in-depth, and questions can be analysed and answered in a relaxed environment which was better for my learning.

Between my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I was a teaching assistant in a special needs school near my hometown. Both my lifestyle and day-to-day activities changed hugely once I started my masters. I had to live independently which came with benefits and disadvantages, I enjoyed the freedom of living alone and managing my time. But I struggled with cooking all of my own meals and I continue to miss my dogs and taking them out for walks. Plus, my fast-paced, intensive days teaching and having fun with students with special needs was abruptly replaced by student life. I have found student life to be more relaxing but no more interesting, there were unexpected surprised in both! From the river to the sea.