Welcome to another blogmas post!
In today’s post, I’m going to be talking about navigating university life as a post-graduate student. I’ve been there, I’ve done it, I’ve got the t-shirt. Well, I’ve completed my degree but you know what I mean.
It can be somewhat daunting and difficult to go into a post-graduate degree. The fear of the unknown is something that can creep up. You might wonder if this degree differs from an undergraduate degree. Spoiler alert, yes it does.
That’s okay though! Think of it as preparing you for the adult world. There’s more independence and higher expectations which can be quite scary. I’m going to offer some advice and some tips to you all today. I hope this helps you out!
Independence
One of the first things I want to talk about is something I’ve mentioned briefly already and that is more independence. It seems somewhat ironic really as my degree did have that but at the same time there was a lot of guidance too. I’ve mentioned before that the structure of each workshop used a prepare, engage and consolidate system that was neatly laid out on Blackboard. In a way, that’s not really having independence. After all, we were given reading lists.
However, don’t take that as this being a degree where you’re guided through like a student is guided through school. Yes, we were given reading lists but they were the bare minimum. We were encouraged to go out there and do more research. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t get the grades.
I guess to conclude this section is don’t take things at face value. It might seem like you’re being guided through but remember to take the initiative to go out there and do your own thing.
Time-Management
I don’t want to be the person to break bad news to you all, but you are going to have to learn to manage your time effectively. There is a high chance that you will have to balance your degree with your personal life, with your work life, with your family etc. Don’t worry, you won’t be the only person but how do you do it?
There are many time-management systems out there that can help you out. For me, my bullet journal is my best friend and works really well for me. I can cater it to my needs at that moment and I appreciate that.
Create realistic goals for yourself. If you have a long-term project like a dissertation, break it down into smaller milestones. Trust me, it is far easier to cope with that than thinking:
‘Oh my goodness, my 15,000 word Dissertation is due in October. I need to do this, this and this…’
This is somewhat related but I would also recommend getting ahead with what tools you want to use. I have always said that Notion is my go-to. I can track things on there, take notes and do much more. However, some may prefer using simply Microsoft Word, One Note, Google Docs etc. It’s all about what works best for you.
Get to Know People
Getting to know people in this area will massively help you out. This is something that I would recommend at all stages of your education but it does make a huge difference. Developing that relationship with your lecturer will allow you to become confident in asking questions.
Of course, get to know your peers. These people are from all walks of life and they can offer insight that you may not be aware of. For instance, during my degree, there was an A&E consultant, a doctor, a paralegal etc. These people can help.
And that’s it! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this post and I will see you tomorrow for another one!
Beth
Beth Olivia 