So, you’ve successfully applied and been accepted to a master’s – what now? If you’re anything like me, you will have immediately been full of questions and concerns about what the transition from your undergraduate to postgraduate degree will look like. As I am now halfway through my MA English degree, I’d like to answer some of the questions I had going in, and to let you know what you can expect as well as how best to prepare yourself for the challenging yet rewarding journey ahead.
What if I struggle with the workload?
I’ll be the first to admit that I underestimated the workload of my master’s degree. I never took a break after final year and I am studying full-time, so I am aware of just how much dedication you will need to put in when you start your degree. It’s not only that you are expected to write longer essays and assignments, but also that the standard expected from students at this level is greater than at undergraduate level.
Despite this, I believe that with the right supports it is entirely possible to work through these feelings and to produce markedly improved work. A master’s is meant to test us, to push us just enough so that we can effectively learn and adapt. Some steps that you can take to ensure the demands of the master’s do not overcome you are reaching out to your lecturers, making use of resources like the Academic Writing Centre, and factoring in extra time to complete your assignments.
Will the content be repeated from my undergraduate degree?
This question was of particular concern to me as I am studying in the same university now as I did for my BA degree. Though I had thoroughly enjoyed many of the classes I had taken prior to the MA, I was concerned that the master’s classes would not be sufficiently different in terms of content and that I would not be adequately challenged. I can happily report that I have been able to take a wide variety of classes, from media studies to discourse analysis to drama studies, and you can too!
Depending on your degree, there may or may not be a range of elective modules to choose from. I had access to a provisional list of modules available on the MA course, and I would suggest that any student who is concerned about the variety of modules should study these resources carefully beforehand to ensure the course aligns with their areas of interest. I would also advise that you reflect on what areas most excited you in your undergraduate degree and to see whether you can explore these further in your master’s, either through an elective module or the dissertation.
How do I approach the dissertation?
This is a sore subject for me, as I am currently trying to iron out all the details of my dissertation. In my case, it is a 15,000 word dissertation due at the end of the summer. You will test out ideas during the first semester, but you will not be expected to have formed a clear, concise, structured dissertation topic until later on in the year. The fun part about the dissertation will also be a source of frustration for many: the ability to write about whatever you’d like. It’s quite tough to give advice on this part of the master’s, as I think a lot of it comes down to individual planning methods and a lot of reflection and research. However, I will share some of my top tips here in the hopes they may help you.
Firstly, approach your course director and your supervisor often. They have been faced with the challenges of dissertation writing themselves, and one discussion has often been all I needed to go from settling on a topic to realising exactly what areas needed further review. This brings me to the second tip: don’t be afraid to let go of an idea. You will likely start the idea stage with an incredible rush of excitement, coming up with good idea after good idea. I urge you to keep in mind, even at this early stage, that a great many good ideas prove to be either overdone, unfeasible, or too vague for a dissertation. Finally, I recommend that you always keep yourself in mind. Never come up with an idea purely because it sounds impressive, but rather come up with something that reflects your interests and motivations. Besides the fact that you likely have more knowledge acquired on what actually interests you, this research shows what you have mastered in your degree and may crop up in many professional contexts in the future.
Overall, you should expect to learn even more about your field of study, to be put to test like never before, and to have an opportunity to share all of your expertise through the dissertation. A master’s should not be taken lightly, but if you’re equal to the challenge it might help you to discover a bit more about who you are and to showcase this to potential employers.
Niamh Kelly, Postgraduate Student at the University of Galway
Your Postgraduate Studies at University of Galway 