Doing a Master’s Degree: the beginning

“In the beginning there was nothing. God said ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.” (DeGeneres, E., n.d.)

In our case there is always something, be it a thirst for more knowledge, a need for a specific qualification or simply wishing to remain in academia as long as possible so we don’t have to face the big bad world of a well-functioning adult. 

Regardless of our reasons, there is always something that drives us to undertake studies at a postgraduate level. For me, personally, such a prospect didn’t exist in my expectations and wants but then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked… no, hold on, wrong train of thought!

Everything changed toward the end of my first year as an undergrad. I had, quite by chance (although, looking back, the choice was very logical), ended up doing a degree which I enjoyed very much and this, in turn, helped me form more coherent ideas on what I wanted to do with my life. 

Luckily, the University, which gave me those three amazing undergrad years, also offered me exactly what I needed to move forward, in the form of my ideal Master’s course. And here I am now, with a month of being a postgrad under my belt and eager to tell you all about it! Here are the three initial stages of starting your Master’s degree! 

I The great panic

It all starts with an induction, which can be both very exciting and somewhat frightening. You learn that the expectations for your performance are greater, the standards much higher and not meeting the criteria can cost you more than a disapproving head shake. But, in all honesty, that will likely remain to just that - the initial shock of a higher level of academia. It is, after all, very logical for the level you are striving to achieve and any worry settles reasonably quickly. Well, at the very least it isn’t obviously gripping your throat ;) 

II The rising interest

When you get to attend your first seminars and to meet your new tutors you relax some more, but not too much! There is plenty of work ahead of you and it’s coming quicker than you’d like. Accompanying the ever so slight but persistent panic, however, is a growing interest in the material introduced to you with each session. New and awesome things await every day, with every seminar and every new book and article. And, if you have made the right degree choice, then your motivation to do well will only grow and you will have a good time striving towards your best. 

III The growing excitement

The more your interest grows the greater your excitement gets. You’re not passively listening to theories and explanations but rather participating in discussions with your coursemates and your tutors, applying your skills and knowledge in seminar tasks as well as outside the classroom and all of that feels really great. 

Getting to exercise your brain frequently certainly helps in keeping your attention where it should be and the quickly approaching assessments really don’t seem all that frightening anymore. Sure, there is always that nagging insecurity at the back of your mind, but when isn’t it there? 

The point I am trying to make is that, in comparison to all the positives you get during your early steps in postgrad education, the feeling of insecurity becomes insignificant! 

And that’s it so far. 

I will likely have more to say toward the start of the second semester when I will have acquired more experience and tackled two of my four core modules. 

About my Master's Degree

For those of you who may wish to know, I am currently undertaking an MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) degree and so far it really seems awesome, full of great content and highly relevant to my interests and end goals. Should there be any of you out there wondering if MA TESOL at the University of Huddersfield is any good I can tell you, without a doubt, the answer is a strong “YES!” ;)