Advice for Prospective and New Postgraduate Students

Starting your postgraduate study in September? considering postgraduate study as your next step? Read one to see what advice some of our current postgraduate students have to offer!

Rhyanna Britton – MA English Literature 

For anyone still considering postgraduate study, I would encourage them to continue their studies as it is a great opportunity in terms of both career advancement and personal development. My postgraduate study has allowed me more time to explore my love of the subject as well as increasing my employability skills, despite my degree and my job not being explicitly related. This proved to me that even if my postgraduate study was not directly linked to my job, it was still an extremely beneficial thing to do as I have gained so much, in terms of skills, from my study.

As a part-time student, I found that I was able to combine my other responsibilities with study very well, as luckily I had a flexible job and was able to adapt my study time to this. I would say that it is important for part-time students to consider what their priorities are and ensure that they maintain a healthy work/study/life balance, as it is quite easy to neglect one for another.

Martin Berger – MA Digital Media and Society 

Going to Cardiff and studying at Cardiff University is a great decision. But if you are not from Cardiff, the beginning can be difficult since you are new in town and don’t know anybody. The easiest way to get to know people is probably in your course since you already share similar interests. But I would also recommend the sports and society fair at the beginning of the semester. There are so many opportunities to get involved in fantastic projects and meet interesting people. From my own experience, the students who run the societies and sport clubs are all super nice, really helpful and answer every question you have about it. It’s a great way to make new friends.

I think one of the most important things when starting postgraduate study or any new experience in general is being open to new things and opportunities. There are so many interesting and fascinating activities, places, and people in Cardiff and Cardiff University that everybody who is open to this will have a great time.

Yanna Thinnes – MSc Civil and Water Engineering

I originally joined the programme full-time but after a discussion with the teaching office on my registration day, we found the ideal part-time solution for me. I cannot thank them enough for how accommodating and understanding they were in finding this arrangement.

I would advise students considering the part-time option to negotiate as much flexibility as possible with their employer, childcare provider, or other commitments. This isn’t only due to the fact that timetables are only finalised a few weeks before the start of term but because workload will probably vary throughout the term. In my opinion, the workload was never excessive, so as long as you plan ahead and put in a couple of late nights / weekends, good marks are achievable. (Some lectures are recorded, but I wouldn’t recommend using them as a substitute for attending.)

I’ve also really appreciated that the full-time students have been welcoming and helpful even though I am not there as much and I am older than them.