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Never Too Late: Applying As A Mature Student
Postgraduate Q&A
No one should embark upon a postgraduate degree with misconceptions about what it is really like. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before committing to postgraduate study.
In the working world, it’s easy to get burned out and think about getting out of employment. Some working adults fall into the trap of jumping at full-time postgraduate study as a ticket away from their nine-to-five desk jobs. However, it is not advisable to think of a postgraduate course as a getaway from your working life. Although you may be free from your boss, office and workload, you will be faced with examiners, the library and deadlines instead. Neither is it recommended for you to pursue postgraduate studies simply because you don’t want to look for a job yet – more often than not, those who do so find that they have just prolonged their period of indecision.
Every stage of education differs when it comes to learning styles and expected outcomes. Before you undertake a postgraduate degree, make sure you are aware of what you are getting yourself into. Do not assume that taking a postgraduate qualification will be a similar experience to your undergraduate degree. For example, a research-based Master’s would be quite different from an examination-based Bachelor’s degree with minimal research components. Even if you are not pursuing a postgraduate qualification by research, the assessment and teaching methods may be significantly different from how you carried out your prior study. Postgraduate qualifications are pursued in different formats compared to undergraduate study and you should take note of these variances.
“How good are my time management skills?”
One thing any postgraduate student will tell you is to not underestimate the importance of time management. In fact, the taxing aspect of time management could be one of the main factors that differentiate a postgraduate degree from prior study. You will usually have less contact time with lecturers and supervisors while doing a postgraduate degree, but you are expected to put in a lot of independent hours to achieve a certain level of knowledge throughout your course. Moreover, it becomes increasingly difficult to juggle postgraduate study if you are also working alongside your course. You would have to balance your schedule between being an employee and a student in addition to your responsibilities as an adult.
Some people are under the impression that pursuing a postgraduate qualification is a long and lonely road. They picture long hours spent locked up alone with no one to talk to, but this is hardly an accurate depiction at all. Many postgraduate students cite the chance to network as the best part of their postgraduate qualification. They find it an invaluable opportunity to be able to meet with esteemed and like-minded people in their field, as well as learn from coursemates from diverse backgrounds. Quite a number of postgraduate courses incorporate knowledge-sharing and peer review into their learning structure. Not only do these opportunities add to your postgraduate life, they can also prove helpful in your career and network later on.
Although it may be tempting to live in the que sera, sera moment in life, you should have some idea of your plans post-postgraduate study. For example, do you want to pursue a lifelong journey in academia and research? Make this known to your supervisors and members of faculty as you go along your postgraduate course. Are you planning to start your own business or get that big promotion soon? Expand your network and have meaningful conversations with your coursemates who have more experience than you. A postgraduate degree is not just about obtaining a piece of paper or blindly producing a written thesis. Have an idea of what you would like to achieve at the end of your course and do your best to make that happen while you are on it.
