To Panic Masters, or not to Panic Masters?

14 IMPACT To panic masters, or not to panic masters?

Impact’s Kiah Tooke evaluates the pros and cons of applying for a ‘panic masters’, something which many final year students consider in the run-up to graduation.

Are you in second or third year with no idea what your life could become after departing from your overpriced student house in Lenton? Then, congratulations! You might be considering the allfamous panic masters. Doing a panic masters is a clever way of delaying the inevitable by making a last-minute decision to enter a master’s degree programme. However, is it really all that it’s cracked up to be?

To Panic Masters

Who’s ready to give up the possibility of having a lie-in past 9 am, or the opportunity to play four hours of Stardew Valley whilst lectures fill the silence in the background? Definitely, not me. Plus, with Covid turning the world upside down, wouldn’t a panic masters be the perfect way to make up on time you could’ve spent downing VKs at Ocean, buying overpriced meal deals at SPAR, or talking too loudly in the silent areas of Hallward?

The job market right now is oversaturated with applicants anyway, so why not put it off for another year? Those graduate schemes will still be waiting for you and the 200 other people that have been ‘dreaming of working for this company since they were a child’ and whose ‘only flaw is perfectionism’. Or something to that effect.

If you’re unsure what the future holds for you past graduation, a panic masters could be the best way to add to your CV or learn more about an area you’ve always been interested in. Apart from being able to indulge in the student lifestyle for another year, you might even end up specialising in an area that opens more doors and improves your career prospects. Additionally, some jobs actually require a master’s degree for you to even enter the industry. An upper hand in the job market can’t be a bad thing, right?

Or Not To Panic Masters

That student debt is already piling up and your master’s student loan probably won’t cover your weekly Uber Eats cravings. Maybe not even your tuition fees. So, is it really worth it? I know graduating seems scary and unknown, but another year of university is a big financial commitment to make. Especially if you aren’t really that committed to doing a masters in the first place.

The sting of rejection (or just being straight-up ghosted) from graduate jobs might dampen your desire to devote another minute to those ‘fun’ interactive job assessments. However, just like the wise old LinkedIn philosophers say, ‘rejection is merely a redirection’ –your ideal job could be out there waiting for you already! It might just take a bit of redirecting and soul-searching to get there.

Whilst some career paths require a master’s degree for you to even be considered, it’s worth debating if it really is necessary for entrylevel positions in your chosen field. Plus, aren’t you sick of writing essays and completing never-ending revision? Some masters require dissertations of up to 15,000 words. That alone should be enough to put you off.

By Kiah Tooke

Illustrations by Alice Nott Page Design by Chiara Crompton