My experience of the switch from Undergraduate to Postgraduate as a University of Sheffield Student

by Martha Ward

I loved completing my undergraduate at the University of Sheffield. The BA Education, Culture and Childhood course was tight-knit, friendly and really supportive. Despite completing the course through the dreaded 2020/21 academic year, we all made an effort to get to know each other and there was always a friendly face to study with and chat about the upcoming assignments.

So far the MSc Psychology and Education (conversion) course has been an adjustment from the BA. The course size is much larger and my course mates are busy with part-time work and a lot of them commute from further distances. This has felt strange for me, having been used to seeing my course mates and other university friends every week and regularly meeting up for coffee, drinks and movie nights.

However, I have loved my experience so far. My course mates are all passionate about the subject and it has been great to meet people from different backgrounds and academic disciplines. This has enriched my studies and I have been able to step out of my comfort zone and hear new perspectives. Despite the increase in course workload from undergraduate to postgraduate, I still feel that I have been able to connect with my course mates and it has been a really friendly and collaborative experience. Now we are all settled into the course, we are spending more time together and have been getting to know each other on a deeper level.

I would encourage anyone starting a new course, whether postgraduate or undergraduate, whether in the same university or a brand new one, to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself to meet new people and try new things. When I started on this course, I arranged a coffee meet-up with my new course mates, so we could meet each other before the first seminar. I was surprised to find nearly half the course turned up! It was a great experience and it helped me to form new friendships and go into the first seminar feeling confident and a part of a community. It can be hard when the course mates you spend three or four years with graduate and go to work or a different course, but it has been amazing to meet so many new people.

In terms of the course workload, I have noticed a difference from undergraduate to postgraduate. There are more contact hours compared to my final year and assignments are more frequent. However, I feel encouraged by the support of academic staff and by the collective passion for the subject. Although I am spending more time studying than I was before, I feel a real sense of achievement from stretching myself to learn new things. For example, I recently completed a module on Quantitative Research Methods. I was initially really nervous about this module as it contained (dreaded) statistics, but I surprised myself and found I was able to grasp the concepts and even enjoy some of the tasks. I would encourage anyone who is interested in this course or starting a postgraduate course in a new subject area to step into it with confidence and an open mind. You may just surprise yourself!

I have also found it really helpful to maintain a work-life balance by volunteering in various ways in and around Sheffield. I am part of the Bake Society committee and I love connecting with students across the university through a shared love of cake, as the society secretary! I have also enjoyed volunteering at a youth group in a local church in Sheffield, where I get to put some of what I learn into practice, as well as meeting lots of different people from different areas of Sheffield. These experiences are a great way to stay connected during your postgraduate journey and avoid becoming overly focused on just your academic experience. Whether you volunteer or just join a university society, it is so important to maintain this balance!

Martha is studying on the MSc Psychology and Education (Conversion) in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield.