Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Stridi Towers. It's Matt here again and, as promised, we’re back for the final part of the postgraduate series. Today’s guest is an old contact of mine from uni, who has been mentioned a couple of times before. Her name is Bronwen and she is part of the support team at Bath Spa University. She is also a trained CBT therapist.
Bronwen and I had a chat about the various questions I raised with our previous guests, and she has sent me over a load of useful info to share with you all. "I have written a little on each question. Use it as you want Matt! I hope it’s useful - B"
So without further ado, I’ll hand you over to an expert:
Tried and tested coping methods for our mental health
“As with everything, the general approach would be a life balance so that paying attention to ‘well-being’ is crucial to maintaining good mental health and not feeling overwhelmed.”
“Don’t underestimate the amount of reading and research you will need to do to get a good result on your course. To regularly put aside times to do this is very important - don’t try to get away with doing the minimum. Expanding your knowledge builds up your background knowledge and confidence. You feel more empowered to discuss your project with your tutor.”
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What is available for mental health and how do we access it?
“In my experience,
there is a lot of help ‘out there’ - almost to the point of it being
confusing!!! Where would be the best place to contact? Where do I start? Etc.
It is really important for us all to realise that we have to take
responsibility for our own mental health - others can’t ‘fix‘ it for us, so it
is crucial to develop this awareness early on and find strategies that work for
you before you ‘need’ them.
Most people do not recognise they are having a mental health crisis until it hits them - they then seek out immediate help only to find they are put on a waiting list. This is no help to someone who finds themselves in crisis - hence the importance of always looking after mental health in order to avoid a crisis. Don’t think it won’t happen to you. It can happen for anyone.”
Bronwen adds:
“If you already have some support for helping you address your mental health needs, I would urge you to make full use of it. Visiting a doctor might result in some prescribed medication, but think of medication like an aspirin for a headache. It might numb the pain, but you haven’t addressed the reason the headache arose in the first place.”
“I particularly like the website for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). This began as a service that specifically targeted young men, but the advice is good for all. Their information pages are not too long and really ‘straight talking’.”
Are the courses value for money?
“Tricky one this! The answer is very much tied up with your own expectations, the university you attend, and even the relationship with your tutor. Students are constantly working towards becoming independent learners. At the level of MA, students have elected to investigate a niche in their subject that Is largely unexplored. You can’t expect a tutor to be the expert in all such matters - although it is certainly true that tutors vary in their level of knowledge and expectations - as do all human beings. However, you can expect a tutor to advise and guide you, offering suggestions and their thoughts. It is therefore important that the student takes full advantage of their tutor. If a student ‘sits back’ and isn’t seeking engagement with the tutor they are doing themselves a disservice and not getting the full value of what they are paying for. So - value for money? It should be, but there are many variables.”
How do most of your students cope with the independent learning side of it?
“Again, this varies considerably depending on the student, their personality, their personal challenges, their level of engagement, their expectations and their understanding of what an MA involves.”
“The whole side of making the transition from being told what to do at school, to becoming an independent learner is quite a journey - maybe even a shock if you thought it was like being in 6th form or even getting your BA / BSc. Your whole education journey has led you to this place where you are in charge of your own learning. Hopefully, the decision to take on a MA means a student understands this expectation - but not always! It can come as a steep learning curve - make your tutor your best friend - bother them - they are paid to guide you - but the work remains your own. There is a lot of it and it’s a challenge. Keep your wellness and mental health constantly ticking away in the background so that you never feel overwhelmed and drained of energy.”
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“I would say that it is vital that the student chooses a topic they are really interested in - one that really excites them - otherwise it’s like wading through mud - bloody hard work and no pleasure!
If you’ve made that wise choice, the rest just follows - you enjoy doing it and the pleasure you gain in the journey might even inspire you to take on a PhD!”
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A big thank you to Bronwen! We’ve come to the end of our series now, but as a final section I’ll give you my own thoughts/advice on postgraduate study.
First of all, I’ll touch on one of Bronwen’s final points: Choose a subject you love and that you are passionate about. There will be hours on end of long evenings in front of a screen, doing your research, but if it’s a subject that you enjoy then that won’t feel half as bad!
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Although higher education is certainly expensive nowadays, don’t let that put you off. There is funding available to support you financially. I would highly recommend having a chat with someone at your university about it, as they will have access to loads of useful resources and you will get a clear insight into budgeting and all the costs involved.
Make time for
yourself. You’ll likely have a part-time job, as well as the long days of
studying, and so free time may not be so forthcoming, but make the most of it
whenever you have a spare afternoon. Watch a movie, go for a walk, watch your
favourite sports team, do anything that will give you a nice boost of serotonin
– you’ve worked hard, you deserve a treat!
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Postgraduate study will be tough, and it will be more demanding than your undergraduate degree was, but an MA or Msc will give you a huge advantage in the job market.
So, overall, would I recommend postgraduate study? My answer is yes, but remember that it is your decision, and I hope that we have given you lots of useful info to help make your decision a bit easier.
Follow Matt: @Matt_jl_24
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