Information and Skills to support Master's Students

5

Hello! I'm an educator that is very interested in the experiences of Master's students - and in particular, better understanding what support, help and advice students studying at Master's level would benefit from that help them make the most of their Master's journeys.

I'd be really grateful if existing or past Master's students would be willing to share their own perspectives - from what obstacles or barriers you've enountered that you think educators could provide guidance (or better guidance) on how to address/overcome - to areas where you think that more specific support is needed. This could be on anything relating to your university experience, or any part of your Master's journey.

Reply 1

username5887495

OP

5

Hello! I'm an educator that is keen to better understand what support, help and advice students studying at Master's level would benefit from.

I'd be really grateful if existing or past Master's students would be willing to share their own perspectives - e.g. What obstacles or barriers you've enountered that you think educators could (or should) provide guidance (or better guidance) on how to address/overcome, to broader areas where you think that more specific support is needed. This could be on anything relating to your uni experience/Master's journey.

Thank you!

Reply 2

username5887495

OP

5

Original post

by madygh13

Heya! My friend did her MA and the main issue she used to always complain about was the coursework review. She said compared to her undergrad it was very generic.

The other thing was how Unis were full of undergrad students who had lots to do and lots of friends, meanwhile masters students had very little options and fewer friends. Not sure if these issues were specific to Masters students or her Uni.

Thanks so much!

Reply 3

Lilly2510

7

Original post

by username5887495

Hello! I'm an educator that is very interested in the experiences of Master's students - and in particular, better understanding what support, help and advice students studying at Master's level would benefit from that help them make the most of their Master's journeys.

I'd be really grateful if existing or past Master's students would be willing to share their own perspectives - from what obstacles or barriers you've enountered that you think educators could provide guidance (or better guidance) on how to address/overcome - to areas where you think that more specific support is needed. This could be on anything relating to your university experience, or any part of your Master's journey.

I think one of the most useful things is being approachable to students so just making sure that they know they can ask you anything about the course without making them feel stupid for asking.

Reply 4

Keele Rep

Official Rep

12

Original post

by username5887495

Hello! I'm an educator that is very interested in the experiences of Master's students - and in particular, better understanding what support, help and advice students studying at Master's level would benefit from that help them make the most of their Master's journeys.

I'd be really grateful if existing or past Master's students would be willing to share their own perspectives - from what obstacles or barriers you've enountered that you think educators could provide guidance (or better guidance) on how to address/overcome - to areas where you think that more specific support is needed. This could be on anything relating to your university experience, or any part of your Master's journey.

Masters can be such a tough year. It's very full-on, both in terms of workload and in terms of how much you have to accomplish in a relatively short time period.

I think a greater recognition of that jump up - both in terms of the level of work you're undertaking and the pace at which you're having to do it - would be hugely beneficial for a lot of Masters students, as would tailored support on managing postgraduate workloads, research skills, time management & planning, independent study etc. It's often assumed that Masters students will come straight from undergraduate - and will therefore come equipped with all of these skills - but, in my experience, that isn't always the case.

I myself, for example, returned to MA study after an 11-year break from HE, so reading & thinking critically and writing academic assignments again was a very steep learning curve. I remember feeling very overwhelmed a few weeks into my course, especially as I knew I wanted to go on to PhD study so felt the MA was very 'make or break'. I was fortunate to get some really good support - both from academic and support/professional services staff - during my MA at Keele, but I think a lot of PG students feel they should know this stuff already, so don't always feel confident asking for support even if they need/want it.

I feel like in a lot of universities, Study Skills and Academic Support programmes are advertised/tailored to undergraduates so PGs sometimes don't realise that they can access those services too. Ensuring that PGs are aware that they *can* access these services - or, even better, having dedicated PG advisors within such services - would be a huge help to both Masters and postgraduate research students.

I also think it's really important for PGT and PGR students to continue to have access to mentoring support beyond their immediate supervisory/teaching teams. Having someone who is concerned about your emotional and mental wellbeing - as opposed to just your academic progress - is hugely helpful. I have amazing supervisors but, because I get DSA support, I've also been working with a specialist mentor throughout my PhD and it's been so beneficial as my supervisory meetings can concentrate on the progress of my thesis, whereas my mentoring meetings are more about my time management, work/life balance, and overall goal setting.

Hope that helps!

Amy Louise
PhD English Literature & Student Ambassador, Keele University

Reply 5

UoS PG students

Official Rep

9

Hi, I started my Masters in September and went straight into it after graduating from my undergraduate degree in July. One thing I found quite tricky to navigate was that the marking was harsher but my academic skills hadn't really improved that much from 3rd year (since there was only a few months between ending my bachelors and starting my postgrad). This, I guess, is something that happens to most people, since their ability isn't going to improve massively in that short time, and I suppose the main idea is that in doing our Masters we will improve, especially by the end.
I agree with others who have said that most academic skills resources are aimed at undergrads and postgrads are just expected to know what to do, but even for someone who went straight into their Masters I have found it difficult to keep up to standards. For example, where I would have got a 72, I am now only on a 64 - despite my writing and academic skills being the same.
I guess the best support would be to have a bit more of an introductory breakdown of what is expected from us, and how our skills can be improved/what work we could do over summer to account for this. :smile:

Abbie
University of Southampton, Postgraduate Ambassador

Information and Skills to support Master's Students

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