How to Make Your Masters Experience Magical!

Gareth is due to complete the MSc Psychology conversion course in January 2024. So, as a current student, understands the blessings and challenges experienced through educational enhancement. He chose to complete the Masters full time, whilst working part-time as a Mental Health Lifestyle Coach, and being a devoted dog Dad to his Airedale terrier, King Arthur.

Congratulations on making the decision to begin your Masters degree! With only around 7% of the US and UK population holding a postgraduate qualification, you are exceptional!

After almost a decade away from academia, and as an extra-mature student, I enrolled on the MSc Psychology (Conversion) course just over a year ago. For any Harry Potter fans, it felt like my own back to Hogwarts moment. Now, six modules, and twelve assignments later, I’ve learnt a lot through the experience, and defeated a few metaphorical dark wizards along the way!

As I write the final draft of my dissertation, all of this learning is finally consolidating. So today, I’d like to share some reflections on my return to academia; what helped, what definitely didn’t, and how to hit the ground running to maximise making your master’s experience, a magical one!

Find balance

Working part-time for two days a week alongside my Masters meant that a boundary was already set with some of my time. However, the rest of my time was not managed so carefully. My social life, self-care, home-related chores, exercise routines, and healthy diet all faded away. I let the things that keep me well be obscured by a self-imposed pressure to study and work on assignments. After wasting hours sat at the computer in an avoidant mindset, I now realise that, instead of time, focus is the key.

Short, focused study sessions are far more productive (check out the pomodoro technique). This also allows essential time to actually live your life. When we step away, we see more clearly, create space for insights, and new ideas flow! So, plan your time, maintain your study/life boundaries, and realise your Masters is important, but it’s not everything.

Create connections

Whatever your course of study, you and all the other students in your class have chosen it for a reason, so you already have at least one shared interest! Peer-support has been an essential part of the experience, from wellbeing walks around the campus during break times, to online study sessions holding us accountable to each other and motivating us towards the finish line. Setting up a Whatsapp group for our whole class was also a great way of building and maintaining communication with a diverse range of other students.

These relationships have really helped me in my most challenging moments, as fellow students truly understand how the process feels!

Seek support

Universities are generally supportive environments, so I’d encourage you to familiarise yourself with what help is available. Early on, I challenged my tendency to suffer in silence by asking for guidance on academic writing through a one-to-one writing tutorial, and a refresher on referencing. Both were so helpful!

Top tip – developing your critical analysis is a key component of postgraduate academic writing!

With this help-seeking momentum started, I sought further guidance through maths and statistics tutorials, which felt like learning a new language. I also reached out for wellbeing support about 6 months in when personal issues and balancing work/study/life all felt a bit overwhelming. The support sessions I received helped immensely to re-frame and re-structure my life.

Finally, being future focused, I received great advice from the careers team. They helped me to connect with my values and passions in life, which informed potential career pathways. So, if you feel a worry or concern consistently rising within, be guided by it, and reach out within your university to seek support.

Marathon mentality

They say slow and steady wins the race, and your Masters is not a sprint, but a marathon. With this analogy set, I’ll explain how this approach can really help.

Firstly, it’s all about the warm-up. Writing can be hard. It helps you realise just how creative you can be in distracting yourself! So, before getting into the heavy writing, begin with something lighter. This could be the aspect of the assignment that excites you the most, or the least challenging part. For example, when writing reports, working on the method section was a great warm-up. Build momentum before tackling the harder parts, and you’ll likely be much more productive.

Next, if you were training for a marathon, you’d run regularly. Attending lectures is just the tip of the iceberg, it’s the research and writing for assignments that will require the most time and energy. So, from the start, get used to writing, little and often. Explore what time of day is best for your writing. I found that my “golden hour” was early in the morning. During these early morning sessions, I’d write without thinking too much, but feel my energy start to fade after a couple of hours. During the less energised times, I would do research, and plan the next day’s writing. So, to hit the ground running, explore your own marathon mentality, and you’ll be grabbing those golds before you know it!

Final thoughts

The opportunity for education is an empowering blessing and I wish you the best of luck with your Masters degree. You’ll learn a lot about your discipline, and maybe even more about yourself. Celebrate your achievements along the way and remember - don’t let the muggles get you down!