A reflection on the first semester of my MSc

September to December, 13 weeks of fresh faces and new content. While it can be daunting to start a new course, with the undeniable nerves of meeting new course mates and being blasted with modules you’ve never heard of, there is also the excitement of what is to come.

Personally, before starting my MSc Agri-Food Technology, I had done some research on the content and it all intrigued me. However, what really did make me nervous was having to go through the ‘Hi, I’m Molly’ all over again like in first year, hoping you’ll like at least one person and they like you as well. Luckily, my course has been extremely welcoming and I’ve actually been the Lincoln alumni of the group, settling some of the nerves I had before.

With regards to the jump from a BSc to a MSc, I’ve found that doing Biology beforehand has given me a solid background for the majority of my modules. However, there have been a couple which have required me to try a little harder and do the background reading you really wish you didn’t have to do. But it’s been worth it; I now fully understand what is going on and I don’t lag behind like I feared I would.

I must say, the assessments have been very similar to those that I completed during my BSc – scientific reports, presentations and essays. Presentations have never been my favourite type of assessments (why do you think I’m a blogger and not a vlogger?). But having so many of this type of assessment throughout the years made me be able to confidently and successfully give a presentation in front of many different groups of people in many different ways, and for that, I am so thankful.

I think something that sometimes goes unspoken when talking about an educational journey is the emotional growth that comes with it. In just one semester, I have seen myself become more confident in myself and my abilities, I belong on this Masters course and sometimes I think I need to remind myself of this. I believe there are people out there with doubts about themselves, whether it be ‘I’m not smart enough’, ‘I don’t think I can do this’ or ‘I don’t have the personality for this’ – and I am one of these people. More likely than not, my confidence in myself will increase further throughout my course, and I cannot wait to see what the next semester has in store for me.