Worries about starting a postgraduate degree

As a third-year student who has just finished her undergrad degree, I know all too well about the worries of moving on to a postgraduate degree. Most people in this situation will have spent the last month finishing up their Uni work, saying goodbye to their friends, and moving out of their student house or accommodation. All of which can be incredibly sad and overwhelming.

However, if you’re planning to do a postgraduate degree, it’s not all bad! While the rest of our friends are packing up to leave Lincoln, some with jobs lined up, and some with absolutely no idea what comes next, you get to have some sense of familiarity next year.

Although a postgrad degree is a step up from an undergrad, there’s a lot that will remain the same. If you’re staying at the same university, you have the luxury of knowing your way around the same campus, seeing familiar faces in the staff, and using the same platform to access your learning, for example, Blackboard! If you are moving to a new university for your postgrad degree, don’t forget that you learnt all of this when you moved to Uni in the first place- you made all new friends, found your way around a new campus and city, and absolutely smashed your degree, all when you had never done it before.

A common anxiety that many have about starting their postgraduate degree, is that they’ve said goodbye to most of their friends and will have to start over again. However, this is not such a bad thing. As previously mentioned, you did it once before, and you can certainly do it again. If you’re moving into new accommodation, chances are that you will find friends there, just as you did in first year. Many people may have also chosen to follow the same route as you, for example, if you study Criminology, and are choosing to study Criminology and Criminal Justice as a masters, you might find that there are familiar faces among students that you’ve already studied alongside.

Something that I, personally, had anxieties over was funding. My loan covers my tuition fees and luckily my accommodation costs too, but I was incredibly stressed about how I would be able to afford to live. Having such a long summer off before restarting Uni again in late September has allowed me to find employment over the summer to begin saving. The University also offers helpful advice and opportunities to help you find work, for example through Campus Jobs. If funding is something that you are anxious about, why not contact student services and speak with an Advice Worker about your financial worries.

Finally, another anxiety that many students have about their transition from undergrad to postgrad, is how much harder will the workload be? This is something that particularly troubled me. The way I see it is, you’ve just spent three years learning about something that you’re (hopefully) passionate about, and this next stage in your learning shouldn’t be any different. You’ve already done it for three years, what’s another one or maybe two? It could be harder, but it would be worth it if it meant it could lead you to your dream job or career path.

If you’re still having anxieties about your postgraduate degree, visit the course page on the University of Lincoln website. Not only does it offer tons of information about the course you will be going on to, but there is a chat pop-up option to speak to previous students who have completed the course, and they may be able to answer any specific questions you have and calm any last worries about your transition.

Good luck to everyone who is starting their postgraduate degrees!