Yolanda - How postgraduate study differs from undergraduate

As a person who is doing a Master's, I can proudly say that making the decision to study at postgraduate level was one of the best decisions I ever made! To be honest I have never thought that after my undergraduate education I would sign up for postgraduate and the reason for that was that in my mind a Master’s degree was something very different and much more complicated. I was not sure that I would be able to do it! Of course there are some differences between undergraduate and postgraduate, but let me share the main ones with you:

Change in the way you study

During my undergraduate semesters I did not spend much time in the library because I knew exactly what I needed and where to find it. In comparison, in my postgraduate education I need to do wider research on different topics and use critical thinking, which allows me to compare different points of view and evaluate them.

Meeting different people

In my undergraduate degree I was surrounded by people of my age who had just finished school. We all had the same interests and same mindsets. That was awesome, but now when I am studying with professionals who can share a real work experience with me I can compare both situations, and find the benefits of studying with people on different level, nationalities and background.

Different attitudes by the tutors

I found out that on my postgraduate seminars the lecturers are really friendly and not that strict in comparison with my undergraduate. In addition, I was surprised to receive an invitations for academic conferences and even end-of-term drinks.

Overall, compared to your Bachelors, you will have a lot more freedom during a Masters, but at the same time you would need to be more dedicated and purposeful. And who knows, your postgraduate dissertation may end up getting published or even become the basis for your future PhD.