Akash, MA Gender, Sexuality and Culture

My name is Akash and I’m from Glasgow.  I moved to a different university to do my master’s, an MA in Gender, Sexuality and Culture.  My undergrad was completely unrelated, as I studied Textiles.  But this course has allowed me to build on themes and interests I had considered in my dissertation.

Why did you choose your master’s course?

I chose to study Gender, Sexuality and Culture, based on some themes that had come up during my undergrad dissertation, such as queer cinema. While studying that, I realised how interested I was, on a personal level as well as academic. I thought this course would allow me to explore those themes even more.  Not even necessarily with a job in mind, but I just thought: if I have the chance to study it, then why not take the opportunity to explore it even more?

What were you doing before you began your master’s?

I took a year out to live at home and work, to save up for my master’s.

How did you find out about and choose your master’s course?

Initially, I did a quick Google search to see what kind of what master’s were available relating to gender and sexuality, then read more about the various courses on university websites. Watching videos of course tutors and current students on the university website made me want to come and study the course here.

Did you go to a postgraduate fair or open day when choosing your course?

I couldn’t make it to the university open day, so I emailed the course leader, and she invited me to come and meet one of the course tutors another day. So although I didn’t get to experience an open day, I still got to see the department and meet a couple of members of staff.

Had anyone in your family done a postgraduate degree before?

No.

What was the process of applying for a master’s like?

I thought it was like fairly easy to do.  I did email the course tutor to clarify a few things, but it was pretty simple. My advice is to get in touch with tutors on the course you’re applying for, who will be glad to help. I also stayed in contact with my undergrad dissertation tutor, who also looked through my application form.

How have you funded your course?

I had worked for a year to save up prior to starting.  I also took out the postgraduate loan, which covered my rent, and received a bursary from the university.  In addition to this I work part time, about 24 hours per week.

What has your experience of master’s study been like?

I think the course has been slightly different to what we all expected – not in a bad way, just different. But equally, it has been intense, as I expected, with a big workload. There have been lots of opportunities for personal development as well.

How different is postgraduate study from undergraduate?

For me specifically, I had to adjust from a very practical undergrad course to much more essay writing and a dissertation. Also, at undergrad I built up a relationship with having the same tutor from second to fourth year, but in a master’s that’s not going to happen in the same way, as it’s only a year. But all the tutors were lovely and approachable.

Was there anything you were worried about before you started your course? How did it turn out?

I was worried about the workload and how I’d adjust to that, and budgeting, as I was moving to a new city and not sure about the cost of living.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in taking a master’s and how did you overcome it?

At some points, juggling part time work and uni work was tricky. But when you’re doing a master’s, you realise you can’t do everything.  Sometimes it felt like to do my best, I’d have to devote everything to it and not do any part-time work, but that’s just not realistic for most people. And that’s fine, because if you can’t do all the reading you want to, that’s ok.  You just pick the ones you think will be most interesting – but that’s totally ok.

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