When I received the email that I had successfully secured a place studying MSc Marketing at The University of Manchester, I felt a kind of elation that I had only ever previously experienced back in 2019 when I found out I was going to Manchester to study my undergraduate degree. The only difference was that now, at 22, I felt as though I knew what university had in store for me. It wasn’t my first rodeo, so to speak.

“My dad said doing his master’s degree was the most stressful time of his life, worse than his PhD,” my friend at my then-job jokingly said to me when I told him the news. I laughed, but it did hit me that everyone I knew had told me that a Masters degree is significantly harder than a Bachelor’s, which, to be fair, does make sense. Another step up in academia, I admit I started to finally feel the same nerves I felt when I was 18 and about to embark on the beginning of my journey into higher education.

Two months in, I have plenty of insights about the jump from undergraduate to the postgraduate lifestyle.

Firstly, there’s the loan situation.

When I was studying my Bachelor’s degree, I had a loan to cover my tuition fees as well as a maintenance loan which, in my case, covered my rent and allowed me extra money to spend on essentials.

Postgraduate loans are a different story, with the amount not actually covering the cost of a lot of Masters courses.

This means that I have had to be more frugal and cut down on my spending. Nights previously spent out in town have been replaced with rereading books in bed, which is fine, actually, as this leads me to my next point.

The workload is much heavier.

This was the main thing everyone told me to look out for and I have to confirm that it’s true! There is always more reading to be done, more research to be conducted and more group meetings to be held to work on assignments. This may sound unfortunate, but surprisingly, this is something I love about my course! I study marketing and I LOVE it. The theories, the framework, the practical applications, I enjoy everything! The workload is heavier, but I think that as long as you love your subject, it’s so fun immersing yourself in studying.

The final thing I have noticed during my course is the amount of people I have had the pleasure of getting to know! The support I feel during my Master’s is truly unmatched and it’s been incredible getting to know so many people who are just as excited about the same subject as me!

While the jump from being an undergraduate to a postgraduate student may seem jarring, it really is an exciting experience that I feel so thrilled to be a part of.

Written by Mia, a current MSc Marketing student at AMBS

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