I’m not ready to leave

I will openly admit that I am not ready to move on. I have mostly enjoyed my time here as an undergraduate, but when faced with the possibility of the real world, I’m just not ready to leave yet. Of course, I feel like there is so much that my choice of postgraduate course can give to me. I wouldn’t stay at Warwick if that were not the case.

However, I don’t want to play up to the cliché and deny that a Master’s degree is a delaying technique. I need longer to just be free, full-time-jobless, and without adult responsibilities.

I need longer to accumulate work experience. I want the chance to travel more in my lengthy student breaks, rather than a maximum six week time Limit in a graduate scheme.

I feel like there is so much that my choice of postgraduate course can give to me.

Right now, I just want to be a big teenager and keep on learning in the hope it gets me somewhere eventually. The cost is a big deterrent for many current students, and I am definitely one of those with concerns. Currently I receive the long-lost maintenance in a bid to fund my university experience. I also have two jobs just to keep myself afloat.

Fortunately, many universities, not limited to Warwick, have specific postgraduate bursary schemes. This was the lifeline I needed to make my decision for me. Further to bursaries, I will have to invest in the government postgraduate loans system. Though it is far from perfect, this should comfortably sail me through to July 2018.

The cost is a big deterrent for many current students

Naturally, those on an integrated Master’s degree won’t have to put any thought into actually applying for a postgraduate degree. For me though, completing my application has been my main focus for the whole of the winter break.

Including a personal statement and portfolio, my application has been causing me a vast amount of unnecessary stress. I have questioned at points, owing to this discomfort, whether it is even worth it. However I always come to the same conclusion.

For me though, completing my application has been my main focus for the whole of the winter break.

Postgraduate study is expensive, time consuming and, all too often, just an evasion technique. However I don’t mind any of those things. In the next few days, my application will be gone and hopefully Ill be preparing to investigate another discipline for 12 months.

If all goes well, I will then be ready to face the world as a real, human adult. Wishful thinking perhaps, but I don’t want to overlook the many positive things that can come from taking an extra year just for myself.