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postgraduate study

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
I will of course be contacting my uni about this but for now i have a few questions for that i'd appreciate some feedback from anyone in the know!

Ive decided that i want to stay on at uni as a postgraduate. One reason is because i want to stay a student for that little bit longer, but ive always had the idea of postgraduate study in the back of my mind but ignored it because i thought i'd never be able to afford it.

But im feeling all ambitious, and i want to better my knowledge. I feel like i want to make it happen. The uni i did my degree at has a course that more or less follows on from my degree and i'd love to do it. Also, i didnt try as hard as i should have with my degree and i think i will end up with a 2:2 which is fine but i want more, and i want soemthing to work towards.

But i have a few queries:

1) With a post-graduate course, will i have enough spare time for a part time job?

2) Im not sure if my degree is good enough to get me in, does any degree mark count?

3) Im not sure how early i would need to apply to get in for this september, am i too late already?

4) I have no idea how much it will cost, and what i would have to pay. For my degree i got my tuition fee's paid due to low family income, will this be the same as a post-grad?

5) As for living costs, i would need at least £300 to live off per month and thats without a social life. If i could work 8 hours a week i could earn about £150 per month, but i would need some sort of financial help for the rest. Are student loans available for post-graduate courses?

If anyone could offer any advice that would be great!

Cheers
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, congratulations for thinking about it! At least if you do it's another year of student discount. Oh yeah...

    With a post-graduate course, will i have enough spare time for a part time job?

    It depends. I do a part-time job, but only one day at the weekend. If my stipend wasn't so good though, I'd probably have to work full weekends. You can't take a part-time job during the week though (at least I wouldn't recommend it)

    Im not sure if my degree is good enough to get me in, does any degree mark count?

    It depends on what you apply for. If you are self-funding, the uni won't care really what you got. If you are applying for funding, numerous factors are taken into consideration. Tutor report, proposal (if doing research), personal statement, degree result. For research PGs, you need either an AMAZING proposal regardless of degree, a brilliant proposal and a decent 2:1, an ok proposal and a 1st. I came under the second one. Decent degree (2:1), but really good proposal.

    I have no idea how much it will cost, and what i would have to pay. For my degree i got my tuition fee's paid due to low family income, will this be the same as a post-grad?

    Depends on where you go, but it'll be more expensive than UG. Generally looking about £3000+. If you get funding, these can get paid for you, but you generally won't get them paid for low family income.

    As for living costs, i would need at least £300 to live off per month and thats without a social life. If i could work 8 hours a week i could earn about £150 per month, but i would need some sort of financial help for the rest. Are student loans available for post-graduate courses?

    I don't think there are student loans, but you could get a commercial loan (one of my friends did it last year). If you get decent funding, then it might be more managable. Look to you career centre or lecturers in you department and ask about funding opportunities. Depending on cut off dates etc, you might need to postpone a year though.

    Hope that helps a bit. Btw, what course is it you're doing?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thank you for that long reply :)

    My degree was animal behaviour science

    The postgraduate course is Animal Behaviour and Welfare

    I thoroughly love the subject and i think thats a good enough reason as any! Ive always planned on starting up my own business in problem behaviour management after graduation and working for a year or so for money, but i dont feel like im ready for that, i would like to learn more first.

    Sounds like this is going to be complicated. Theres no way i could fund it myself. Im in too much debt already
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just a quick question Sophia, who are you funded by?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for your replies.

    After research it appears that its not going to be possible for me to do a post-graduate degree.

    Looks like student life for me is completely over.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    which uni are you currently at?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    sophia wrote:
    The Economic and Social Research Council. My university had two guaranteed quota places for 1+3. They're the most ridiculously competitive things ever though, there's a national competition as well as the quota awards and I think about 1,000 people applied last year for 50 places.
    I thought that's who you were with, cause that's who I'm with as well. It's the only program I know that does 1+3. I didn't realise they were so competitive until recently (and so prestigious!). My department is approved by the ESRC, but we don't have preapproved places, I still needed to go in through the open competition.

    *Blah*

    Really sorry that you can't get to do PG work, but maybe you can go back next year and take your time to apply.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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