Introduction
The difference in pace between starting an undergraduate degree and a taught postgraduate degree is like the difference between an aeroplane taking off and a rocket blasting into space.
On a taught postgraduate course you don’t have time to be embarrassed or defensive about not knowing things – you need to get going quickly. This is why we’ve created this brief introductory course, to show that you don’t need to be an expert in everything when you start a postgraduate degree, but you do need to know how to make the most of the support and opportunities available to you at Brookes.
A key piece of advice is to keep your curiosity – if you ask questions, read widely in your subject, and follow your interests, you will go on an exhilarating journey that can launch you to achieving great things!
This short self-guided course will help you prepare for the different pace and ways of learning on a taught postgraduate degree. It includes a video, a quiz with links to useful resources, and current Brookes postgraduate students sharing their advice based on their experiences. It should take you no more than 20 minutes to complete, and we hope it will leave you feeling ready to ‘head into’ your postgraduate study at Brookes.
What is postgraduate study really like?
How is taught postgraduate study different from previous studying that you’ve done?
Take our myth-busting quiz to discover whether your expectations of starting a taught postgraduate degree match what it is really like.
Instructions: Choose True or False and click Show Advice. Then, use the blue arrows below each question (bottom right) to show the next one. Don’t worry about your score for this activity; it’s just to check and develop your understanding.
Being at Brookes Video
In this video, Brookes students reflect on their postgraduate course experiences, describing how classes are different to undergraduate teaching, as well as strategies for managing workload and staying motivated.
Planning your next steps
You can see from the video above that students had to develop new skills and new ways of learning to suit the different demands of a higher-level course. No matter what previous academic experience they had, all the students had periods of transition, doubt, and reflection which led to them making changes and, ultimately, achieving the success they wanted. This shows that the more self-aware you are, the better prepared you are for making these changes, so why not take that next step and do our postgraduate skills audit now!
Download the skills audit document from the page below, select the sections that suit your needs, then rate yourself on the scale provided. Use the resources on the hyperlinks to make a plan for your development as a postgraduate student.
There is a lot on offer to help you be successful as a postgraduate student at Brookes. On Wednesday 28 September at 1.00 p.m. there will be a live online workshop on studying at postgraduate level. Find out more about this and other Centre for Academic Development events throughout the year by following the link below.
Evaluation
We want to make sure that your postgraduate journey is positive and that you feel part of the Oxford Brookes community. A key part of this is hearing postgraduate students’ views about our support for your transition into higher-level study. We are keen to reflect on what you say about your experiences and find ways to improve what we do. We would really appreciate you responding to a brief survey about this online resource to help us with this work. If you are happy to provide some feedback, please click on the button below, where you can also join our mailing list to hear about development opportunities throughout your time at Brookes.