By Huey Ying Chong, MSc Occupational Psychology
I recently completed my BSc Psychology from The University of Sheffield in summer 2016. Feeling extremely relieved and all, I happily attended the graduation with my fellow peers, receiving loads of congratulations from friends and family. I would describe that summer as a really good one because I was casually telling other people, “oh I just graduated,” and you could see them showing you the “lucky you!” face. 
Before I finished my undergraduate degree, I applied for MSc Occupational Psychology at the Sheffield University Management School and was lucky enough to gain a place on the course – yay!
I wondered if I should go straight into postgraduate studies or if I should try and find a job. But I did my research and found out that it is actually not that uncommon to sign up for postgraduate studies right after you got your Bachelor’s degree! With much excitement, I returned to Sheffield in Autumn 2016 to start my postgraduate studies.
The Autumn semester is nearly finished and I can tell you that this is a different game from undergraduate. Here are three things I’ve learnt so far:
- It can feel hectic at times. There is lots of work to do and you need to balance the different deadlines, attend all your lectures and tutorials, and make sure you’re always focused and committed to your studies.
- Lectures are a lot more engaging. Remember when you used to walk into a big lecture hall with over 200 students buzzing inside? Not on my course – there are only 30 of us. During the lectures, you are expected to constantly be engaged in group discussions and responding to the lecturer’s questions. It’s pretty cool, in fact. You will be learning a lot quicker than when you just sit in the lecture hall and listening.
Because of the small class size you get to know all your course mates. You will know their names, you will know their different backgrounds, you will have lunch breaks together, and more! Some of them were working before starting the MSc so they bring their working experience to the classroom and share their insights with you.
I’m still finding postgraduate studies to be very tiring at times, however I really like it a lot better than undergraduate studies! I like laughing at my course mates’ jokes, hearing about their working experiences in different industries, the practical focus of the teaching, and that the lecturers are so warm and friendly.