The University of Exeter is a top university in the United Kingdom. This post will present a brief overview of the university, followed by a discussion of a current master’s student’s experience.
The University Of Exeter
Exeter University is located in Devon. Its location is tranquil. The city is picturesque with its breathtaking scenery, and spectacular seaside vistas. Aside from its historic history, the university has a significant student population and a lovely campus. It is well-known for its excellence in teaching and research. It received a Gold award by TEF for the exceptional quality of its teaching.
Postgraduate Options
Students at The University Of Exeter enjoy a wide range of postgraduate choices. You may learn more about what they have to offer by visiting their website.
Laura Nicolaou-Jones: My Experience At The University Of Exeter
Why did you decide to study at the University of Exeter?
The course I wanted to study was not available at most Universities, which limited my choices. This is the first year that Exeter offered a MA Publishing course and the only university that I felt acknowledged the issue with publishing being dominated by the white middle-classes by offering the module Publishing and Power: Black and Asian literary networks in the UK. I felt that the prestige of attending a Russell group university would give me more opportunities and better my chances of employment post-study.
The Department
What’s your course and how is the workload and support provided?
I am studying a taught postgraduate masters in Publishing full time. The workload is surprisingly manageable. I would say that overall the support is good.
Characterise your department?
My course falls under Arts and Humanities so the work focuses on reading academic literature and discussing themes either in person or in essays. However, the publishing Ma involves an equal amount of practical work as well. We work with a local publishing house so my learning is happening on the job as much as in the classroom.
Costs
We are all aware that pursuing a masters degree may be costly. Why do you think this is the case? What steps can make higher education more accessible to young adults?
I went straight from studying for my undergraduate degree to studying for my masters. You should take some time in-between to save money because the way postgraduate study is designed makes it particularly inaccessible to students from working-class backgrounds to complete their studies. I honestly believe that universities and the current government try to keep studying at all academic levels but particularly postgraduate exclusive for those who belong to the middle and upper classes, it maintains the status quo and reinforces who can receive degrees from these institutions. It is all about reputation. Tuition costs are the biggest barrier, so in my opinion universities and the government should be doing more to help those from backgrounds who traditionally would not be able to attend somewhere like the University of Exeter by providing more financial support.
A Day In The Life
Give me a rundown of a typical day as a masters student living in Exeter?
On a day that I have taught lectures/seminars on campus, I start by walking the twenty-five-minute commute to save money which isn’t too bad. Most students walk and the scenery and architecture in Exeter is very picturesque. Once on campus, I make my way to my 12:35 seminar, taught by my module convenor or a visiting expert. The seminars are small, with around fifteen students in each group. We discuss the reading for the week and respond to the seminar questions for two hours.
After I go straight to a lecture that is an hour-long where we discuss our projects. Once the lecture ends I usually walk home through town with some friends, sometimes stopping for coffee. Once I get back I will usually exercise before starting the reading for the following week. I spend the days that I am not on campus either reading or working on course material. A lot of learning is independent at the postgraduate level so it’s my responsibility to keep myself on track.
Final Thoughts
What are your final opinions on your master’s degree, and what advice do you have for new and prospective students interested in studying your course?
I really encourage everyone to see University and higher education as achievable, I love learning and I am really enjoying my course. I would say do your research. Not every course and every university are the same. Finding the right one for you is important. It is expensive, and there isn’t a lot of information readily available to help you navigate it. You should email and ask even though this can feel embarrassing the help does exist you just have to go looking for it. Publishing needs to be more diverse, it needs people from every background. I would really encourage anyone from an underrepresented background to study publishing.
We hope this post has given you an idea of what it’s like to pursue a master’s degree at the University Of Exeter.
