Student's answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding a master's degree in England

The following article is directed to current and future applicants for master's studies in the United Kingdom. My name is Kamil and I studied Business English and Intercultural Communicationat the University of Huddersfield. If you still have doubts about the correctness of your decision, I hope I can help you dispel them.

Many last-year bachelor's or engineering degree students face a difficult life choice, namely: what next? I was in such a situation myself and considered various possibilities, eventually deciding to continue my education in Great Britain. Initially, I was full of doubts, questioning my knowledge, and although I had completed English Philology, I feared that my English language skills would not be sufficient. Just after a few days spent in Great Britain, I realized that there's nothing to be scared of.

The life baggage and experience gained here allow me to easily answer the questions that troubled me during the application for master's studies in the UK.

Will my diploma be recognized by British universities?

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions by applicants for Master's degrees in the United Kingdom. As a graduate of a Polish university, which is relatively small and far from the top universities or polytechnics, I can affirmatively answer this question. I applied to various universities in the United Kingdom, the better ones and the slightly worse ones, and each of them recognized my diploma.

Despite everything, most of the local universities expect a final grade on the diploma of 4.5 or higher, but people with a final grade of 4, who diligently work on their staff, still have a high chance of getting into their chosen universities.

Will I definitely get a student loan?

Yes, you will definitely get a student loan if you fill out everything correctly. If you have any doubts about filling out applications or other documents, don't hesitate to ask anyone from Smart Prospects for help. I'll be honest, I was skeptical about the loan myself until the day I received confirmation of being granted a student loan. Now I see that I worried unnecessarily.

Well, so I have a loan and an offer from the university, but... Where will I live?

The issue of living is quite individual, and everyone can choose differently. I personally chose to live in a "dormitory". However, looking back at my choice with the perspective of time, if I were to choose again, I would decide to rent a room in a house/apartment. Dormitories can be quite noisy, and during master's studies, we need a lot of time for individual work (more on that later).

Can I cope?

Whether I could handle my master's studies in the UK was my worst nightmare, haunting me until the first classes at the local university. Fear of something new is human, and as my former professor used to say: only a fool is not afraid, the art is to be scared and act anyway. Whatever I or anyone else tell you, will not calm you down enough to stop worrying. Only the experience of studying here firsthand will convince you that there really is nothing to fear. Even if you initially have difficulties getting used to the language or the way classes are conducted, you can count on the support of lecturers who, unlike many Polish lecturers, want and try to help students.

Believe in yourselves and do what you want, without being guided by fear.

Do you have to study a lot?

The question of how much time needs to be dedicated to studying largely depends on the field, but as a rule, a lot of time is spent on so-called "self-study" during master's studies in England. A master's degree here is such that it only lasts one year full-time (two years part-time), so lecturers expect a lot of personal input from students, which mainly involves reading additional books, articles, or other publications. In summary, one needs to dedicate a lot of time to studying.

What do the exams look like?

Just at my university and my field of study, we do not have our typical Polish session - so there are no big exams. Passing a course mainly consists of writing papers, presentations, or other graded projects. In my case, to pass a course, one must prepare two summarizing written works (so-called summative assignments).

In conclusion...

I presented to you questions that I myself was looking for answers to while applying for master's studies in the United Kingdom.

In conclusion, I just want to tell you, applicants, to follow what your heart tells you. If you feel that studying abroad is what you want, then write to Smart Prospects and ask for help. Thanks to studying abroad, you will gain not only an education that will look good on your CV but also a vast amount of experience and probably make many new friendships.

No one will live your life for you.