Jess

Jess, MA 2014-15

I chose to study an MA in Culture and Thought after 1945 as a very last minute decision. Part way through my undergraduate dissertation, and when I already had an unconditional place at University of Oxford to undertake a PGCE, I realised I was not ready to be done with academic study. I felt I had more I could learn and so much further to push myself before choosing a career path.

The core module, Framing the Contemporary, was so diverse and I thoroughly enjoyed being challenged to think about the world from a variety of positions. Being able to chose modules from across a range of academic disciplines really drew me to this MA, as a joint honours undergraduate student I felt the ability to widen my knowledge, not narrow it into a specific area, was an extremely valuable asset.

The year has definitely been the toughest year of my life, and I haven’t found it easy at all. Yet it has equally been the most rewarding, and a year where I have developed into a strong individual with even stronger convictions thanks to the sort of study I have undertaken.

Next year I hope to find a job working in the public sector, and one day I still like to think that I’ll challenge myself to a PhD, but not for a while…