“My Pre-Master’s lectures not only teach us study skills but they are also mentors who listen to our problems and help us solve them.”
My Pre-Master’s lecturers are amazing. They always give me useful feedback for my assignments and exams. My Pre-Master’s lectures not only teach us study skills but they are also mentors who listen to our problems and help us solve them.
I really like my lecturers and the content of my Pre-Master’s course. I’ve never felt so free in an educational environment like this before. I can decide what I want to write, and do research in my own way. The best thing is my lecturers let me get on with own my ideas but still give me the feedback to make my work better.
Most people in Asia think that education is a competition. However, here I do not need to worry about my scores, I just need to be productive as a student and as a part of society. That is the reason why I like the education environment in the UK.
I was looking for a conducive environment for study and a university which has a course to prepare me for a master’s degree. I found information about the Two Year Master’s Programme at Oxford Brookes, so I decided to study here. The application process was very easy and fast. The Pre-Master’s course is better than I expected.
I like Oxford because it is calm, it has many halal stores, and it is not too cold in winter. It is also not far from international airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick.
In the Pre-Master’s course, I study classes about:
Reading: In the master’s program, we need to read many sources such as academic journals, books, and information on the web for our dissertation. However, our time is limited. Reading class makes me able to absorb and understand the content of sources much faster than before.
Writing: In writing class, I study many important components of writing especially for the dissertation. I study the techniques required to do secondary and primary research in an effective way. I also study about writing clear abstracts and conclusions.
Seminar participation: Giving an opinion is not always easy because of the different cultures and backgrounds in the classes: I have a British lecturer and classmates from different countries. However, I have had the opportunity to discuss how to give an opinion in a polite way and I have also learned about preparing and doing a presentation.
Critical thinking: In this class, I learn about looking at cases from different points of view.
Self-management: I learn about how to manage my tasks and enjoy my life as a student.
Confidence: I heard from many Indonesian people who did a master’s in the UK that it is very difficult, and they had many problems with writing because thinking critically and writing something based on our analysis in English is not something that most people in Indonesia do at an undergraduate level. I was not confident before coming to the UK but now I am very optimistic I can do well in my master’s programme.