Ciara, MRes Archaeology

Did you always want to pursue a masters degree? 

No, my imposter syndrome really put me off and I didn’t think I was smart enough for a master’s degree. I knew people who were considering doing one and I didn’t think I was on the same level as them. I put myself off doing it by convincing myself I didn’t have the knowledge or skills to do it, even though I had always wanted to.

Instead, in my third year I started looking for jobs. I was offered a great job, but I just knew something wasn’t right. I declined the offer and wanted time to plan my next steps. I decided to just go for it, as I already had the grades to join the master’s programme and knew what I wanted to research. I applied and got in.

Why did you decide to stay at Nottingham? 

I also just love living in Nottingham! I grew up here, I work with the university Students' Union, and the campus is amazing, so being able to carry it all on just gave me more reasons to stay.

Moving to another university was too much of a risk for me at this stage. Knowing everyone and what’s going on enabled me to focus and study immediately, without having to worry about settling in again which was crucial to me.

What was the jump from undergraduate to postgraduate study like? 

I have found it seamless. As I do an MRes, I have less taught modules and there’s a lot more time to work on my dissertation, so I haven’t felt that there is more pressure on you as a postgrad.

What are you researching? How did you decide on this?

I’m looking at the emotional relationship between humans and animals in the Bronze Age Aegean. It’s really interesting, I get do inter-disciplinary research in both psychology and archaeology. I did a similar topic for my undergraduate dissertation, so the interest into the psychology and emotions was already sparked.

In my undergraduate degree, I never took the opportunity to study any modules on animals, so I decided to incorporate it into my masters dissertation.

What new skills have you gained from postgraduate study?

Doing a masters in anything, but especially a Master of Research, means you're given so much independence so you must be so organised with your time. Like with me, you don’t have to get it spot on straight away; it’s all a learning experience. Your research and analysis skills will also be incredible by the end.

Because I'm doing interdisciplinary research, I’m developing such an important skill to have in whatever career I go into. To understand a different discipline and then also be able to present what you're doing to someone who isn't an expert on that topic is such an underrated skill.

Have your career goals changed since your undergraduate degree?

I'd still like to go into marketing, but I’ve found myself getting interested in doing that for a museum now, which I wasn't as interested in before. I've got a module this semester called ‘Heritage and the Media’. We're learning about how heritage, for example archaeological discoveries, are being presented in the media and to the public. It’s making me really interested in that side of things as well.

How has it been socially as postgraduate student at Nottingham? 

I do most of my work in the Humanities Building and there's a postgraduate-only zone in there, so you end up seeing the same people every day when you're working.

My seminar group is also so small that I'm getting to know those that I’m studying with much more than I did last year. You definitely have to put in more effort than during your undergrad because it's a lot more independent.

How have you approached the work/life balance, especially in comparison to when you were an undergraduate? 

It's something that has taken me a while to figure out, because I only have four contact hours a week this semester, and the rest is my responsibility to schedule with extra-curriculars and part-time work. I think that's the most challenging thing to get used to and the biggest change.

You need to figure out when you're most productive, and trust in yourself that you can get your work done in the timeframe that you're given. However, it’s beneficial as it means I have more flexibility with my work as well as my study.

What does success mean to you? 

I think there's a societal expectation to go straight into a good grad job, and I was on that path to go and do that too. In reality, nobody else cares about anyone else's success. I've just learned to notice my smaller successes, so I put less pressure on myself and I’m happier in general.