Carly
"What I have really loved about being back at Surrey is seeing and catching up with my old lecturers and reliving memories from my bachelors."
Why did you choose to continue your postgraduate studies at Surrey, instead of another university?
I chose to continue my studies at Surrey because I loved studying my undergraduate degree here – the Languages cohort was so friendly, and I knew studying with the Centre for Translation Studies would feel just as personal. After graduating from my bachelors, I lived abroad for two years, and it was nice knowing I could come back to a familiar place where I knew I would feel at home, rather than risking going to a different university and having to navigate a new city. One of the huge benefits as well was the 20% discount on the masters which I qualified for as a returning student.
How did the university support you in your transition to becoming a postgraduate student?
The lecturers on my course have been really supportive. For example, we’ve had refresher sessions on how to produce high-quality academic writing, since some of us have taken short breaks since our undergraduate degree, and this has been really useful.
What have been the biggest benefits so far of continuing your studies at Surrey?
What I have really loved about being back at Surrey is seeing and catching up with my old lecturers and reliving memories from my bachelors. Another benefit has been being able to immediately get back into the swing of things – I knew how the University worked, the support it offered, and I feel really at home in Guildford.
Living on campus means I’m only a 15-minute walk from the centre of town. This has allowed me to get part-time work, and meet new people; many of my colleagues are also Surrey students. I also really love the range of societies which Surrey has and enjoy attending the yoga and languages societies in the evenings.
What advice would you give to a current Surrey undergraduate student who is thinking of staying for a masters?
I would advise them to organise a meeting with course leaders who would be able to answer any of their questions about the masters programme as this may help to confirm their decision. I would also remind them that transitioning to postgraduate study would be easier and more convenient if they stayed at Surrey – in that they already know Guildford and how the uni works.
What do you plan to do after graduating and how has your masters degree supported that?
Having a masters degree opens a lot of doors. I’m currently considering two options – a career as a professional translator or undertaking doctoral research in this field. Both opportunities are fantastic and have been made possible because of my masters degree.
Discover more about our postgraduate courses in languages, communication, translation and interpreting, including our Translation, Interpreting and AI MA.
