Megan's story: From undergraduate to postgraduate study at WBS

From in-depth online discussions to her more subject-focused peers, hear Megan’s unique perspective on completing her undergraduate degree and starting her MSc in Marketing & Strategy at WBS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hi everyone, my name is Megan and I am currently a Masters student at WBS studying ‘MSc Marketing & Strategy’ for 2020-2021. This is actually my fifth year as a Warwick student, as I also completed my undergraduate degree at WBS studying ‘BSc Management (with Intercalated Year)’ from 2016-2020.

Applying for my MSc course

I chose to continue my studies within WBS as I wanted to further my knowledge, and focus specifically on Marketing as this is the area in which I want to go into. I had also enjoyed my experience within the Business School throughout my undergraduate studies, so decided to apply for the Masters course. As well as the fact that the WBS MSc Marketing & Strategy course is now ranked 2^nd in the UK and 6^th in the world!

I applied for MSc Marketing & Strategy in around February of 2020, and was offered a place on the course in March. I applied for my course towards the very beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. When I applied I knew that the course structure and my university experience could potentially be affected by Covid-19, for example, more online learning than I had experienced during my undergraduate degree. However, I don’t think I quite realised the impact that the pandemic would have on the whole University system, such as the complete move to having all large group lectures online, and only being able to have small group seminars taught in person, whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines. 

Moving from undergraduate to postgraduate study at Warwick

Apart from the obvious Covid-19 related differences, and an increase in work-load per module, the main difference I have noticed is that at Masters-level everyone enrolled on the course has a strong interest in marketing and strategy, as they are keen to learn, collaborate and participate in group discussions. I have noticed that the discussions seem to have a further depth to them, and are backed up by a wealth of global industry knowledge. Even though some of our discussions now take place online, for example in lectures, or online break-out sessions, most students are still eager to get involved virtually and have good things to contribute.

Expectations vs. reality

Having experienced a ‘typical’ Welcome Week and Induction at undergraduate level, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect this year given that the first week was all virtual. The online course and module induction sessions provided us with the main information we needed as we began the course. I think one of the big differences was not being able to see and meet my course mates at these induction events. We have been able to communicate with each other online and meet physically in small groups and during seminars but, due to Covid-19 restrictions, this can be limiting.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all large group lectures are being held online. Even though this is a new experience, as normally live lectures are held in person, I have found that the online lectures have still been very valuable and discussions can take place as normal. Having them online also means we can watch from the comfort of our own homes/accommodation (without the need to wear a mask), and there is the added benefit of having unlimited coffee and snacks too!

As I have been studying at Warwick for a few years now, I am very familiar with the campus. But being a postgraduate student this year means I now have access to some of the PG study spaces, such as the PG Lounge and PG Learning Space within WBS, and the main PG Hub inside ‘The Junction’ (some may know as the old sports centre).

I am grateful to have been awarded one of the Warwick Sport Scholarships again for this academic year. Being a sport scholar, I am a regular at the new Sports Hub on campus. It is definitely one of my favourite and most visited places on campus. You’ll often find me sitting at Café Nero after a gym session, catching up on some module readings. The gym has pretty much anything any student/sports person will need and is where most of the student sports clubs hold their training.

Looking forward

I am most looking forward to learning more about my field of interest – Marketing. As well as meeting a bunch of new people from a whole variety of backgrounds.

Discover more about our portfolio of postgraduate courses available at WBS