It’s worth taking some time to think about your motivations for further study.
There are many reasons to study further. You might find it helpful to think about what you want to gain and research carefully how further study might help you achieve your goals.
For example, which of the following motivations are important to you?
Satisfying intellectual curiosity, exploring a subject in greater depth.
Gaining expertise in a specific area, or building evidence of experience of a sector.
Training for a profession, for example the Graduate Diploma in Law for legal careers or PGCE for teaching.
Improving your career prospects generally or adding to your academic record.
Having a new experience – perhaps the chance to live in a different country.
Delaying entering the job market, perhaps while the labour market refreshes or to give you more time to clarify your direction. Take some time to think about how realistic this option is, you may need to make career decisions in the early part of your course.
Other factors that are important to you?
It’s worth taking some time to think beyond your basic motivation. We highlight some of the other issues you might consider below.
Attend careers fairs, presentations and speaker events to ask recruiters and those working in the sector for their view on the value of a higher degree.
Use the University of Oxford alumni page on LinkedIn to review career paths and find contacts to ask for sector-specific insights.
Review destination statistics for courses. Individual institutions should be able to provide these, HESU provide a national overview of course destination data, and you can use the LinkedIn pages for specific universities to explore the career paths of alumni who graduated from courses you are considering.
Ask tutors, supervisors and others for their view on your suitability for further study, and for recommendations of courses and institutions.
