Masters by Research

I  knew  I  was  interested in  getting  more  research  experience. I  also  knew  that  I didn't  have  much  to  start  with. I  wasn't  ready  for  a  PhD  yet, so  I  wasn't  ready  to tie  myself  down  like  that. When  I  did  my  undergraduate, there  were  some  skills  which I  had  not  developed  as  much. The  Master's  by  Research is  very  much  focused  on  undertaking cutting  edge  research  within  a  research  group that's  doing  world  leading research  here  in  Edinburgh, and  that  gives  a  student  the opportunity  to  really  see how  small  parts  of a  project  build  towards a  much  bigger  picture. The  cohort  has  been  really  awesome, especially  considering  we're all  doing  different  projects, and  our  experiences  are incredibly  unique  to  each  other. So  I  really  liked  the  availability of  choice  and  adaptability. These  are  different  kinds  of projects.  They're  a  little  bit  longer. They  might  be  a  bit  riskier, but  that's  what  real  science  is  like. But  the  masters  gives  them a  flavour  of  different  research  areas, different  research  approaches, different  research  topics. From  day  one,  I  really felt  like  I  was  a  part  of  the  group, and  my  work  mattered. I  was  given  very  good  guidance  starting  out, but  I  also  managed  to gain  independence  throughout  each  project. Throughout  this  degree,  I've become  more  of  a  researcher  or investigator  than  I  felt  as  a  student when  you  start  in  the  lab and  you  work  with  your  supervisor, coming  up  with  the  project  was more  of  a  collaborative  experience. You're  learning  a  lot  and you're  taking  in  a  lot  of  information, but  you're  also  being  asked to  ask  the  questions. There  is  more  freedom  to think  about  how  things  were  planned, but  also  more  responsibility associated  with  that. All  of  a  sudden, I  started  to  think  back  at  all  the  work I  had  done  and  all  the  learning  I  had  done, and  I  realised,  Wow,  actually, I  can  apply  for  a  PhD and  I  can  take  on  that  challenge. It's  honestly  the  best  city  to  move  to. I  was  not  expecting  it  to be  so  inclusive  and  warm, and  Edinburgh  itself, the  university  just  provides a  lot  of  opportunities  to  meet  people. So  this  is  the  opportunity  to decide  whether  it's  the  right  thing  for  you, because  a  PhD  is  a  big  step. The  masters  is  a  good  time, maybe  to  give  yourself the  confidence  to  think, yes,  I  can  do  that,  two  different  projects, and  that  builds  towards the  idea  that  in  your  PhD, you're  going  to  need  that  resilience, but  it's  a  great  thing  to  do.