I Graduated Twice In The Middle Of A Pandemic...
I have not had a proper graduation but my university invited us to take pictures with the whole gear so here’s a selfie of me “graduating”…
As someone who graduated in the middle of the pandemic, there were definitely pros and cons. The pros? My university decided on a no detriment policy. This meant that we couldn’t get a grade lower than what we had already achieved in the previous year. Mind you, my grades for the second year was exactly what I had worked and hoped for. This was the news I never knew I needed to hear. In the third year of my degree when the pandemic hit, I was pretty demotivated, to say the least. The situation was all so odd but so was it for the rest of the world. The no detriment policy definitely helped but what was next? Employment in this economy? What a joke.
The cons of graduating in the middle of a pandemic clearly outweighed the pros. I had no job prospects in sight because almost every sector I knew was firing, not hiring. I was stuck between a hard place and a rock, my visa was about to expire and if I couldn’t find a job that was willing to offer me a Tier 2 Work Visa, I was bound for a flight home. I was determined to stay but the only way I knew how was to do a masters. Honestly, this was never a plan of mine. Growing up, I knew I’d stop at a degree because as much as I wasn’t bad at school, I didn’t necessarily like it enough to continue advancing my education. However, desperate times called for desperate needs and so I enrolled. It would have never happened if not for my parents doting support so I’m thankful that they’re always down for whatever and working hard to provide me with the resources I need.
My dad isn’t usually this mushy but this is a screenshot I might just print on a magnet to have it on my fridge for life.
After completing my BA in Journalism & Public Relations at UWE Bristol, I got accepted to do an MSc in Gender & International Relations at the University of Bristol. I didn’t have to move and I wasn’t planning to anyway. Felix was still finishing the final year of his degree and I guess one of the reasons why I did a masters was to buy time so that we could be together. It is now almost 2 years from my first “graduation” and I have just handed in my master’s dissertation. I am officially done with university and I can confirm I will not be doing a PhD if the pandemic worsens. I don’t think I could live with myself, spending all that time and money on something I’m not even passionate about pursuing. It has been a long ride and to be honest, I did not have much of a pleasant experience in university. One was cut short and another was completely online, there’s no redoing the supposed “best years of my life” but I guess it may very well be yet to come. Onwards and upwards from here!
- Zoey