MLitt Media & Communication Chen Di, China

Tell us a little bit about your background...
I am from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, a city near Shanghai. It is fair to say that my home city is famous for its scenery spots. You are more than welcome to visit it especially in its amazing spring days, when you can definitely enjoy the sea of sakura and other wonderful spring views. I did my Bachelor of Arts in Business English. I really enjoyed classes such as marketing and international trade. Therefore, I’d like to take a further step in media study to speed up marketing practice.

What inspired you to study your course?
I’m keen on the work of marketing in the business world. And I believe that media study would be a plus in my future career. When I was in my second year, I started to operate a WeMedia account, which mainly recorded my life, study and traveling experiences. I assume that this sort of media work is of great importance in marketing, therefore, I chose this course due to my interest and future career.

Why did you choose to continue studying for your Masters at the University of Strathclyde?
University of Strathclyde is “The Place of Useful Learning”, and I hope to acquire practical skills to make me stand out in my career path. Besides, my university and Strathclyde achieve a degree program, which is quite favorable to students. I also believe it is a great choice to experience cultural differences in UK, especially Scottish culture.

What has been the highlight of your time at Strathclyde so far?
Definitely the days of our pre-sessional course. I signed up for 4-weeks pre-sessional course. I learned how to study in the UK education system and how to write an essay (which I had never done before). The tutors were quite friendly and helpful and I really learned a lot! More interestingly, I really enjoyed the weekly trip in pre-sessional days and it was something to look forward to each week. We went to Loch Lomond, Calton Hill, and some other tourist spots and we really had fun and enjoyed the stunning Scottish scenery.

What specialist knowledge or professional skills have you developed whilst studying the course?
I would say reading materials, self-learning, writing an essay and conducting research. Lectures and seminars are both important and fun for acquiring the media-related knowledge. The courses Digital Communication and Society, Strategic Communication are of practical use for marketing, which teaches us how to get relevant data on social media for further data analysis. Since I’d like to find a job in the field of marketing, these two courses have been quite helpful to me.

What would be your advice for people considering taking this course?
Even though some courses are of practical use such as Digital Communication and Society and Strategic Communication. However, what I felt when I was doing the degree is that this major is focused more on academic study. Therefore, if someone that aims to get a Ph.D in this field, I would highly recommend this course. Please rest assured because professors in this course are very knowledgeable and experienced and they have done a lot of academic research. People could also learn communication and media theory in an international context and a history of mediation.

What has been the main challenges studying at postgraduate level?
The dissertation and doing research has been a challenge. Essay writing is okay even though I had never done it before. The department of Study Skills is there for you if you need extra assistance, which I have utilised. You can count on it to give you advice on essays and even your dissertation. However, dissertation is a really big piece of work. I was doing my dissertation during the lockdown, hence, it was not easy to choose an appropriate method to conduct my research. I had to choose a method I’m not familiar with and start to learn data analysis further, which really made me anxious. However, you could always turn to your supervisors and they are always helpful and give valuable advice.

What do you think of the support available?
Supervisors, professors, the department of Study Skills, pre-sessional course, in-sessional course, library services, Endnote etc. They are all helpful and extremely useful. I have used them all and I believe I have made full use of them.  Pre-sessional course and in-sessional course are set for non-native English speakers, which are focused on four areas, writing, speaking, listening, and reading. If I have some issues with lectures or assignments, I would email my professors for further information. Library services, Endnote, and the department of Study Skills are of great importance to my essay writing.

What are your ambitions for the future?
I hope to work in the world of marketing with the combination of media study and business. Moreover, I will keep operating my account on WeMedia. That is my main career path. In case of my interest, I will work hard to become an amateur psychotherapist. By the way, the course of psychology in University of Strathclyde is also a great choice! As always, experience all areas of life and choose one that makes me peaceful and delightful.