University.
Time for a general life update I feel.
The biggest news I have (though it won't be news for people on here who have me listed as a friend on Facebook or Twitter) is that I'll be going back to University in September, to do an MA in Television Documentary Production. I am hugely excited about this, even though it will probably mean having to live in poverty for the year of study, as holding down a job at the same time is something I'm still unsure about. I'd rather have time to fully focus on the course, I think, and I'm prepared to make financial sacrifices to allow myself the time to dedicate myself to producing work of a high quality. I don't want to spend £4,000 (ouch) on a course that I can't fully commit to. I have the money for the course saved (though it's been tricky as dull office admin jobs make me want to spend all my wages on music and TV box sets) and I've also finally paid off my overdraft from my last stint at Uni, just in time to plunder it again if needed.
I am, however, also terrified about going back to Uni. It didn't occur to me until I was filling in the application form and I got to the bit where I had to give details for a person who could provide an academic reference. There was a little NB next to the box: "This is not applicable if you have been out of education for 5 years or more." When I realised that actually applied to me, the whole process suddenly felt very strange. I cannot believe it's been that long already since I left University. Going back started to seem like a silly idea, and I put off filling out the application for a month or so while I had a proper think about it. Did I want to spend a year on a course where I was half a decade older than everyone else, and with people who found studying was still second nature while I spent a few weeks re-adjusting to academic life?
Another factor putting me off applying was that my time as an undergraduate was a pretty under-whelming experience, really. I spent more time at my Nan's, chatting and watching TV with her than I spent out with friends*. And even though I spent the whole 3 years living in student accommodation, I think the number of nights out I had over those 3 years would only just scrape into double figures. Through a combination of a boyfriend with a weirdly controlling streak, and a sense of abandonment from my immediate family (as they all left Manchester to set up a new life in Cambridge and London at the same time I started Uni) all I wanted to do was cling to my Nan and my old friends. Now, whenever I hear stories from people who had a great time at University, I can't help but feel jealous. It's nice that I now have a chance to do it again (sort of), but what if history repeats? Maybe I'm not cut out for University life?
Well anyway, I submitted my application despite reservations. Then I had my interview, and all my doubts were banished. I was interviewed by the woman who runs the course, and she was so hugely enthusiastic, and if anything thinks that the 5 years I've spent out of academic life will be more of a bonus than a hindrance (especially as I've actually had paid employment in the TV industry). Also, she loved my ideas, and the fact that I'm genuinely passionate about documentaries, and we spoke like geeks at long length about what factual TV we've both enjoyed over the years. I was told, several times over the course of the interview, that she wanted me on the course and that I'd be an 'asset.' Now, I still feel slightly terrified about going back, but it's being kept in check by the excitement and delight I feel, every time I think about it. September cannot come fast enough!
*Though, for the record, I would not change even a minute of the time I got to spend with my Nan for all the nights out in the world. She was worth so much more than that to me.
The biggest news I have (though it won't be news for people on here who have me listed as a friend on Facebook or Twitter) is that I'll be going back to University in September, to do an MA in Television Documentary Production. I am hugely excited about this, even though it will probably mean having to live in poverty for the year of study, as holding down a job at the same time is something I'm still unsure about. I'd rather have time to fully focus on the course, I think, and I'm prepared to make financial sacrifices to allow myself the time to dedicate myself to producing work of a high quality. I don't want to spend £4,000 (ouch) on a course that I can't fully commit to. I have the money for the course saved (though it's been tricky as dull office admin jobs make me want to spend all my wages on music and TV box sets) and I've also finally paid off my overdraft from my last stint at Uni, just in time to plunder it again if needed.
I am, however, also terrified about going back to Uni. It didn't occur to me until I was filling in the application form and I got to the bit where I had to give details for a person who could provide an academic reference. There was a little NB next to the box: "This is not applicable if you have been out of education for 5 years or more." When I realised that actually applied to me, the whole process suddenly felt very strange. I cannot believe it's been that long already since I left University. Going back started to seem like a silly idea, and I put off filling out the application for a month or so while I had a proper think about it. Did I want to spend a year on a course where I was half a decade older than everyone else, and with people who found studying was still second nature while I spent a few weeks re-adjusting to academic life?
Another factor putting me off applying was that my time as an undergraduate was a pretty under-whelming experience, really. I spent more time at my Nan's, chatting and watching TV with her than I spent out with friends*. And even though I spent the whole 3 years living in student accommodation, I think the number of nights out I had over those 3 years would only just scrape into double figures. Through a combination of a boyfriend with a weirdly controlling streak, and a sense of abandonment from my immediate family (as they all left Manchester to set up a new life in Cambridge and London at the same time I started Uni) all I wanted to do was cling to my Nan and my old friends. Now, whenever I hear stories from people who had a great time at University, I can't help but feel jealous. It's nice that I now have a chance to do it again (sort of), but what if history repeats? Maybe I'm not cut out for University life?
Well anyway, I submitted my application despite reservations. Then I had my interview, and all my doubts were banished. I was interviewed by the woman who runs the course, and she was so hugely enthusiastic, and if anything thinks that the 5 years I've spent out of academic life will be more of a bonus than a hindrance (especially as I've actually had paid employment in the TV industry). Also, she loved my ideas, and the fact that I'm genuinely passionate about documentaries, and we spoke like geeks at long length about what factual TV we've both enjoyed over the years. I was told, several times over the course of the interview, that she wanted me on the course and that I'd be an 'asset.' Now, I still feel slightly terrified about going back, but it's being kept in check by the excitement and delight I feel, every time I think about it. September cannot come fast enough!
*Though, for the record, I would not change even a minute of the time I got to spend with my Nan for all the nights out in the world. She was worth so much more than that to me.