Having less contact hours does not mean that you have less opportunities to meet new people!
Your postgraduate studying experience is bound to be a bit different from what you may have previously experienced at an undergraduate level. You may not be going to as many parties as you once did, and your timetable assigned by your programme has less structured classes. However, having less contact hours does not mean that you have less opportunities to meet new people!
This article will give you some tips on how to grow your postgraduate circle during your time at Queen Mary and inspire you to meet new people.
Attend postgraduate events
We work closely with our Executive Officers and student staff to build a postgraduate events programme to engage more postgraduate students with the Students’ Union. These events can vary from mixers, pizza parties and even a PGR palooza! We also host external visits to places like the Globe Theatre and group library trips to other locations off-campus, like Senate House Library.
Often, older and postgraduate students feel like Students’ Union hosted events are aimed purely at younger students. At QMSU, we endeavour to host events that are tailored to this additional community of students, who may not wish to participate in the stereotypical, partying university lifestyle. To look at what events we currently have on offer for postgraduate students on our Postgraduate Hub, here.
Make a group chat with your cohort
Postgraduate study can often feel isolating with the fewer contact hours and a lot of your friends from previous paths of life no longer being at university. Therefore, it’s important to connect with your cohort, who are undergoing similar experiences.
During your induction, most likely in September or January, be sure to introduce yourself to your fellow researchers on your programme. While it may seem like they are researching something totally different to yourself – especially as a PGR – your cohort will be useful in having solidarity and a soundboard for any future ideas or concerns you may have. At the very least, you all have the same passion for research and could be living in London, so you’ll have that in common to chat about!
Spend some time on campus
It may sound silly, but when you have as much freedom as our postgraduates to study wherever you want, your first thought may not be on campus. However, studying on campus is a great opportunity to meet new people, while still getting your research done. Ahead of January Welcome Week, we curated a list of postgraduate spaces on campus that you can access, depending on what school you are part of – you can read this here. The bonus of spending some time in these postgraduate-exclusive spaces is that you are in the perfect location to discuss your research and postgraduate experiences.
Network with your supervisor(s)
Your supervisors are there to support you through your time doing postgraduate study at QMUL – they have been in your position before and have likely helped other students through similar processes too. A positive of having this member of staff in your support system is that they will know people like yourself, with similar research interests. If you feel like you’re struggling to meet people who share your research field, try speaking with your supervisor to see if they could put you in touch with someone who you may get along with!
Making friends can always be scary, regardless of the level of study you may be on, but it's important to remember that all other postgraduates are in the same boat as you! It's never to late to make friends that will make a longlasting and positive change to your life at university and beyond!