Completing a Masters Degree in London
by
Jack Adams M.A.
If you cannot read and understand this page then attempting a Masters degree will be very challenging for you.
London offers many courses at Masters degree level for overseas students and many Japanese people come to the British capital to advance their educational qualifications. However, the differences in culture, language and style of education delivery between Japan and Britain present many difficulties for the Japanese student. All of this can be part of your own personal adventure but if you are not prepared then you could be in for some shocks.
Learning English in a school or classroom is nothing like being immersed in the diversity of language and accent which exists in London. There is not much you can do about this except come here and live here. Perhaps it may take time but the range of spoken English in London is probably one of the widest anywhere in the world.
Once you are acclimatised to what it is you are hearing from day to day then you will need to adjust to classroom conditions and the demands of a higher education course. For the Japanese student it is necessary to understand two key issues if you are to succeed.
Firstly, that the teachers will not explain what you have to do, they only present the subject matter and raise the debate. You are required to choose your areas of research and construct your own work schedule if you really want to do well.
Secondly, you will have to learn how to write an academic essay in the English style. This is an aspect of education which is poorly taught (if it is ever taught) in most universities. Understanding what you need to do in such an essay, how you need to structure your research and work and how you should present that work is essential if you want to get a high mark.
This point about essay writing is ever so important in a Masters course because these courses often rely on a dissertation for the bulk of the final mark. If you can organise your research, organise your essay production, refine your academic writing technique then not only are you on the road to a high mark but you are actually making your workload much easier.
Essay writing tutorials and Masters Dissertation support available by Skype, 1-1 or group tuition sessions. Contact and provide details of the course you are studying, at which university and when your academic year starts and finishes.
