Diya Sompura is an MSc Organisational Psychology student.
What motivated you to pursue postgraduate study?
I had completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology and wanted to specialise and learn more about a specific career within this field.
My interest in organisational psychology peaked when working for a cultural fest, I experienced frequent failures collaborating with everyone, while also learning critical lessons in teamwork.
I learned the various elements of group dynamics that come into play when working as a leader.
In today's world, all projects require us to work together. I have learned that how you collaborate is what makes it effective.
I also view teamwork as something that helps me gain insights into expanding and developing diverse perspectives that might help me embrace other aspects through an integrative thinking approach.
Hence, a passion to understand the working of human behaviour in a social setting is what drove me to pursue my masters.
Were there any challenges affecting your decision to study for a postgraduate degree? If so, how did you overcome them?
Some of the challenges for me involved deciding on which specialization to go into.
For instance, I was unsure whether to pursue a masters degree in counselling or organisational psychology.
I also thought about taking a gap year, getting some hands-on work experience and pursuing a masters later.
However, connecting with alumni from various universities I was thinking of applying to and talking to my professors gave me some clarity to decide to pursue a masters.
What has been your favourite module so far?
Leadership in workplace was something that I had always been fascinated with and the module 'Mindful leadership' in term 1 is one of my favourite modules. Apart from the exceptional faculty, the content of this module helped me gain a lot of practical relevance.
It was holistic in the sense that it fostered my knowledge domain and helping me reflect on myself.
The module entailed working in groups which I often used to struggle with but having the component of self-reflection after every lecture helped me derive insights about myself and put things into perspective.
I always consider psychology dynamic, where we unlearn and relearn certain things and this module made me aware of my strengths and things that I could work on by stretching myself.
What does a typical week at university look like for you?
My typical university week entails completing a lot of reading for my lectures and assessments.
Being a masters student, a lot of emphasis is placed on independent learning, so I only have lectures twice a week i.e., Thursdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5pm. Apart from this most of my days are spent completing pre readings required for the lectures and doing research work for the upcoming assignments.
I also spend a proportion of my time in researching my career options like applying for jobs, looking out for job opening in the specific role, researching companies hiring graduates etc. This helps me narrow down my interests and focus on my goals.
I have found this quite beneficial and have been able to secure an internship with a young startup company where I am able to help them with research work like designing questionnaires, marketing events etc.
Being organized and time management are key skills that help me stay in lane and alleviate stressors. A lot of my time is devoted to working with children as I work seasonally for a children's camp.
Even though it isn't in line with what I am currently pursuing, it is a good learning experience where I have been able to apply theoretical knowledge I gained from my undergraduate degree.
I do try to take frequent breaks and time off so as to not burn myself out by pursuing my hobbies like playing keyboard, reading books and spending time with my friends.
What advice would you give to someone considering a postgraduate degree?
The foremost thing one should take into consideration is their interest and passion.
Are they doing it for the sake of the degree? Doing a degree, you may not enjoy would be a waste of time and money so think about all your interests and research the options available.
There can be a lot of academic and personal challenges along your way, especially if you are an international student, so you should take time to ponder upon this while applying for a postgraduate degree.