Getting Down to Basics in the New Year: You are not alone

Hi, this the first blog of the New Year. This year I'm going to try to make shorter, more frequent blog posts. (Not counting this one.) We covered a lot of the basics in the first year of this blog in a lot of long blogs. Yes, I know, but it was necessary! This year I want to keep you, my readers, working on your MBA/MSc programmes at the University of Leicester and get you through your programmes and to your intended goal - the MBA/MSc in your waiting hands. In fact, I want to say here and now that I'm trying to get participation from any student reading this blog. Not simply your stories of struggle with this programme but your accounts of final success as well.

In the past year, I have encountered several students who felt that they were alone in their struggles with this programme. These students were sure that all the other students could do their assignments, exams and dissertation better, faster and more easily than they could. A few older students, say those of you in your mid-40's, were convinced the bulk of the students were all younger and not facing difficulties with the online nature of the programme or keeping up with their readings. Most of these students were surprised when I told them the students in Leicester's MBA and MSc programmes covered the complete spectrum of ages from their 20's to their 50's and that struggling with readings, assignments and/or the final dissertation was common problem. However, it was not a insurmountable one! After all, lots of students have jobs, personal lives and other commitments on top of the programme. No matter what their age or background, students still succeed in making it through the assignments, the exams and the dissertation and they graduate. Struggling with a deadline, a mark, a hidden meaning in an assignment or a dissertation is supposed to be part of a process that leads to a degree at the end of the road. It was certainly part of my experience in getting my last degree in English Literature & Creative Writing.

I finished my MA in English Literature & Creative Writing only 5 years ago when I turned 50. It was my second graduate degree. There were several times when I felt like quitting. It took me 7 years to complete this degree while working part-time teaching at a university, doing the occasional stint of research. I already had BA's in Education & English. Practically, I'd done a Master of Library Science many years earlier but never faced the challenge of a dissertation. I'd dreamt of having a graduate degree in English Literature or better yet in Creative Writing from the time I was twenty years old. I had no idea how long a road it would be to get this degree.

To be truthful, the course work was more or less doable. Sometimes, I had to write papers or take modules (courses) I didn't like because I had a heavy teaching load from September to January when all the best modules (courses) seemed to be offered. So, sometimes I was less than thrilled with the second term "electives". Other modules were just hard work. I had to prep for one module (course) assignment for two days and I prepared all my questions ahead of time so I would get the most out of every seminar. I had to re-learn the process of essay writing. I had successes and some partial successes, but I got through the work with good grades and passed an additional module in French (which was very difficult) that was a department requirement.

I could've worked with a very willing professor on a dissertation on modern literature but I decided to make my life hard. I decided to write about Henry James and was sent to work with a retired "senior scholar". This experience was mixed. The senior scholar was a nice man and very skilled in academic writing. I got through the dissertation proposal and the first part of the dissertation in two grueling years. Then, not being one to take the easy road, I decided that I wanted to write a creative dissertation instead of the usual MA in English Literature. This meant I had to throw out all of hard work I'd done on my dissertation and shop around for a new dissertation tutor, one who could work in Creative Writing. My best friend's husband, who was a retired university professor, assured me that I was crazy.

I had written a number of fictional stories but I really didn't have an extensive background in creative writing, at least not through the traditional route of "school courses". When and where I first went to university, there were no courses in Creative Writing. After several false starts, I found an advisor who agreed to supervise my dissertation but who had doubts about a forty-something student with no recognizable background in Creative Writing getting through the process.

There were a lot of bumps on this road. After many tries, my dissertation proposal was finally done and accepted at the last possible month. It was my second proposal. I also moved to England with my partner for the year I wrote the dissertation. As I worked, my advisor cut huge swathes of material out of my creative dissertation, which was supposed to be a novella not a novel. Att the end she gave me two weeks to revise the dissertation before hitting a final deadline. There were no extensions. With great difficulty, I did revise the whole thing in two weeks and submitted it. She finally booked my defense - which I passed with three small revisions.

I am now the proud possessor of an MA in English Literature and Creative Writing. It means more to me than any other piece of paper I possess. Now, I'm struggling as I write my first novel. (I'll let you know how that goes.) That, of course, isn't the point. The point is that I wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't decided that my dream was more important than the opinion of others or if I wasn't willing to work past huge obstacles and figure out how I was going to make it to the next stage of the process. A dream is worth it, isn't it?

In the next year, I want MBA/MSc distance students to reach out more. Sometimes, complex questions are posted here. I want students with complex problems to write me at:
ulsmdltutor@le.ac.uk

I want also to hear about stories of success on this blog. Success stories are a way we can reinforce learning. Even if you think you are struggling alone, I want to assure you that this isn't true. Learning sometimes means struggle but it doesn't mean defeat. I learned more from the process of my MA than I thought possible in terms of my thinking, my writing and my persistance. So can you. Let's have a great year together.

KB