There were many reasons why I stayed at Bournemouth University to study a Master’s degree; it’s a beautiful town, a great university, it is near enough to my house, and also the fact that I get a 25% fee reduction for being an alumni student sweetens the whole deal.

I had four years of work between graduating and returning, and those four years were a big eye-opener: I was able to put into practice a lot of what I had learned on the BA, but it also indirectly taught me what I really wanted to be doing with my time – making films – and that I wanted to return to education.

Coming back to BU was an odd experience; it felt like no time had passed yet those four years had led to a lot of transformation on campus – new buildings and refurbished rooms, extra facilities and of course new people to meet.

The most noticeable change was the style of learning – postgraduate is much more self-motivated than undergrad, and this took some getting used to. I spent the first couple of months being very unsure of whether I was doing the right thing, but I quickly came to realise that it’s not about being right or wrong, it’s about exploring and experimenting with techniques and asking questions, not finding answers.

Thankfully, the familiarity of the university made the transition from work to PG study much easier and coming back to Bournemouth has been a breeze. Becoming a Course Rep and a Student Ambassador has also helped me to feel a part of the university, even more than during my undergrad course. Not so fortunately though, everyone on my course assumed I knew everything about the campus and where everything was from day one – I hope I haven’t given any dodgy directions!

I’m very pleased that I came back to Bournemouth – the course, the staff, the people, and the reputation has only improved since I first began my BA back in 2007. It’s my home away from home and I’m going to really miss it when I graduate this autumn.

By Alice White