Before entering the post-grad Communications - Professional Writing program, I’d heard experiences from a friend who’d recommended it. We were basically joined at the hip while he was going through it. “This instructor said this today…my classmate isn’t responding…this assignment is driving me nuts!” I heard it all. That being said, it only prepared me so much for what I have actually experienced during the program (That sounded far less dramatic in my head!).
College and university really are what the rumours say. College is practical, hands-on, and skills-based learning. University is theory, lectures, and exam-based learning. I can appreciate these different learning styles now that I’ve attended both. Everyone learns differently in addition to the fact that different jobs require different skills. In my opinion, there are actually very few similarities between university and college, but that may be more unique to my studies.
I knew going into this program that it was going to be difficult. Every graduate, current student, and instructor can attest to this. The workload in comparison to my undergrad is incredibly different. That being said, it isn’t what you might think. I assumed the workload at university would trump any workload I would have in the future. Was I ever wrong. Many of my undergrad courses, being an English major, had several essays that made up the bulk of my grades.
In this program, the workload feels much heavier, and it is. There’s a wide variety of assignments due for each course, and with eight courses a term, there isn’t a minute to spare. In university, once I’d completed the first few essays and tests, everything resembled one another from there. Most of these assignments used similar skills. But this program covers many different forms of writing and, therefore, every assignment involves a new skill (it’s hard to hand in a new assignment every other week!). It’s a true test of what you’re learning and what you can produce with that new knowledge.
Related to workload, course readings play a huge role in post-secondary education. Undergrad was made up of huge wordy essays and papers. I can’t remember a single text resembling this since I’ve been in the post-grad program. All of the content has been free, online, and in a wide range of styles including websites, papers, and even videos. I appreciate the accommodation of various learning styles and this has made the content far more engaging.
The practicality of the assignments in post-grad has greatly surprised me. Before being in this program, my writing portfolio consisted primarily of essays with a couple of papers tossed in. Useful? Maybe, but not for prospective jobs. I have added nearly every assignment I’ve completed in the program last term to my portfolio. They are practical in the sense that they use skills that are relevant to my career now and are about current topics or brands. Being given the option to choose the majority of our assignment topics made them far more enjoyable. It makes a HUGE difference in school when you actually at least half enjoy what you’re working on. This isn’t a reality in the workplace but it has been nice during this program and for my portfolio (An assignment actually was developing my portfolio and designing it in a website building platform!).
Something I’ve noticed that is significantly different between my undergrad and current post-grad program is the wealth of current knowledge of professional writing. I’m not sure whether this is something across the board at the college level or not, but all of my instructors are actively working in the industry. This makes their knowledge of the current writing scene, as well as their network base, massive. This is something I’ve appreciated for a number of different reasons. At times, the content I was learning in undergrad could feel outdated, and I’m not talking about the dozens of ancient texts I had to study. Whereas, in this program, they are teaching us exactly what is relevant to today’s work. This doesn’t mean university is outdated; they simply focus on different teachings. At the current point in my education journey, having these expert instructors in the field has proven extremely useful.
My undergrad and my current post-grad are extraordinarily different in many ways! This program has surprised me nearly every week and continues to surprise me as I’m coming close to the end. I look forward to sharing my final thoughts with you in a couple of months!
By: Cassandra Mair
