My MRes journey: A student’s perspective

First, what is an MRes?

An MRes is a Masters degree that primarily focuses on research. There are less taught classes than a traditional Masters degree with the focus on the research aspects. 

Can you tell us about your MRes?

My MRes is in psychology, and my taught courses focused on strengthening my ability to conduct research, such as delving deeper into research methods than I did during my undergraduate degree and practising the practical elements or proposing research for the future. One of these involved planning a research project as if we were to undertake it ourselves, including the funding and timeline aspects of this. 

We worked in groups and then pitched these later in the course. I found this really useful as every research project I have done until now did not require funding and was relatively short. This developed my knowledge of what and why certain things would need to be funded. 

Why did you decide to do an MRes? 

I discovered a passion for research during my undergraduate degree in applied psychology. I've always been someone with a passion for learning, teaching, and researching, although I had never done it before in such a capacity. When I did my research project, I realised that this was what I wanted to do. I had a discussion with my tutor at undergraduate level and looked at some courses, with the MRes being one of these options. After looking into it, I decided this was the course for me and started my application. 

What made you pick a MRes over a MA or MSc? 

I wanted the opportunity to take the project I had in mind and do it justice by having the time, effort, and opportunity to fully dedicate myself to it. Choosing an MRes rather than an MSc or MA allowed me to do this due to the reduced amount of taught classes and the additional time which meant I was able to do two studies instead of one in the 14 months of my degree. I also knew that I didn't want to go down the path of becoming a practitioner and would rather focus on academia, and the psychology MSc courses I looked into were more geared towards classic psychology routes such as clinical or more specific courses such as forensic and health. 

Tell me about your MRes dissertation experience

My whole MRes dissertation experience really began with the proposal which I began writing at the start of my third year of my undergraduate degree. Similar to PhD courses, I had to write a project proposal so the university could gain an understanding of what I was aiming to do. Writing this prepared me for my current task of writing a project proposal for my PhD, so I've found this experience to have been invaluable. 

Although I enjoyed my project and the research process, it showed me how difficult research can be. My research focused on obsessive compulsive disorder and how it is represented on social media, then using this information to consider the experiences of people with the disorder. I was determined to make sure that I portrayed the subject matter correctly and to do right by the participants in my interviews. I found the process perfectly challenging, which allowed me to continuously better myself. 

Now nearing the end of my MRes journey, I am so proud of what I was able to accomplish and all the work I have done. I feel it is also essential to include that I had a monumental amount of support throughout all of this, and I am so grateful for everyone who championed me to help me complete this. 

What is it like to study an MRes? Can you give us a typical day in your life as an MRes student

Although it could be challenging at times, this MRes has been so much more enjoyable and rewarding for me personally than a traditional Masters would have been. I got to meet other researchers on the course who all had similar goals to myself while conducting vastly different projects. Despite being a small community within the MRes psychology course, we were able to support each other and give advice as we all had varying levels of skill or knowledge in specific areas. 

I was also able to present at my first academic conference, which was a thrilling and anxiety-inducing experience but also taught me about sharing my own work, as well as providing benefits for my work outside of my academic career. 

Since I only had three classes a week as part of my MRes, a typical day as an MRes student would be me at home writing my dissertation or collecting data with a mug of hot chocolate in the winter or a mocktail in the summer! When I did have classes, I would typically drive the one-and-a-quarter hour to the university with a good playlist on. 

Since I was only there twice a week and I finished in February, this was very much a novelty for me. For my undergraduate degree I went to a small university, so when my classes were in lecture halls, I found it very exciting. On my lunch break I would head into the town centre to get food at the market or get some cinnamon rolls, or I would meet up somewhere with the other MRes students to discuss our projects' progress. 

I would have a class that involved the dissertation itself and how to best complete it with just the other MRes students compared to my other classes ,which involved everyone doing a Masters in the psychology department. After this I would head home and then get some work done on my dissertation. 

What are the benefits of studying an MRes?

My MRes provided me with further research experience and knowledge that will support me in my future career. I have more experience conducting my own individual research project which I designed. I also gained knowledge of how research is conducted higher up in academia or outside of the whole system within businesses. This gave me an insight into more alternatives to the practitioner or psychologist routes that I had been previously aware of.

Would you recommend an MRes to undergraduates looking at continuing their studies? And what advice would you give a new Mres student? 

I would definitely recommend an MRes to undergraduate students who are looking to go into research, have dreams of undertaking a PhD, or have enjoyed the research element of their undergraduate degree, especially their dissertations.  Since applications will still be open or in preparation for next year's round of applications, I would get working on the project proposal. I wrote mine alongside my undergraduate dissertation and found keeping that slow and steady pace until it was completed was best to help achieve the best from both projects. 

My advice would be to plan! Make sure you take into account any assessment deadlines coming up as this is something I did not do. As I previously mentioned, the process was rather time consuming so planning out your time will be essential. The most important thing is to pick something you are passionate about, you chose this project and the subject, so it needs to be something you love. Overall, you just need to stick with it and then in the end it will feel so rewarding. 

And what's next for you? 

I am hoping to continue my research journey with a PhD. I am currently working as a supply teacher and hope to use the knowledge and confidence I have gained in terms of public speaking to share my research in the future and teach others what I have learned. Right now, I am working on these next steps and allowing myself some time to rest!