Maisie

Doing a Masters wasn’t an easy decision financially, so I wanted to choose a course that would allow me to pursue my sociological interests, but give me concrete, practical skills that I could use in both academic and non-academic settings. It definitely delivered.

I appreciated that the course seemed carefully structured to get the most out of the time. There was plenty of support to get through the quantitative element, which was definitely challenging for me; but it was satisfying to work with the data and gave me a whole new confidence in finding and understanding social patterns. The Theory, Concepts and Methods module mixed interesting and lively debates on writing, ethics and qualitative methods with hands-on group-work. We practised interviews, found ways of capturing the sounds of the city, and worked on small projects in the local area, which built confidence and a team spirit.

Goldsmiths’ creative and original vibe meant that conducting a dissertation in the less traditional area of human-animal studies was encouraged and was a brilliant experience. I’ve now begun a paid internship as a Hospice Community Researcher, investigating decisions that families with children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions make about their care. The MA in Social Research helped me secure the post and prepared me for that level of responsibility. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to investigate the social world for themselves.