I am now a second year student. My experiences have all been supportive and encouraging. Meeting tutors, other potential students and asking lots of questions on a wet, autumnal Open Day, left me feeling encouraged and excited about the course, the people I would be working with, and joining the university itself.
I received help and advice with putting together the research proposal required as part of my application and again this was a great opportunity to ask more questions, discuss my particular circumstances (I hadn’t written essay for at least thirteen years, combining study with working and so on) and make a really informed decision about what I would be committing myself to.
I have regular online meetings with the other DPT students who are at various stages of their research and it’s been valuable and enriching to share their experiences, both practical and academic. Personal supervision sessions are tailored opportunities to develop lines of enquiry, receive feedback, support and advice regarding further reading and assignments.
Support has come in other forms too – short online courses to help with literature reviews, note-making etc. The library staff are easily contactable for help to locate books and journals, IT technicians that help with setting up accounts and passwords and so on.