Eleanor McGough

What made you apply to your course at Leeds?

I studied English Literature at Leeds for my undergraduate degree and absolutely loved the university. Having such a bustling and friendly campus in the middle of a vibrant city has been amazing. Plus, the School of Media and Communication offered a really good range of Masters courses, including niche ones like MA Political Communication.

Whether it’s in essays, class presentations or our dissertation, we’re given a great deal of freedom to pursue our own specific interests, and the tutors have all been fantastic in supporting us through that. The breadth of study has been wonderful too and I really feel like I’ve gained a comprehensive understanding of media and politics in a short space of time.

I honestly can’t recommend Leeds enough – the standard of teaching is excellent. You should definitely consider coming here!

Making the leap from undergraduate to postgraduate studies was quite daunting (especially since I was changing discipline) but the academic support has been brilliant. The tutors have been really friendly and welcoming and the series of lectures on research methods has been invaluable to someone like me coming from such a different academic background.

What other opportunities have you taken advantage of and what are you planning to do after graduation?

I’m one of the course representatives for MA Political Communication and it’s been really fun coming up with social activities to bring my course together. I’m also signed up to JobLink at LUU and planning on writing more for The Gryphon this semester.

I’d like to go into campaigning, charitable work or political PR, preferably for environmental/ green movements. Studying at Leeds has greatly improved my confidence, presentation skills, time management, written communication and understanding of politics – all of which should be extremely valuable.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to your course?

Don’t be put off if you’re coming from an undergraduate course like English, History or Philosophy – you’ll be capable of adapting to a new discipline and the support is there! Masters courses are a lot of work but if you can balance your time properly you’ll be well up to it. Most importantly though, the course is genuinely really interesting and rewarding.  

I honestly can’t recommend Leeds enough – the standard of teaching is excellent, we’ve got one of the best unions in the country, there’s so much to do on campus, and the city is incredible. You should definitely consider coming here!