Edinburgh Napier University

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I am from a town in Fife, named Cowdenbeath, where I have lived my entire life. Since a young age, I have always been eager to learn, this has been further fuelled by a love of Politics and communications, specifically social media, which has been a driving force behind my higher education journey. 

Why did you choose to study at Edinburgh Napier University? 

Edinburgh Napier University was my first choice University when applying for courses once I had left high school. When I received an offer, I screamed down the phone to my family who were as ecstatic as I was. Edinburgh Napier was my first choice due to the Mass Communications course which was on offer, which allowed me to include my own interests into my learning.

I had also visited Napier for a week on a school trip in my second year of high school for high school students to stay in dorms and experience University life. I had instantly fallen in love with Napier and hoped that in a few years I would be able to study here as well.

What attracted you into studying your course? 

As mentioned, I absolutely love Politics and Social media. This really attracted me to the course as I believed I could incorporate my interests into the course, while also learning valuable skills in the communications field which will aid in my career journey.  

I also have always known that I wanted to attend University since I went to my mum’s graduation when I was little, since then I knew that I wanted to study at University and earn a degree like my mum. Whilst I did not want to get a degree in the same subject that she did, I knew that I wanted to earn one and Napier provided a course which I was interested in to earn that degree.  

Notably, while I was struggling to decide whether to go straight into politics or into a communications route, I had met a Journalist at a concert in Inverness, who was writing an article for the Inverness Courier, before I had applied for the course. I got to speak to her and asked her why she had chosen her job and if she enjoyed it. She told me that she had always had a love for communications and writing news stories, which made her job enjoyable since she was doing something she loved and valued. I was inspired by this and took it as a sign to pursue communications, having already had a love for all things social media, the most desirable route had become communications for me because I could incorporate both core interests into my learning. 

Has your course given you any practical opportunities out-with standard teaching? 

While not exactly outside the standard teaching, as it was part of my coursework, working with Edinburgh based Charities throughout my course was certainly a highlight. This gave me the opportunity to work with real organisations and offer up creative ideas, social media posts and receive valuable feedback from individuals outside my lecturers and peers in a real life setting. This gave me a real taste of how working in a professional setting using communication skills learned from the course would look like, which provided valuable experience working with some excellent causes.  

Do you have any highlights of studying at Edinburgh Napier University? 

A real highlight of my studies at Napier was writing my dissertation as my final piece of work before graduation. Whilst, my dissertation was extremely challenging for me to write, as it encapsulated all the teaching that I had received over the last four years, I found it extremely enjoyable. I had written about Social media and the growing polarisation between users of opposing political ideologies in the US, this was extremely interesting to me and gave me a chance to write about my interests whilst applying the knowledge from my coursework.

Have you faced any challenges?

A challenge which many of us faced when I started my studies in 2020 was the Covid-19 pandemic, this severely affected my University experience as much of my learning was moved online for the first year and a half. This also meant it was harder to meet my peers within my course, which only happened when learning was moved back onto campus.

Another personal challenge that I faced was having anxiety, this affected my learning as initially I had struggled to ask for help on coursework from my lecturers. However, I believe that from receiving support from my lecturers and taking part in coursework which pushed me out of my comfort zone, such as working with charities, I feel as though I have become a more confident person in general as a result of this. For that reason, I am forever grateful to the University and staff for helping me to come out of my shell, whilst providing me with skills within a field I am very interested in. 

Would you recommend the course to others? If so, why?

Absolutely. I would recommend the Mass Communications course to anyone interested in social media, journalism, news writing, television, PR and marketing. As the course provides several different avenues to focus on all within communication. Before the beginning of my course, I had no idea which area I would like to focus on but this course provided knowledge over several different aspects of communication, which I found to be extremely useful as I could try different areas of communications to decide which one I wanted to focus on further. 

What key skills have you learned from your university experience?

I believe my confidence has improved since studying at university. I’d also say that I have improved on my writing skills, as I have always struggled with writing my ideas out on paper. I find that I have many ideas in my head but struggle to map them out consistently and understandable to the reader. My lecturers helped me to improve on this and gave me strategies to help map out what ideas I want to convey and how to execute those ideas onto paper. 

Can you sum up your student experience living in Edinburgh?

While I did not stay directly in Edinburgh, I did commute to campus by bus and train which was around a 40 minute commute from Dunfermline to the Merchiston Campus. Commuting was extremely easy and simple for me, so even though I did not live in the city, it was easy to get to where I needed to be. Additionally, my main campus, Merchiston, has lovely surrounding coffee shops and small shops to get lunch in or study, this was super beneficial when writing assignments or simply hanging out with friends.

What advice would you give to anyone considering studying this course?

Mass Communications offers skills and knowledge within several aspects of communications, this is especially useful if you are wanting to focus on communications but unsure which aspect you would like to specialise in. I would also say to make sure you don’t leave your assignments to the last minute, make sure you get started early to avoid any unnecessary stress near deadlines. 

What’s next for you?

I’m hoping to work within the communications sector in the Scottish Parliament. The Mass Communications course and Edinburgh Napier University has given me the confidence, knowledge and skills to pursue my dream career in the Scottish Parliament.