During the induction week in September 2015, I attended an introduction session of the Postgraduate Development Award (PGDA). Some questions popped up in my mind: “What is this program all about and what is the benefit? Ah, collecting those points. Then? I will get the certificate at the end of the program? Sounds cool, they say it will boost my CV. Brilliant.”
Since the value of CV is quite important especially at this stage of my life (aka. Student), I’m definitely on board. To be honest, I didn’t have clear objectives when I first decided to join PGDA, I thought it will just be a point collection time while experiencing some activities listed on the module.
Yet in less than a month I realise something. I’m being more aware of most activities happening on campus, I pay more attention to additional supports offered by BU to all students, I attended all possible career events or subject related guest speaker invited to campus, I created my own PGDA Plan in Excel to monitor my progress; and more importantly, I care more about my personal, academic and professional development instead of focusing solely on how much points I can collect by attending a particular event. Being part of PGDA, I feel that I became more organised and able to manage everything better than before. I have records of my progression in my PGDA plan, complete with the dates of attendance and evidence of attending the events. Without PGDA, I wouldn’t have joined these many activities on campus and possibly won’t realise that BU has so many fantastic opportunities to support the students.
My favourite event as a member of PGDA is the Postgraduate International / Multicultural Day. This is a day when you can meet fellow postgraduate students from different part of the globe and where you can taste authentic cuisines from each country (for free!). This event provide excellent opportunity to interact with international people and to learn about new culture right from the locals. It's also a good chance to introduce or promote your country to the audiences. Plus you will get points by attending and/or organising the event (e.g. participate in hosting your home country's booth).
In order to get the award, students have to collect evidence from attending a wide range of activities as part of their academic and career development, and to create an e-portfolio in Mahara (dedicated platform to submit e-portfolio for BU students). Points will be granted after requirements have been met (such as the eligibility of the evidences). Last year's criteria was 150-300 points for Bronze Level, 305-500 points for Silver and 505 or more for Gold. Additionally, students are also required to write a reflective-writing ranging from 800-2500 words depending on the award level. I aimed for the gold and managed to collect 770 points without even realising. My effort to stand out from the crowd didn't stop there, I decided to create my e-portfolio in a special way which has led to an additional award: Outstanding Contribution Award :)
*some of the photos above were the official photos from PGDA Facebook Group*
You can take a peek at my PGDA e-portfolio here.
My overall improvement after PGDA is that I am now able to produce better quality assignments as a result of attending study skills and IT skills workshops, I have better time-management in balancing my academic development with industry’s experience and social life; I also feel more confidence to face a real working environment in the UK from the career support, Global Talent Programme and employer workshops. I am proud to see myself being involved in various activities on and off campus as well as having a part-time job while still able to socialise with friends. The most important thing is the fact that I could experience all of those mentioned above without negatively affecting my academic result as I have obtained satisfying grades in my second semester.
