So today in class we had a guest speaker who grossly oversimplified the witch hunts and I had to physically restrain myself from replying and taking up an hour adding nuance. I wouldn't call myself an expert on the witch hunts but I definitely have more knowledge than the average person - so it was almost like an insult.
I don't really have a question, just wanted someone to commiserate with because I feel like historians in general have to learn when to jump in and correct and when to just swallow the urge. And it sucks.
Oh I feel this in my BONES. One of the hardest things I've had to learn to do, especially now that my research is more public facing, is accepting that I can't correct everyone all the time. Engaging in healthy discourse is fine but you can't let it ruin your day. The best thing I've found to do instead is to simply make my own post highlighting specific myths or misinformation or simplifications I see floating around.
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Hey, I'm also Canadian, nearing the end of my undergrad. I hope to do a history masters through the online program at UHI. Do you have any advice that's specific to Canadian students doing a UK masters? I'm worried about literally everything (especially grade equivalents!)
Hi there!
Firstly, congrats on almost finishing your undergrad! That's a fantastic achievement which you should be proud of yourself for.
As for your questions, is UHI the University of the Highlands and Islands? And you mentioned that you're doing an 'online program,' does that mean you won't be physically going to the UK? If so, then you won't have to worry about things like visas. If you ARE going to be physically in the UK while doing your studies, absolutely make sure you get your student visa sorted out. A lot of people seem to think that Canadians don't need visas to live, work or study in the UK because we're part of the commonwealth but that is incorrect, we absolutely do. Most unis will have a page dedicated to information for international students and it looks like UHI is no different - https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/studying-at-uhi/international/. Also keep in mind that most UK universities are really keen to accept foreign students. Not only does it reflect well on them as an institution but our tuition is double what home students pay which means more income for them.
(Putting this under a read more just because it got long)
For grade equivalents, you can find some useful info here: https://le.ac.uk/law/study/undergraduate/international/canadian-applicants/differences and here: https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/GlobalOpportunities/Filestore/Filetoupload,1801392,en.pdf. Each program will have different grade requirements, so make sure to look at that rather than worrying about what the uni will accept on average. One thing I will say is don't panic if, when studying at a UK university, you're getting loads of marks in the 60% range. These are good grades here, and the 70% range is generally considered really good to excellent. Anything 80% and above means you absolutely knocked it out of the park and its very difficult to get this grade (in history at least). Remember that the pass mark in the UK is 40% rather than 50%. When I did a year abroad at KCL they did a special seminar for North American students informing us to not panic if our numerical grades are lower here than what we would usually get at home. Basically, my rule of thumb was to add 10% in my head. If my essay at a UK university earned me 65% then it likely would have earned me 75% in Canada (for transparency, I went to University of Toronto for my undergrad). Also, while undergrads usually use the First, 2:1, 2:2 grading schemes, for a Masters, they will just differentiate by Distinction (equivalent of a First), Merit (2:1) and Pass (2:2).
One other thing I want to stress is that you will notice a difference in workload at a UK university compared to a Canadian. This, at least, has been my experience. At U of T, 5 classes a semester was considered a full course-load, and each class had multiple small assignments each worth 5-10% of your final mark each. The final essay or exam usually was worth no more than 35% at most. This meant we had a mountain of work all the time, but more opportunities to raise our grades. In the UK, 4 modules a semester is considered a full courseload for undergrad and only 3 for a Masters. And typically, each module will have only one or two assessments, each worth either 50% or 100% of your mark. This means you technically have a lighter workload BUT you are expected to pace yourself and keep up with your readings and seminars. If you slack off for the entire semester, you will be in quite a pickle come the assessment time because they're worth a huge chunk of your mark. Personally, I much prefer the UK style of university - I burned out HARD at U of T. Also, just want to stress that this is all based on my personal experience as a student of history at all the universities I've attended (University of Toronto, King's College London and University of Kent). The experience of a student in a STEM subject, for example, may be very different.
That's all I can think of at the top of my head! Wishing you the best of luck with your MA applications and I hope you have a fantastic experience at UHI!
