Meet Jakob, who discovered that performance and politics aren’t as far apart as they seem.
While studying a Drama with Acting degree at Royal Holloway, Jakob became interested in gender theory of theatre. That led to a wider interest in how gender shapes everyday life, and a postgraduate degree in Gender Studies with a Politics pathway.
Finding my path at Royal Holloway
During my undergrad, I became president of the LGBT Society, and I loved running events and expanding the reach of the society. That’s when I discovered the Gender Institute at Royal Holloway, which is a really cool place for teaching and research on gender issues. Finding out they offered masters courses made me want to dig deeper into something I found really interesting.
Staying at Royal Holloway to do my masters felt like a natural step. I knew the campus, had friends here and a support network, and the 20% alumni discount definitely helped.
What really stood out was how flexible the programme is. Unlike other universities, this course gave me the chance to study gender theory as a whole and then choose a pathway that suited me. I chose the politics pathway because gender and politics overlap a lot, and I already had an A level in politics.
Favourite part of the course..."I loved learning the groundwork of gender theory and all the different perspectives on gender and politics. The gender theory module in the first term was my favourite module." |
Support that makes a difference
I worried at first about moving from drama to gender and politics, but the transition has been much easier than I expected.
I’m autistic and the support I’ve received from the Disability and Neurodiversity Team has been amazing. My lecturers are really understanding and give me extra processing time, if I need it.
I like to find quieter spaces to read in between lectures. I love the library but sometimes it gets a bit crowded, so I often got to the Bedford building. That’s where Teepee, the campus cat, likes to hang out. We usually sit quietly at the same table – it’s like we are on a little reading date.
Catching up with friends in the Boilerhouse cafe
Where can Gender Studies take you?
People might question where gender studies can take you, but honestly, it opens so many doors! It gives you skills that are useful in HR, charity work, government, policy and gender research – there are so many places you could go with it.
This masters degree has really broadened my horizons. The younger me imagined a career purely in drama or acting, but now I can see so many paths I hadn’t even considered before. My experience running the LGBT society during my undergrad, combined with this postgrad degree, really helps my career development. I am hoping to go into LGBT youth work, mental health youth work or the charity sector.
My Royal Holloway experience . . . .“I would sum up my experience at Royal Holloway as life-changing, as it really has allowed me to explore all the options available to me.” |
My advice to future students
If you are thinking about doing a Masters in Gender Studies at Royal Holloway, my advice is to just go for it. Even if you are feeling nervous or unsure, don't worry - it's a great course.
All the students come from different backgrounds with different skill sets and we support each other which is really nice.
Studying a masters is such a fun thing to do if you really want to dig deeper into a subject.
Find out more about postgraduate study at Royal Holloway through our exclusive postgraduate events.
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