{"id":16,"date":"2014-11-17T16:36:34","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T16:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/?p=16"},"modified":"2014-11-17T16:38:52","modified_gmt":"2014-11-17T16:38:52","slug":"in-praise-of-postgraduate-study-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/2014\/11\/17\/in-praise-of-postgraduate-study-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"In Praise of Postgraduate Study Supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"Chatting<\/a>
Chatting to the VC at a Newcastle Graduation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although I am a tutor on this course, I also know what it is like being on the other side of the text books or laptop screen.\u00a0 Not just with my own studies, but also as a family supporter of a postgraduate student \u2013 in my case my husband.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m writing this the day after his graduation ceremony, so forgive me if I become sentimental and reach for the tissues.\u00a0 You have been warned!<\/p>\n

As an undergraduate you take for granted that the people who love you \u2013 mainly your parents \u2013 will make sure you\u2019re fed, watered, clothed and generally cared for.\u00a0 But as a postgrad you quickly realise how much those who share their lives with you have to sacrifice to help you on your journey.\u00a0 Sunday afternoons out, school plays, trips to the cinema, weekends away\u2026 they seem like a distant memory, suspended on a promise of better things to come.\u00a0 The loss of a housework-friendly spouse to the inner sanctum of the study was a one \u00a0I particularly grieved over.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the physical, hands-on help your non-studying supporter will have taken on for you.\u00a0 It\u2019s the emotional protection they give you that is so often overlooked yet demands the most.\u00a0 Even just listening to your loved one ventilating about unrealistic assignment deadlines, tight timetables and unintelligible coursework takes its toll \u2013 especially when you\u2019re facing a full laundry basket, a heart-broken teenager and an eleventh-hour school project.\u00a0 Alone.<\/p>\n

Or so it seems.\u00a0 But when you see your spouse or parent, partner, child, sibling or friend in cap and gown, walking up to receive their handshake and certificate\u2026 when you listen to the rousing valedictorian speech\u2026 even when you\u2019re sipping champagne at your celebratory cocktail party (if you\u2019re lucky)\u2026 then you know it\u2019s all been worth it.<\/p>\n

At my postgraduate congregation all the graduates turned to face the audience and applauded their friends and family supporters, in a gesture of gratitude that seemed too<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/a>
Family and friends there to celebrate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

small.\u00a0 I\u2019m welling up with tears just remembering that moment, and it was 6 years ago, such is the power of that simple, heart-felt act (well, I did warn you).\u00a0 I saw a sea of proud faces – smiling, waving, cheering, clapping \u2013 each one had travelled every step of the journey with us.\u00a0 We just hadn\u2019t really noticed that they were there until that moment.<\/p>\n

So when you finally finish your studies and are realising the fruits of your labours, turn to the ones that were with you and say thanks.\u00a0 One day, if you\u2019re lucky, you may have the opportunity to return the favour.<\/p>\n

Dr Vicky Hewitt- Module Leader and Personal Tutor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Although I am a tutor on this course, I also know what it is like being on the other side of the text books or laptop screen.\u00a0 Not just with my own studies, but also as a family supporter of a postgraduate student \u2013 in my case my husband.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019m writing this … Continue reading In Praise of Postgraduate Study Supporters<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5463,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[15,13,8,14],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-congregations","tag-congregations","tag-graduation","tag-online","tag-postgraduate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5463"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions\/28"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/oncpall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}