Applying for the Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice in English was an easy choice to make. I always wanted to follow a programme in English as I did not have any formal education in English after my school days. English was used as the medium to communicate with students while coordinating courses, but I had many doubts with many usages of English.
Perplexed
I did not have any idea about the contents of the degree when I applied. I did not know if the contents are going to suit my need. With the little experience I have had as a lecturer I did not think that a post-graduate level programme could be developed to specialize in professional practice in English. I had no clue about the programme but still, I decided to join because of the reputation I have had about the Post Graduate Institute of English and the lecturers.
Unanticipated
I was a bit disappointed at the beginning after getting the lecture schedule. I would have been the only student who attended the lectures reading the book fully. I was expecting an Open and Distance Learning(ODL) experience which works for me the best. I was never a bright student at school in which I had to sit for hours listening to teachers. It was the same for the postgraduate degree that I followed in a conventional university. My concentration span is minimal when it comes to listening. It was a dreadful experience for me to think of getting ready and attend lectures, if not for my friends and a few lecturers I enjoyed I would have given up the programme.
Reap the best
Though I had a stressful beginning of study I managed to keep myself motivated to reap the best of the educational programme. I realized that there are some grammatical mistakes that I often do in writing and since I have been doing these for years now it has become a habit. This realization helped me to visit my writings consciously and to reduce the mistakes. I have not spent time in identifying different writing styles before. Following this programme created an eagerness to look at the English usage in articles in addition to its message and the content. I inculcated a habit of writing down the phrases and patterns of English sentences that I can use in my day to day communications.
Regrets
I regret that I missed a few lectures at the end of the programme due to various other commitments. I missed the most important bits of the programme which would have helped me immensely in my career.
Comforting Prospect
Still, I am happy for making that easy choice to apply for the programme at the beginning and making the difficult choice to attend the lectures as much as possible.
Forsee the future
The lecture on writing for social media created enthusiasm for me to read creative blog articles and I would like to devote more time to improve my creative writing skills in the future.