We recently caught up with Creative, Digital and Professional Writing MA student Matt, who started his studies with us during the COVID-19 pandemic. He gives us a bit more insight into his master's studies so far and how it's helping to shape his future career plans.
Hi Matt, could you start off by telling us why you decided to study at London Met for your MA?
I knew before I started looking at MA courses that I wanted to study in London, I wanted to get a taste of the big city life (pre-pandemic, of course). This particular MA stood out to me because it seemed much more modern than other creative writing courses and it covered a great deal more subject matter. The variety of modules available to students was a big part of my decision.
Did you feel supported by the lecturers on your course?
Certainly, the tutors are all very responsive and keen to offer their help. In one of my autumn semester modules (Digital Video Production) I had dozens of questions to ask my tutor about the details of the final piece we were meant to create and she never failed to answer them within an hour, no matter what time of day it was. Every tutor regularly makes it clear that should we have any questions or issues we can email them, which is very reassuring.
Do you have a favourite author or literary work?
My tastes aren’t especially high-brow and tend to change depending on what I’m reading at the time, but right now my favourite book is This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay. Dickens it ain't, but it’s hilariously funny.
What inspired you to study an MA in Creative, Digital and Professional Writing at London Met?
After completing my undergraduate degree in Modern Languages, I worked for a while in the languages industry but quickly found that it wasn’t where I wanted to be. Creative writing is something I’ve enjoyed in various forms for years, but I had never considered pursuing it further. However, once I started investigating the possibility of studying an MA course, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and before I knew it, I was applying to London Met.
What's been your favourite project or piece of work that you’ve done so far in your course?
I made a documentary for my Digital Video Production module which I’m very proud of – it’s actually more of a mockumentary, but I’ve never made anything like it before and I’m very proud of the way it turned out. And to top that off, my tutor was very impressed too.
Any tips for new students who might be thinking about this MA at London Met?
Don’t limit yourself. This course allows you to let your creativity run wild and nearly every module encourages you to use your imagination as much as you can. That sounds obvious for a 'creative writing' course but you will find that if you ask, your tutors are more than likely to let you go wild with your creative thinking so don’t imagine that there are any limits imposed on what you can do.
Do you know what you’d like to do in the future or which career path you’d like to take?
I don’t have a firm target for a career yet, but right now I’m looking at going into TV production.
We hear one of your hobbies is writing comedy, can you tell us more about that and how this course might fit in with it?
I’ve been writing funny little scripts, skits and sets for some time. I think that this course has opened my mind up to more ways of creating and realising these projects – they’ve nearly all been sets designed to be performed on stage, but now I’m thinking a little more outside the box and experimenting with other ways of making these projects come to life.
Thanks so much for telling us about your course and a bit of background on yourself, Matt! Finally, Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your time at London Met that isn’t covered above?
I think special mention should go to the Careers Service - thanks to their various events, seminars, lectures and guest speakers, as well as their huge range of support services, I’ve been able to gain access to all the information I needed to start making advanced decisions about my future career. Their continued support is invaluable to students of any age but particularly those who are just about to embark on the start of their career journey.
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