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After recently completing my MBA in communication management, my next quest was to understand ‘Subliminal communication’ as a subject. Having presented an award winning research paper on the topic at one of the oldest universities in India, Banaras Hindu University, I finally identified my calling.
After recently completing my MBA in communication management, my next quest was to understand ‘Subliminal communication’ as a subject. Having presented an award winning research paper on the topic at one of the oldest universities in India, Banaras Hindu University, I finally identified my calling.
A subject that merely gets a page
in communication management books, or barely a one-hour lecture in most
business schools, definitely means more to me. Moreover, the lack of awareness
on the topic in my country made me run after it even more. Currently pursuing a
career in communications at a reputed branding and communications firm in
Delhi, I realised the pressing need to pursue this subject more aggressively.
Hence, began my quest on researching options in the subject abroad.
A quick search on the top communications
colleges in the world to pursue this passionately was the first step. The
countries that topped my list for this were US, UK, Netherlands and Australia.
These countries were selected on the basis of various factors like college
rankings, weather and culture, opportunities for foreign nationals, suggestions
from friends and relatives, etc. That’s when I learned about the University of
Westminster and the research options available in my field of interest. The research areas
available in Communications and Media Research; and Research and Education in
Art and Media were exactly what I needed. After a little more seeking,
I learned that their media research was previously awarded an excellent (5 out
of 5) rating in each of the three past Research Assessment Exercises.
The clarity in instructions on their official website for
research applications was more than impressive. Since
each college has its own requirements for research programs, exploring research
opportunities that fit one’s bill can be quite a tedious process. The
step-by-step instructions on their official website were extremely helpful. Moreover,
the new QS Worldwide University Rankings places Westminster above the London
School of Economics in the UK, second only in Europe and number 19 in the
world. These ratings are based on the university’s reputation among academics
and employers and citations to published works. There was no doubt that this
was going to my list of most sought-after colleges for research opportunities
abroad. The university receives more than 20,000 students from over 150 nations
and has been continuously encouraging new developments, research projects and
new ideas. All this makes this university unerringly one of the best media research
hotspot where I want to flourish.
CREAM – Centre for Research and
Education in Arts and Media is one of the UKs leading centres for research in
visual and media arts, design and music. Being a connoisseur of music and
wanting to streamline my research in the subject around the music industry,
this was the best place to be! I have been strongly influenced by music and
arts since childhood. With a strong background in Indian classical music and
dance, I slowly meandered into western styles of music and dance. This is how I
got acquainted with the music scene in the UK. Especially Indian artists who
found great reception in the UK and other countries were awe-inspiring.
Understanding subliminal expression and messaging in the music industry has now
become more of a habit than just an aspiration.
CREAM’s members include
internationally renowned artists, filmmakers, photographers, ceramicists,
theorists, critics, historians, designers and musicians. CREAM focuses on
critical and cross-disciplinary approaches. Whilst its individual members cover
a wide range of subject areas and expertise, they do encourage cross-connections
between areas. It is also home to a range of research centres and projects
including: Africa Media Centre, Ambika P3, Ceramic Research Centre, Documentary
and Experimental Film Centre, India Media Centre and Screenplays. With all this
information, I can already see an opportunity with CREAM on my subject turning
into an obsession that I’ve been losing my sleep on, for the past one month.
All that’s left to do on my end is to make that cutting-edge proposal that they
can just not say no to. The rest will be a dream-come-true with a fairy-tale
ending!
