Rushika Rodrigo

Top Misconceptions About Choosing a Master’s Degree

Choosing a master’s degree is a major step toward building your future but too many students make decisions based on myths instead of facts. These misconceptions can lead to picking the wrong programme, wasting time, or missing out on better opportunities. Check out these misunderstandings and find the truth behind them so you can make a smarter choice.

1. “Any Master’s Degree Will Guarantee a Better Job”

Almost everyone thinks that simply having a master’s degree means you’ll automatically get a better job but in reality, a postgraduate degree can improve your employment prospects but only if it’s relevant to your career goals and industry demands. Employers look at the skills you bring, not just the title of your degree. Choosing a course that matches your career path and equips you with practical skills is far more important than the degree itself.

2. “Prestigious Universities Are Always the Best Choice”

The misconception is that more prestigious names equal better programmes whereas in reality, reputation is important, but it isn’t everything. A top-ranked university may have limited options in your specific area of interest. In contrast, a lesser-known institution might offer excellent training, closer mentorship, or stronger industry connections in your field. What matters most is fit; not brand name.

3. “A Master’s Degree Is Only for Academics”

Misconception: Master’s degrees are only for people who want to become researchers or lecturers.

Reality: Postgraduate study benefits a wide range of professionals. Many master’s programmes focus on industry-ready skills, real-world projects, internships, and professional networking. Whether you want to become a specialist, move into management, or switch careers, the right master’s degree can help.

4. “You Must Know Your Career Path Before Applying”

If you’re not 100% sure about your career, you shouldn’t pursue a master’s. People might repeat this for a while but time will say, it’s good to have direction, but you don’t need a perfect roadmap.

Masters programmes often help you clarify your goals and explore new areas. What matters is picking a subject that genuinely interests you and builds useful skills. You can refine your exact career focus later.

5. “Online Degrees Are Less Valuable”

Misconception: Online or distance learning isn’t as respected as on-campus study.

Reality: Today, many online programmes are developed by top universities and accredited in the same way as campus degrees. What matters is accreditation, quality of curriculum, and learning outcomes, not delivery mode. Online degrees can be especially valuable if you need flexibility while working or managing other commitments.

6. “Higher Cost Means Higher Quality”

People have misunderstood that expensive tuition means a better degree but while quality programmes sometimes cost more, price alone doesn’t guarantee value. Scholarships, funding opportunities, and lower-cost programmes can offer excellent education and outcomes. What counts is return on investment; the skills, networks, and opportunities you gain from the programme.

7. “You Must Choose a Programme That Matches Your Bachelor’s Major”

Misconception: You can only do a master’s in the same field as your bachelor’s.

Reality: Many postgraduate degrees accept students from diverse academic backgrounds. For example, business, IT, psychology, and education programmes often welcome interdisciplinary applicants. Changing fields is possible; as long as you can demonstrate interest, aptitude, and a clear reason for the switch.

Choose Strategically, Not Emotionally

A master’s degree is a significant investment of time, money, and effort. Don’t let misconceptions shape your choice. Instead, you can focus on your career goals, the real strengths of each programme, the skills you’ll gain and how they apply to your desired path and accreditation and industry recognition.

Making an informed choice today can set you up for success tomorrow.

Sources: Should I do a Masters?

While you’re at it, check out our recent article:

University Rankings in Sri Lanka 2025: Who’s Leading the Pack?

University Rankings in Sri Lanka 2025: Who’s Leading the Pack?

Choosing a university today isn’t just about tradition or reputation; it’s also about global visibility, research impact, and digital presence. According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities (January 2025 edition), Sri Lankan universities continue to compete on an international scale, with several institutions standing out nationally and globally.

Webometrics evaluates universities based on web presence, research excellence, transparency, and impact, making it a useful indicator of how well universities perform in the digital and academic space.

Top-Ranked Universities in Sri Lanka – 2025

Based on the January 2025 Webometrics rankings, the leading universities in Sri Lanka are:

Sri Lanka is Talking about Banning Phones and Social Media for Kids

Sri Lankan government is exploring the possibility of restricting smartphone use and social media access for children, especially those under 12 as part of a broader effort to protect minors from harmful online content. The proposal has been officially discussed by senior cabinet members, though no final law has been passed yet.

The concern is pretty simple: children are spending more time online than ever before, and not all of it is healthy. The content children are exposed to is not only harmful but also abusive with unethical, immoral and inappropriate online materials all the while impacting child development and safety.

One reason for the government to discuss this issue comes amid a global trend of countries tightening rules in children’s access to digital platforms.

Australia has “rightfully” implemented a ban on social media (SM) for those under 16, France moved to ban SM use by children under 15 and other governments, including India are debating age-based limits or parental controls.

While many believe banning smartphones is the right step, some feel smartphones are part of everyday life. They argue that instead of bans, children need guidance, better rules, and digital education to help them use technology responsibly.

For now, it’s still just a conversation with no confirmed bans but what we, as the younger generation of the country, can see is that Sri Lankan government is trying to figure out where to draw the line between protection and freedom in a digital world.

Doomsday Clock 2026: What the “85 Seconds from Midnight” Really Means for the World

The Doomsday Clock has been set to 85 seconds to midnight which is the closest it’s ever been since it was introduced in 1947, signaling rising global risks and existential threats.

Let’s get into simple terms. The Doomsday Clock isn’t a countdown timer in the usual sense because it doesn’t tick down in real time like the usual clocks do and it doesn’t precisely predict the moment the world will end. But when scientists say we are 85 seconds to midnight, it is hard not to pause and feel uneasy.

What does the midnight represent? Midnight in this case represents global catastrophe or a point where human-made threats like war, climate collapse, technology and pandemics overwhelm our entire abilities to control them. What’s more concerning is that being this close has never happened before. According to the scientists behind the Doomsday Clock, we are closer to disaster than any point in modern history.

This 85 seconds is symbolic and not literal. It doesn’t mean that the world ends in 85 seconds; rather it represents how compressed the margin for error has become. In simple terms, we no longer have the luxury of time to reverse our mistakes. We had time before, but now, we don’t anymore.

One reason the clock moved closer this year, 2026, is because, as experts have pointed out, a dangerous mix of problems is occurring all at once. This is indeed true because today, nuclear tensions remain as high as ever (especially with diplomatic trust becoming more fragile), climate change is advancing rapidly, biological risks including pandemics remain a real threat almost every day and international cooperation is weakening, particularly when it is needed the most.

These not only say that individually, these risks are serious but also together, they amplify each other.

This clock is not saying, “it’s over.” But it’s definitely saying, “this is the moment to act.” The closer the clock gets to midnight, the louder the warning becomes. The scientists state that it is possible to move the clock back but it solely depends on human choice rather than fate.

We may not know how soon things could unravel but one thing is sure now: the time to fix what’s broken is now, not later.

Sources: Doomsday Clock 2026: Scientists set new time

Want to find out how technology has rewritten childhood? Read:

Kids Swiping Books Like Phones: Losing Childhood to Technology

Kids Swiping Books Like Phones: Losing Childhood to Technology

Imagine a child picking up a storybook and trying to swipe the page like it’s a smartphone screen. This moment actually reveals something real about how technology has shaped the way the youngest generation interacts with the world.

A recent survey of primary school teachers in the UK found that nearly one in three kids just starting school didn’t intuitively use a book the traditional way and some even reached out to tap or swipe paper pages as if they were digital screens.

Why Phones First and Books Second?

This is not just a silly misunderstanding. it reflects how deeply smartphones and tablets are woven into kids’ early lives. Many children today have grown up surrounded by touchscreens, voice assistants, and apps that respond instantly to every gesture. So it’s almost unsurprising that a curious preschooler might expect a book to “work” the same way.

The survey didn’t just look at book handling. It also showed that some children are arriving in school without what used to be considered basic “school-ready” skills like eating independently, drinking from a cup confidently, or using the toilet on their own.

Some early childhood research links heavy screen exposure at a very young age with delays in things like language, social interaction, and fine motor development, the kinds of skills you would normally build by interacting with books, puzzles, and peers.

Other studies have suggested that when children have more devices in the home, they actually read less by choice, especially in unrestricted screen environments.

This isn’t to say technology is inherently bad. Many parents and educators find digital tools valuable when used thoughtfully. But when screens become the default way to interact, children may sometimes miss out on the early physical and social learning experiences that books, play, and face-to-face conversation encourage.

Some schools are now experimenting with changes like phone-free classrooms or less emphasis on digital devices during early years so that children can develop focus, curiosity, and interpersonal skills without constant screen stimulation.

Parents, too, are encouraged to balance screen time with old-fashioned play, reading together, and letting kids explore the world with their hands and senses, not just their fingertips.

This isn’t just a funny story about kids and their gadgets. It’s a small snapshot of a larger cultural shift: Technology is reshaping childhood and that shift shows up in how kids learn to interact with even the simplest things like a book.

Whether we see it as adaptation, disruption or both, it’s worth paying attention to what kids are learning first and how that shapes how they see the world.

Sources: Children Starting School Are Trying to Swipe Books Like They’re Phones

Related Read:

“Med School Is ‘Pointless’? Elon Musk Says Robot Surgeons Could Eclipse Human Docs Soon”

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Which Pattern Feels Most Like You?

Borderline Personality Disorder doesn’t look the same in everyone.
Many people live with intense emotional pain for years without realizing there’s a name for what they’re experiencing or that help exists.

While only a mental health professional can diagnose BPD, learning about common patterns can help you recognize whether your struggles are worth exploring further with support.

Clinicians often talk about four commonly discussed BPD patterns: Discouraged, Impulsive, Petulant, and Self-Destructive. These are not official diagnoses; just ways to describe how BPD traits can show up differently.

As you read, ask yourself gently:
“Does this sound familiar?”

1. Discouraged (Quiet) Pattern

This is all about Pain turned inward. You might relate to this if you:

Feel emotions very deeply but hide them from others
Blame yourself when relationships feel unstable
Fear abandonment but don’t express anger outwardly
People-please to avoid conflict
Appear “high-functioning” while feeling empty, lonely, or exhausted inside

Many people with this pattern are misdiagnosed with only depression or anxiety because their struggles are invisible.

2. Impulsive Pattern

Emotions that spill outward. You might relate to this if you:

Act quickly when emotions feel overwhelming
Struggle with impulsive decisions (spending, substance use, risky behavior)
Experience sudden mood shifts
Feel intense connections that can turn unstable
Later feel shame or regret about your actions

These behaviors aren’t about lack of control; they’re attempts to escape emotional pain.

3. Petulant Pattern

Push–pull relationships. You might relate to this if you:

Want closeness but feel angry or resentful when you don’t feel understood
Swing between dependence and withdrawal
Feel easily rejected or invalidated
Struggle with frustration, irritability, or passive-aggressive behavior
Feel misunderstood even when people try to help

Underneath the anger is often fear — fear of being hurt, ignored, or abandoned.

4. Self-Destructive Pattern

Pain turned against the self. You might relate to this if you:

Experience chronic shame, emptiness, or self-hatred
Engage in self-harm or have suicidal thoughts
Feel emotionally numb at times
Sabotage relationships or opportunities
Feel hopeless about change

If this section resonates strongly, you deserve support and you are not weak for needing it.

One important thing to remember is that you do not need to fit one category perfectly and that many people experience traits from more than one pattern. having these traits does not define your worth and this recognition is all about understanding and not labelling.

Can BPD Be Treated?

BPD can be treated effectively and therapies like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) help people in numerous ways. They can regulate intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviors, build healthier relationships and develop a more stable sense of self. Many people with BPD go on to live deeply meaningful, connected lives.

This article is not a diagnosis. If parts of it resonated with you, consider that as information and not as verdict. A licensed mental health professional can help you understand what’s really going on and what support might help.

Most importantly, understanding yourself is not self-labeling. It’s the first step toward care.

Sources: The 4 Types of Borderline Personality Disorder

Letter to a Cadaver: Proof That Silence Can Teach

Letter to a cadaver,

I still remember the first day we’ve met. I felt nostalgic and heavy in a hall full of dead people. I wasn’t sure whether I am about to cut and open up a man who had experienced death. I was just 21 and had never felt, stood or touched anything that close to death.

All of us bowed down on that very day and observed silence for few minutes as a respect to your commitment for our medical education. The feeling that you were loved by someone sometime ago struck my heart very deep.

Despite my curiousity, enthusiasm and eagerness to learn, when my group mates moved the shroud over you, we altogether couldn’t possibly underestand the magnitude of your generiosity and selflessness in donating us your body in to which you have poured whole seventy years of your life with ups and downs and also the very last and only thing that you, truely owned.

Then my professor drew lines on your bear chest and started teaching us. We were told that the best anatomy book is infront of us, awaiting its pages to be turned. When the first incision was made on your bear skin, I felt a shiver running through my spine. I still ponder over whether it was because of the scalpel cutting you open or my hands touching your bear skin for the first time.

Day by day after each and every dissection class, I felt myself gradually brimming with awe, fascination and wonder. Little by little I felt you and your subject transforming me in to a person I have never known. I started reading textbooks and recollecting anatomical relationships instead of prayers before bedtime. I had a roommate constantly complaining me that I was muttering anatomical terms in sleep. I had bones piled up on my work desk and even nicknamed a human skull.

I became a fact-devourer and insidiously I started believing in explainable over unexplainable since I had been down inside your chest and held your heart in my palms. I cut your skull to see your brain inside and in all that I felt that your body is a house in which your soul had once resided. There was nothing left of real you or any part of your virtuous soul anywhere. It was gone, perhaps now in a new home in heaven.

I know not how to be thankful for allowing to discover, explore and learn everything in your earthly home which you have never seen yourself to people whom you have never met, seen or talked in real life. You had no place of yourself there uncut by our novice,unskilled scalpels.

Thank you very much.

Hoping to visit your new home when my time comes,

With lots of love and appreciation,

A dental student.

By Vishva Dissanayake.

New Universities Act Explained: What Sri Lankan Undergraduates Really Need to Know

When Parliament passed the latest amendments to Sri Lanka’s Universities Act, many students started wondering if this was political and if it will affect their degrees, lecturers or campus freedom.

According to Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, the answer is clear: this change is not meant to politicise but depoliticise universities.

What does this actually mean for undergraduates and what was changed in the Universities Act?

The amendments mainly focus on how academic leaders are chosen, especially Deans and Heads of Deparmtments (HoDs). Previously, only a narrow group of senior academics could be appointed as Deans but today, senior professors, professors, associate professors and senior lecturers (Grade I) are eligible.

Most Importantly, Deans will now be appointed by the faculty board, not imposed from outside.

The Minister also highlighted the term limits for Deans. A Dean can serve only two terms maximum and no one can hold the position indefinitely.

Limits on Heads of Departments are that a person cannot be Head of the same department for more than one term and no one can hold the HoD position for more than two consecutive terms. This encourages leadership rotation and fairness.

Why this is a Big Change is because in the past, leadership appointments were often criticised for being politically influenced, Top-down decisions and resistant to change. But under this new system, faculty members choose their own leaders, leadership becomes more democratic and transparent and political influence is reduced.

“Med School Is ‘Pointless’? Elon Musk Says Robot Surgeons Could Eclipse Human Docs Soon”

Elon Musk has ignited a fresh firestorm over the future of healthcare after telling the Moonshots podcast that traditional medical school could soon be obsolete; thanks to AI-powered robots taking over surgery and other medical duties.

Speaking with host Peter Diamandis, the billionaire founder of Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink laid out a bold and controversial timeline. Musk claimed that autonomous, AI-driven robots like Tesla’s humanoid Optimus could outperform the best human surgeons “at scale” within just three years.
When Diamandis asked whether aspiring doctors should skip medical school, Musk didn’t mince words: “Yes. Pointless.”

Musk’s argument centers on three big points. One is that he says that it takes years of grueling study and practice to become a surgeon butt robots, powered by AI and machine learning, can learn rapidly and share insights instantly.

He also highlights that AI doesn’t get tired or shake under pressure, properties Musk says are vital for top-tier surgery. Musk also predicts “more Optimus robots that are great surgeons than there are all surgeons on Earth” by around 2030.

He also pointed to Neuralink’s surgical robot, which is already used to implant ultra-thin electrodes into the human brain with precision far beyond human hands, a real-world example of machine superiority in delicate procedures.

Make Your Research Cinematic and Let It Defend Itself

For many research students, the biggest challenge is not conducting research, but communicating it clearly. Strong findings can lose their impact if they are presented in a way that feels confusing, distant, or overly technical for observers.

One effective way to avoid this is by using storytelling techniques in academic communication. This does not mean exaggeration or simplification of facts. Instead, it is about structure, clarity, and engagement.

Why Storytelling Matters in Research

Research is often shared with audiences beyond your supervisor. Audiences such as conference attendees, reviewers, policymakers, journalists, and the public are more likely to understand and remember your work when it follows a clear narrative and having a clear narrative will help you:

Clarify your research purpose
Show the importance of your research problem
Guide readers logically through your work
Make complex ideas easier to follow

Most successful research papers already follow a story-like structure, even if we do not always recognize it. You can think of your research as having the Classic Story Arc.

A strong story has:

Scene-setting: Where are we? What’s the context?

Trigger: What problem kicked things off?

Rising Action: The hard work: experiments, challenges, data collection.

Conflict: What got in your way? Tough data? Unexpected results?

Climax: Your breakthrough moment.

Resolution: What your findings mean for the world.

*Image credits: Turn your research into a Hollywood-worthy story*

This arc fits any research field: your literature review is the setup, methodology and data collection become the adventure, and your conclusions are the satisfying finish.

Viewing your research this way can help you explain it more confidently and coherently and ultimately will help the audience grasp a clear idea.

In order for this to work, you should keep your language simple and not complicated. Using complex language does not make research stronger. Clear writing shows clear thinking. While technical terms are sometimes necessary, they should be used carefully and explained when possible.

That said, it is necessary to ditch academic jargon because only straight-forward language can help anyone follow your story and make them curious to know what will happen next.

You can ask these questions yourself to understand this more:

Would a student from another discipline understand this section?
Can this sentence be shorter or more direct?

If you think this way, your research’s clarity will increase both its accessibility and credibility.

Storytelling is especially useful when:

Writing conference abstracts
Preparing presentations
Explaining your research to non-experts
Writing blog posts or summaries about your work

A well-told research story makes your work easier to share, publish, and promote.

Learning to frame your research as a structured story does not reduce or cheapen its academic value. Instead, it amplifies its impact and ultimately helps your ideas travel further and reach the audiences they deserve. For research students, storytelling is not an optional skill, it is a powerful tool for academic success. So make sure you grab your audience from the first line and take them on a research journey worth remembering.

Sources: Turn your research into a Hollywood-worthy story