海角论坛

 

Beth is a graduate from the Masters in Diplomacy & International Security programme at the University of 海角论坛...

Tell us about yourself and what originally brought you to 海角论坛...

I studied my undergraduate degree in Politics and Sociology at the University of Glasgow. This provided me with a clear basis for an understanding of the social and political world and provided me with strong research skills and crucial contextual knowledge to better understand world systems and global politics. Whilst I am from Glasgow, I grew up in Oman in the Middle East and lived amongst a very international community. This taught me how to work with many different groups of people and showed me that I want to continue to travel and work with people on a global stage.

What inspired you to study the MSc Diplomacy & International Security?

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I knew that I was not ready to leave university just yet. Whilst I adored my time at the University of Glasgow, I wanted a change of scenery and to try something new. I began to research into different master's programmes around Scotland, and I came across the MSc in Diplomacy and International Security. This course immediately interested me as it seemed to be vastly different than other courses I came across and seemed to be a very technical subject with lots of expertise which I found very intriguing. What also enticed me was how much emphasis the course put into the importance of developing skills for the workforce, which was particularly important to me as I wanted to start my career after completing this degree.

Tell us a little bit about engaging with diplomats and other practitioners...

An incredible part of this course was the opportunities to network and engage with practitioners and experts in the diplomacy field. All of the talks that we attended were so beneficial to provide myself and my peers with key information, tips and advice and helped to inspire us and provide us with different paths that we could go down after our course ended. I learnt so much from these discussions and I believe that they have better informed me on how I plan to proceed after this course. I think that these opportunities were vital to show us that careers take time and patience and that we have so much time to learn, develop and flourish after university.

Tell us a little bit about your experience on placement...

I would say that my work placement was probably one of the most rewarding parts of this course for me personally. When it was promoted to us at the start of the year, I knew that it was something that I certainly wanted to do on the course. Like I mentioned above, preparing for the workforce was an incredibly crucial part of doing a master's degree for me personally. For my Work Placement, I got to take part and work for the Festival of Europe Scotland. During my time doing this, I got the opportunity to work with some really incredible people who had illustrious careers. They provided me with so much insightful knowledge. This experience strengthened my ability to develop reliable, organised work at volume and work to deadlines whilst also strengthening communication skills with my colleagues, and clients/stakeholders. I also got to take part in the actual festival events, which allowed me to see the end product of all of the hard work that took place throughout the placement.

Tell us more about the Diplomacy & International Security society...

Whilst the entire course was incredibly enjoyable and interesting, one of the best parts of the course was definitely being a part of the DIS Society. During my time on this course, I acted as Social Secretary for the committee of the DIS society. This was enjoyable for a number of reasons. Firstly, I got the opportunity to socialise, work with, and get to know the people on my course, which helped me to develop friendships and build bonds with other students facing the same challenges and obstacles throughout the course. This made the course more manageable and allowed for time to decompress. Secondly, I got the opportunity to develop a variety of new skills that have become very valuable in preparing me for the workforce. I strengthened my skills in event planning, communication, collaboration, time management, and organisation. Being part of this society also allowed me to take part in planning the society trip to Brussels, which was incredibly rewarding and interesting. In Brussels we visited embassies, EU institutions and engaged with a number of diplomats.

What do you think of the support available?

All of the support at the university has been fantastic. All of the staff such as the lecturers, Library team and Careers service always provided really helpful information when necessary. Our programme director, Rogelia went totally out of her way to get to know all of us incredibly well and provide everyone on the course with the support that we needed. Furthermore, the entire dissertation experience was so much smoother with the help of lecturers and my incredible dissertation supervisor. I am Disabled and the Disability and Wellbeing service were also so accommodating and helpful from the start of the year. 海角论坛 has been a wonderfully student-oriented university to attend, and the course program as a whole was very attentive to students’ needs throughout the year.

What specialist knowledge/professional skills have you developed whilst studying the course?

This course has provided me with so many experiences to build upon my pre-existing knowledge and skills. The most important part of this course has been the incredibly specialised focus on preparing us for the workforce. I think it is so important that students get the opportunity to learn key professional skills that they can apply to their future jobs. All of the classes I took, alongside the practitioner and networking opportunities, provided me with so much insightful information and helped me to refine and polish so many vital skills that have already proven to be incredibly useful with the start of my career. I got so many opportunities to speak to so many people from a variety of backgrounds and careers which helped to enlighten my future career decisions.

What are your ambitions for the future and how do you think your time at 海角论坛 will help you achieve your goals?

I have just recently started a new job within the Scottish Government/Civil Service, and I can already see how I have been able to apply so many of the skills I developed throughout the course to my time at work. As mentioned above, many of the practitioners that we spoke to throughout the year reminded us of the importance of being patient in our careers and working our way up. Whilst I am just easing my way into the workforce, I am excited to try out as much as possible and discover what I enjoy to better inform me on where I want my career to take me. I also would like to continue travelling and living abroad, so hopefully with time the opportunity will arise in order for me to do so. I know that my time on this course will prove to be valuable when achieving this. Moreover, my dissertation on Disability and Human Rights has also informed me of the potential careers I would like to consider in the future.

What would be your advice for someone considering applying for this course?

My best advice for people considering this course, or any master's degree, would be to trust the process. The whole year feels very full on and daunting, but it is all so incredibly worth it in the end. I found that this postgraduate degree was so different from my undergraduate degree as there was less time to ease into the experience. It is so important that you lean on people and seek out help when necessary whether that be family, lecturers and staff or peers and friends. Unlike an undergraduate degree, you only have a year to enjoy all of these experiences, and it goes by so fast. Fully engage in the process, get involved in the society and take part in all of the opportunities available during this course such as practitioner events and social activities. Taking the chance to decompress and enjoy the process eases the stress that comes with doing such a full-on degree. This course provided so much more than just educational opportunities and experiences.