Prospects Postgrad 1

20 Postgrad ADVICE AND GUIDANCE All aboard: CASE STUDIES UNITED NATIONS With a scholarship and her policies should be, so having them share those experiences with us was incredible. Comparing my undergraduate and Masters degrees I would say that it felt like there was less flexibility in South Africa, in terms of changing modules. I got to meet loads of other African students and I had been working at the University of Sussex’s Institute of Development Studies for 18 months when I decided that I wanted to do further study and go overseas. Academics at Sussex had partnerships with overseas institutions, so it was natural that they had good websites and lots of pages about their publications and the kind of work they were doing. Also, I was put in touch with UK students who were currently studying abroad and managed to get lots of information from them as well. This was important to get a sense of what living there was like and also for budgeting – it was quite a shock for me when I found out how much it cost to live in South Africa. The quality of the teaching at the University was very high. The fantastic thing about the staff was that they were people who had been directly involved in the antiapartheid struggle. A lot of them had been first hand guiding the government after apartheid on what formed close relationships with students from North America, Europe and East Asia. It really broadened my experience and understanding to hear from all those different perspectives. The lifestyle in South Africa was fantastic on the one hand but then on the other you have so many problems. Going out at night and even travelling during the day can be unsafe, so that was a shock to me. I think coping with the cultural difficulties was probably more difficult than practical things like accommodation. I spent two and a half years in South Africa, taking a break between my Masters and dissertation to carry out some voluntary research and consultancy work. I returned to the UK and continued working in a consultancy role, before taking up the post of Health Policy Officer with Oxfam UK. When I look back on the experience as a whole, it was really beneficial and I constantly refer to my time in South Africa in my work. boyfriend in tow, Anna Marriott travelled to South Africa to pursue a postgraduate degree in Development Studies. THE BOLOGNA PROCESS Nicole Goldstein is no stranger to further study, having already gained a Masters in law. For her next education adventure, she applied to the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Study in Bologna. I was attracted to John Hopkins for two reasons; the reputation of the School of Advanced International Study and because several of my university friends in the UK had undertaken the same course and recommended it. I was also looking for a course that would develop my numeracy and general understanding of the global economy, which this offered. John Hopkins gave me a great deal of advice about the process, through their study abroad guide. I had already lived abroad in Kenya, so was aware of the general arrangements I had to make, but the University also had a Housing Officer, who organised accommodation. The whole experience so far has been really enjoyable. I have taken a wide variety of courses including human rights law, American foreign policy and conflict resolution in Sub-Saharan Africa. I have found the economics part of the course extremely stimulating and it has allowed me to re-think and understand the development process from a new dimension. The course is definitely more practical and less theory based in its approach than other postgraduate degrees I researched in the UK. At John Hopkins, I have had the opportunity to go on a study trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which allowed me to understand more fully how post-conflict resolution takes place. There are around 100 American students and 80 students from other countries, so it is a very dynamic and interesting environment to study in. Lessons are taught in English and most of my friends are from the University so I have not been able to learn much Italian or integrate into the wider Bologna society as much as I would like. I have been involved in an internship with Bologna’s Annual Film Festival though, which has enabled me to meet more people.

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Prospects Postgrad Autumn 2008 Contents: What’s Inside For Love and Money Cash for Qualifications A Tale of Two Students Meet the Postgrad People All Aboard The Postgraduate Environment Maths Market The Postgrad Programme Teacher Training Arts and Humanities Science and Engineering Business and Management Social Sciences

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