This year, the IR alumni community has been integral in improving the experience of our current students.
We were delighted to welcome a panel of recent graduates from the department to our Welcome activities for postgraduate students in September at our first ever Community Insights session. We were joined by Armando Marozzi, Dave Cosolo and Alex Andreou, who work variously in the fields of banking, the civil service and international trade. We were able to welcome panellists from around the world as the event was held on Zoom (one of many, many events to take place virtually in this most unusual of years!).
The panel was joined by around 100 new master’s students, who were keen to get an insight into life in the department of International Relations. Questions ranged from the very practical (how to manage reading lists) to the more forward-looking (how to tailor your dissertation topic to possible career paths). The insights provided by the alumni panel were invaluable and reflected the diverse trajectories of the International Relations alumni community. The new students commented that the Community Insights session was one of the highlights of the week of Welcome activities. We will be looking to hold a similar session for 2021’s new master’s students.