Samira Ali

What do you like about your course and why?

I enjoyed studying International Relations because of the different areas of politics we were able to learn. Some courses focused on political theory, whereas others were more empirical, so it was the best of both worlds. My favourite modules would be Engendering World Politics and the courses offered by Dr Malte Kaeding, focusing on China and Asian Politics because of how specific and different it was from Western politics.

Who were your favourite academics and why?

All my lecturers are amazing: they all provided me with help whenever I needed it, during online teaching, I always felt supported and if I had worries about my assessments or even for personal reasons, I knew I could rely on them. Dr Kaeding was always supportive of me and my journey after Surrey, so I will always be grateful for his help and kindness, but I will always be grateful for all the Department of Politics.

What careers support have you received?

Surrey offers a wide range of support, which always helped me throughout the years, my tutor was always helpful with any worries I had and constantly encouraged me. My lecturers encourage us to use their office hours and they provided me with all the support I needed. The International Engagement Office were amazing when I was preparing for my study abroad year especially since it was online, and the pandemic was ongoing, but they provided us with constant updates and any queries I had they helped me along the way.

If you went on a Turing exchange or studied abroad, why did you choose to do so? Where did you go?

I was always determined to go study abroad and the main reason I choose Surrey was because of the study abroad option and the vast number of universities I could pick from. I studied at the University of Copenhagen.

What were the highlights of the experience? Would you recommend it to others?

I would highly recommend doing a study abroad experience. Learning politics and being able to take part in master-level courses allowed me to grow academically, which has ultimately shaped what I want to do in the future.

Some of the highlights of my experience was meeting people from all over the world, volunteering with the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Council as well as having the ability to travel whilst studying!

Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?

After graduation, I plan to pursue a masters degree and continue in the field of academia.

Do you have any other comments you’d like to offer about your time at Surrey?

Being at Surrey has helped me develop and figure out what I want to do once I graduate. I will always be happy to call myself a Surrey graduate.