My name is Romana Michelon, and I am a 23-year old Italian-Dutch graduate student, currently graduating in the MSc in International Relations (IR) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Seeing that I have just received back the final grade of my Master’s thesis, and I have thereby completed all official requirements to graduate in IR, I am very pleased to make this testimonial for future IR students in Amsterdam!

'I wanted to study in a truly international environment'

Before moving to Amsterdam, I finished my Bachelor’s in European Studies at Maastricht University. Although sad to leave Maastricht, which is a great university located in a beautiful city, I knew I wanted to move beyond the study of Europe alone. Also, I wanted to study in a truly international environment, within which a multitude of different nationalities would be represented. Finally, the Master’s programme I was looking for needed to allow me to take courses on politics in the Middle East, my personal region of interest. The IR programme at the UvA fulfilled all these criteria.

'The in-class atmosphere was always very relaxed'

Looking back upon my year in Amsterdam, I am very happy to have done IR. Mostly, I think the range of electives that students are allowed to choose from in composing their curriculum, truly sets the UvA apart from other universities. As I hoped for, it allowed me to take two courses within which the Middle East was discussed on a regular basis. In these courses – Collective Political Violence (CPV) and IR of the Middle East – the in-class atmosphere was always very relaxed. Teachers with highly international backgrounds always allowed students to vividly discuss subject matters, and generally encouraged us to think out of the box. Most of us would hang out also after class, enjoying lunches at nearby bars or simply at the university cafeteria.

'Students are given true freedom in the selection of their topic, and are also stimulated to developed original claims'

Entering the second semester, I started working on my Master’s thesis. Although I have slightly changed my topic in the process, it is now about EU foreign policy in the Southern Mediterranean, in the specific context of the victory of a set of Islamist political parties following the Arab revolutions. The great thing about the way in which the UvA approaches thesis-writing, is its flexibility. Students are given true freedom in the selection of their topic, and are also stimulated to developed original claims. There are usually weekly meeting with thesis supervisors, which follow your work and comment on its development. For more individual supervision, supervisors can also be reached electronically.

'My thirst for more knowledge combined with a very unfavorably-looking and crisis-ridden job market, have directed me to London'

Now that I am done, I am doing an internship at FRIDE, the Madrid-based think-tank that focuses on research on EU foreign policy, and has an excellent team specialized in the Middle East. I have the feeling that my Master’s have well-prepared me for working in a research institution. I am able to participate in all researchers’ discussions, and often even manage to bring original insights to the table. After this internship, I am moving to London. The Collective Political Violence course I took during the first semester sparked my interest in conflict studies, and I am proud to say that I have been admitted to the Master’s in Conflict Resolution in Divided Societies at King’s College. The reasons underlying my choice to do a second Master’s programme have nothing to do with any sort of inadequacy of the programme in Amsterdam. Instead, my thirst for more knowledge combined with a very unfavorably-looking and crisis-ridden job market, have directed me to London. After next year, I would love to continue my academic career by doing a PhD in Italy.  

'The study-atmosphere is always thought-stimulating and interesting'

Overall, I would recommend anyone interested in IR to come to Amsterdam. The offer of electives will allow you to tailor your programme to your individual needs, and the study-atmosphere is always thought-stimulating and interesting!