At the moment, the Scottish Government are trying to enhance China in the schools and the school I work in is hoping to start introducing some Chinese language modules next year. As a result of having done the MSc Chinese Studies, I was able to get involved with an introductory course in Chinese language which will soon be offered at my school.

Apart from having a fantastic reputation, it’s a huge university and the library and resources you’ve got access to are great. They are a great help when you write your essays and to prepare you for the coursework. I also enjoyed the fact that I got to know members of the staff. Everyone has been very approachable in case I ever needed a quick answer. The communication between students on the course is very good as well so the student experience has been excellent. We’re all a small, close-knit group who share ideas with each other. So you’re never on your own.

Because I live here, I love Glasgow. It’s a fantastic place to live and to study. I wasn’t fortunate enough to come here as an undergraduate but I’ve enjoyed my time as a postgraduate student because of the programme I am doing. The course contents are just fascinating and I have learned so much.

I actually decided on Chinese Studies about halfway through my Law School programme because I had the opportunity to study comparative U.S/Chinese law in China for a while, and I think it’s an under-represented, but growing field. I also think that in order to understand a particular area of Chinese…anything…anything…any sort of study about China, you need to understand Chinese culture, Chinese things, where they’re coming from. So I was looking for a place where I could really delve into lots of different areas and study the language as well, and Glasgow had a really great programme for that.

The best thing about studying at the University of Glasgow, hands down, is the international community. I’ve met people from all over the world with a great spread of nationalities, especially in the postgraduate community. Class discussions are really unique and they make you think about things in a completely different way than you’d ever thought about them before. Because each country represents history to their students slightly differently, you get this incredible perspective which you otherwise never would have received and that’s probably the single best thing about it.

The breadth of what I was able to study on my particular programme was amazing. I’ve taken classes in history, economics and language, which I think is unique, particularly at postgraduate level. Studying the interactions between those four areas I think will be more and more important in academia in years to come, so that’s really amazing as well.

Moreover, the staff in the school are phenomenal. Everybody’s really kind, really knowledgeable, supportive and helpful. The mix of ancient architecture and newer facilities provides a unique experience which you couldn’t get in many other places. Everything you could ever want here is here, from athletics to arts, to concerts to…whatever you’re into, you can easily find here.

The absolute single thing I’ve enjoyed the most is the international field. I’ve told all my friends back home that it’s like being at the United Nations every day. The interesting thing is you think you can much better understand topical issues like the E.U crisis or the U.S debt crisis or what’s going on in China and North Korea when you actually meet people from those countries and the perspectives they bring to the table. You’re in a room with people from ten different European countries, an American, and two Chinese, and listening to all of them contribute to the conversation. You cannot get that anywhere else except at university that’s as world-class as this one. I also got the opportunity to do a lot of things that I didn’t get to do in my own undergraduate, that I’ve kind of delved back into, like water polo, which is just fun. I lived with flatmates from China, Spain, and Bulgaria. It’s a combination that I would never have imagined and it’s really interesting.