USA
Class of 2010/11
I graduated from Stanford University in California with a B.A., then spent three years as a researcher in policy development with think tanks and policy groups in the United States and abroad, where I developed an interest in international policy. Eventually I began wanting to work on my own projects, so I researched Public Policy Ph.D. programs in the United States. Most programs, including the University of Texas program I hoped to enter, require the completion of a masters before matriculating.
As my think tank research was grounded in international law, I came to appreciate a need for a legal background in policy work. A friend studying for her J.D. at the University of Virginia recommended the LL.M. program after she spent time at the University of Nottingham through a Law Studies Abroad program. The LL.M. seemed perfectly suited to both fulfilling the masters requirement for Ph.D. programs and providing the legal background that I desired.
Through the coursework offered, I now understand the legal basis for international policy decisions. Principles of Public International Law forms the foundation for understanding the international system, and from that one can build in a variety of directions. I am interested in international security, and thus took classes on the law of armed conflicts, terrorism law, and the law of post conflict situations, all the while building my international law foundation with classes such as the Law of Treaties. I also appreciated the freedom to explore a topic in depth through the LL.M. dissertation.
As an American, I was relieved at the number and diversity of international students, and the ease with which the various cultures integrate. Additionally, I was impressed by the ambition of the students at the University of Nottingham. So many of my colleagues have a desire to impact their desired fields in a positive manner. I am lucky to count among my closest friends the ambitious, talented, and kind British and international students I met at the University of Nottingham.
After completing the LL.M., I began a Ph.D. in Public Policy at the University of Texas at Austin at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Already, the LL.M. has served to anchor my understanding of public policy while I am learning the theory of my field and beginning research on international security policy and foreign affairs. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend a year working on an LL.M. at the University of Nottingham, time which will undoubtably shape the future of my research.