Oliver Taylor, BA (Hons) International Relations (2005)

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Posted on 01 July 2005

When I first began thinking about university in 2001, Keele jumped out from the other prospectuses that I had been looking through. Firstly the idea of campus living appealed to me greatly and secondly because I discovered that the SPIRE department, which offered the International Relations course that I wished to study, had a very good academic reputation. I joined Keele in 2002 and graduated with a 2.1 in IR in 2005.

oliver taylor The breadth of the course allowed me to study varied subjects including politics, philosophy, international politics and history. The staff at the school are very knowledgeable and approachable which can be very handy as deadlines approach and advice is needed. Although I may not have always appreciated it at the time the many essays that I wrote during my 3 years at Keele were excellent preparation for the reports that I write now, the presentations that I gave prepared me for giving briefings in my current job and the exams were great preparation for the research that forms a large part of my job today. I would probably not of been offered my current position were it not for my degree and in my experience Keele is a highly respected university amongst employers.

I currently work as a Research Analyst for a counter-terrorism consultancy and have done so for the past 2 years. My main responsibilities currently include the research and analysis of terrorism in Afghanistan. I am sure that I would find this far more difficult were it not for the experience and knowledge that I gained studying at Keele.

I had several short term jobs after graduating and some periods without a job before I found a ‘career’ which was relevant to my degree. Without a degree from a respected institution such as Keele and school such as SPIRE I do not believe I would have had the opportunity to take the role that I enjoy working in today.

As well as the academic benefits that Keele gave me, I also met my wonderful girlfriend in the final year, a fellow SPIRE student! We now live together in Wiltshire with our dog, Oscar.

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