I grew up in London and before I began the MSc in Refugee & Forced Migration studies at the Refugee Studies Centre, I studied Spanish, French and Historical/Comparative Romance Linguistics at the University of Cambridge. After my undergraduate degree, I needed a bit of time off from studying so spent a year getting some professional experience working as a Modern Languages teacher and volunteering for part of the time at refugee camps in northern France.

I found out about the MSc in Refugee & Forced Migration Studies online. I knew I wanted to do a master's, and having worked/volunteered in the refugee sector during my undergrad and after it, I was keen to do a master's in the field to deepen my knowledge of historical and current refugee-related issues. I applied to a couple of different master's programmes but the one at Oxford particularly appealed because of the high calibre of the teaching at the institution, and because of the number of teaching/contact hours on the course. I was also really interested in some of the “optional" modules offered on the MSc (eg, on statelessness, gender, legacies of displacement, and postcolonial borders). 

Separately though, I also applied for this MSc because the refugee plight, and concomitant questions of persecution, belonging, and forced displacement, are woven into the fabric of my identity. Like so many British Jews, my childhood was filled with stories of refugees who fled Nazi persecution, and from a young age, I sought to understand how my grandpa and his parents, by a trick of fate, managed to escape Nazi-occupied Austria in August 1939 and settle in England. 

The ODID building itself is a hub for meeting different students from all ODID's master's programmes. The option to have lunch in the ODID building, to study at the computer spaces, and to chat with friends in the common areas or in the outside courtyard, means it is a sociable and lively space. Mostly though it’s the people that make the place. There is always a friendly face about, and Gary (who manages logistics at ODID) never fails to offer everyone biscuits and coffee, just when you’re in need of a morning or afternoon snack. I enjoyed weekly movie nights at the faculty (as part of my master’s programme’s extracurricular activities), in addition to talks held there, like the weekly RSC Public Seminar Series.

I was so lucky to meet so many incredible friends and faculty members this year, who have completely inspired me and encouraged me to view things in such different ways. The diversity of voices, experiences and outlooks on the course enriched my time studying at the RSC, and I learnt so much not only from my classes, but from the friends I made. The course content itself was incredibly varied, and I have been trained in many disciplinary areas, all of which were somewhat new to me. These include law, philosophy, politics, anthropology, postcolonial history and sociology/gender. I am grateful for the brilliant teaching, and for all the time and effort that course convenors put into their modules, classes, and supervision. I particularly enjoyed biweekly thesis supervisions with my assigned supervisor, and benefitted from the extensive resources offered on the course's online learning platform.

I wrote about theories of encampment, and specifically presented a case study of a summer camp for young refugees (with which I volunteer) called Our Second Home. My main argument was as follows: in spite of the extensive body of literature which outlines how camp spaces (like the refugee camp, the concentration camp, the internment camp etc.) are negative, in that they so often work to the detriment of their inhabitants, the camp (as a space in itself) does not actually have any normative value. I used the case study of Our Second Home to begin developing a theory of a camp space (here, a summer camp) that is positive, in that it aims to work to the benefit of its campers.

I was part of the Oxford Alternotives, a university-wide A Capella group. We did many performances and gigs throughout the year and I had such a good time singing with them. I’ve definitely made lifelong friends. I’d really encourage anyone doing a master's to get involved with life beyond ODID, as it is such a great way to meet people, and exercise the non-academic side of your brain.

Oxford is a beautiful, brilliant and at times, strange place (people work hard, and it’s not every day that you get the chance to live and work among some of the most brilliant minds, and in the midst of architecture as old as the 11th century). Walking through Oxford's streets, and working in such impressive libraries felt like a complete privilege. The RSC tries really hard to be at the forefront of the change that needs to happen at Oxford. It felt like an inclusive haven which celebrates who you are and makes space for everyone’s voice to be heard.

The course was hard work, and I think anyone doing it should be prepared for that. But that said, it was also hugely fulfilling. I’d say don’t be afraid of applying if you’re doing so from a different disciplinary background. I was quite daunted when I sat in my first week of classes, and realised almost everyone else had some experience in at least one of the fields we were studying on the course, but you’d be surprised by how everyone’s insights are so important and valuable, no matter the disciplinary background you’re coming from. Many of us on the course also felt that having some time off (between your undergrad and master’s degree) to get some professional experience was beneficial.