Louis Sagarriga Visconti

1. What inspired you to pursue postgraduate studies, and how did your time at the University of London Institute in Paris help prepare you for it?

ULIP was instrumental in preparing me for postgraduate studies. My final year, in particular, was essential in motivating me to pursue a Master’s degree. I had to dedicate myself as never before to achieve my academic objective, forcing me to organise my time and work on a consistent basis. 

Surprisingly, by working as hard as I did, and immersing myself in my studies, I discovered a passion for many topics which I had only considered of relative interest before. The International Politics BA at ULIP was crucial in helping me identify my personal ambition and career objective of contributing towards nuclear disarmament, a mission which drives me on a daily basis and which has made my postgraduate studies feel fulfilling and enjoyable. 

2. What life lesson did you learn at the University of London Institute in Paris that will help you going forward? 

I would never have thought that working harder would actually have made me enjoy the process exponentially more, as I, like many students, often wished I could do anything other than research academic papers or write a literature review. However, at ULIP I learned that it is through hard work that I can find the passions needed to motivate me further. This is a lesson that I will carry onto my future academic and professional endeavours. 

Had it not been for ULIP, I would never have discovered the fields I am the most passionate about working in. I would also add that achieving a first class degree from ULIP made my postgraduate applications extremely successful, proving the prestige and high-regard that the institute holds internationally. The professors are always available to help students in their applications through personal statement review sessions, excellent letters of reference, and simple conversations to help students identify the best next step for them.

3. What advice would you give to current students considering postgraduate studies?

I was fortunate to identify what interested me just in time for the Christmas holidays in year three, meaning I was still in time to apply to all of the postgraduate programmes which interested me. Nonetheless, if I could go back and change anything from my time at ULIP, it would be to engage with the course as much as I did in the final semester during the previous years as well. 

This would have made my final year, both in terms of succeeding academically at ULIP and in terms of applying to postgraduate studies, much easier. Therefore, I would advise current students to dedicate themselves to their studies from early on in their programme, as to discover their passions sooner.