BA (Hons) Thai and Southeast Asian Studies, graduated 2008

Having completed the fourth and final year studying Thai and Southeast Asian Studies, I could not have wished for a better university experience.

The course itself has provided me with invaluable language skills and cultural understanding, which included a year studying at Chiang Mai University. This was a unique and memorable experience which gave us a level of language that progressed in the third and fourth years. Being able to read newspapers, study academic articles and understand the jokes in Thai films is extremely satisfying.

The department and the staff have a great deal of time for the students and are always quick and willing to help. If there was anything we were particularly interested in covering, extra effort was always made by the staff to include this in the course where possible. Alongside learning Thai, numerous modules were offered which gave a wider knowledge of the region; for me, this included studying regional politics, economics and environmental issues.

Thailand is rapidly developing within the region and although I sometimes receive quizzical looks when people ask me what degree I have read, with such a great amount of culture embedded in language I believe such an understanding is imperative to international relations. For me this degree has sparked a new found passion for culture and language learning, and I will spend the next year working as an assistant language teacher in Japan with the JET Programme. I received a great amount of support from the department whilst applying for this, and I know that in the future I will always be able to count on their help and advice in my future plans wherever they may lead. I look forward to using and developing the skills I have learnt at university, and count myself lucky to have had such an enjoyable university experience!