personal statement

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

"Take a seat everyone, let's start off by going through the class." I had strategically decided to sit at the back of the class, so I would be the last to present myself. First up was a man, mid-twenties, in his final year of a Master's degree. Then came a woman from the Ministry of Justice. And finally me, a seventeen-year-old high school student. The professor, an authoritative woman who seemed to know so much about Gulf Countries that she was bored with teaching, looked surprised, but eventually moved on. I was at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI), participating in the Diploma in Geopolitics and Global Security, a course taught by researchers for university students and professionals, to which I was given a one-off exemption.

I am passionate about international politics and global affairs. I discovered this passion when, thanks to an extraordinary law professor, I began studying international law. I found the art of solving disputes between states fascinating and was craving to know more about it. I read Samantha Power's "A Problem from Hell, America and the Age of Genocide", in which she analyses America's passive response to genocide and mass atrocities and argues for a "value-based" foreign policy. Although I tend to agree, I believe that a state's foreign policy should be based on both values and interests, which often coincide. For example, in 2014, when U.S. President Barack Obama sent 3,000 American troops to West Africa to fight Ebola, it not only impacted U.S. national security by preventing the spread of the disease, but also saved thousands of Africans. The longstanding debate between so-called idealists and realists is a matter of the previous century, one can be both an idealist, by keeping in mind his or her country's values, and a realist, by compromising in order to achieve the best possible outcome.

While conducting independent research on global affairs, I was faced with terrible humanitarian catastrophes, from Syria to Yemen, and asked myself: "Why is nobody here in Italy talking about them?" The political spectrum was focused on national politics, from the economy to the migration crisis. Nobody was reflecting about what was happening on the other side of the world, and I found this profoundly wrong. So, I followed the advice of Kofi Annan, whose book I was reading at the time: "stand up to the forces of injustice and inequality wherever they exist, in other words, intervene."

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

I am the son of two immigrants: my father is a Muslim from Alexandria, Egypt, while my mother is a devout Catholic from Plumbridge, a small town in Northern Ireland. Internationalism is in my blood. I am a product of diversity, I take pride in it, and strive to embrace it. My culture is characterised also by language. I am mother tongue English and Italian and speak some French but have never learnt Arabic. Language is not just a means of communication, but a key element in a country's traditions. I would like to study a non-European language at university to learn more about other cultures, including my father's.

Having completed the Diploma at ISPI, where my studies included the political and sectarian systems in the Middle East, Russian foreign policy, NATO and its interventions, and emerging democracies, I created Unorthodoxically, a twitter-based platform where every day I share what I believe are the most important global news stories. With Unorthodoxically one can get brief summaries that, even if not exhaustive, give a basic understanding of what is happening around the world. Within three months, I had over 1,000 followers.

I am completely aware that my opinions are based on the still limited knowledge I have built up, but I am convinced that the daily exchanges I have with people from all corners of the globe, and what I learn from them, have allowed me to further immerse myself in the field of international relations, and have laid the groundwork for my pursuit of higher education.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Universities applied to:

• LSE
• King's
• UCL
• Warwick
• SOAS

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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