Salomé Chemla, Student ambassador BSc Global Studies 2023-2024
Salomé is a third year student Global Studies from France
Why did you choose to study Global Studies in Maastricht?
“I based my decision to study here on the contents of the programme and not so much on the city. So, you could say that Maastricht in fact chose me! I chose Global Studies because of the interdisciplinary character.”
What do you enjoy most about the programme?
“We discuss issues from different angels within one course, instead of having courses in strictly defined disciplines. For example, when we discuss the issue of statelessness in class, we talk about the international law perspective because not all states have signed treaties to protect stateless people. We also take an economical perspective and ask: why did people leave their country? And we also take the psychological element into account by asking how an individual manages to be separated from their family.”
“What I really like about the interdisciplinary approach, is that I learn to build bridges between perspectives. I analyse why people think a certain way. This will help me to work together with people from different backgrounds and to understand them better.”
How do you like living in Maastricht?
“I come from a big city, and Maastricht much calmer. You can bike everywhere here. What I like to do is walk around and enjoy all the small shops. Especially the bookshops. The people are nice and welcoming. It was not a big shock to move here, because it’s quite close to home. What did surprise me is the eating times. It’s earlier than I’m used to!”
What would be your dream career?
“First I will be doing a field study in Mozambique. I will be working with PhD students at the University of Maputo and local organisations and NGO’s. Together we will work on a research paper. I’m looking forward to putting my knowledge into practice there. Eventually I would like to work at the United Nations. I see myself working in policy making or policy analysis, or representation of a country by being a diplomat.”
October 2023
“Global Studies can be a bit overwhelming at first because it covers so many subjects. But at some point, you realise that it is all intertwined and important to combine all these perspectives.”