Model Diplomacy Testimonials
“I have found the exercise to be an amazing opportunity to translate theoretical skills I have learnt at Warwick into something with practical, real world applications. Alongside this it has boosted my skills in public speaking, leadership and group discussion in an impressively short amount of time. Despite my decisions as president not having any effect on actual American policy, engaging in role-play made decisions and emergencies feel as if they were real and meaningful. Overall, I would highly recommend this to all PAIS students for the debating and decision-making skills it provides.”
“I did enjoy the event, I think it was quite engaging and interesting even in itself, not to mention the benefits for the CV and, thus, career progression. It felt great to do something very practice-oriented and attuned towards real-life conditions that policy-makers are facing when making decisions on complicated matters, I think it really helped all participants to take a look at international relations from a whole new perspective. In my opinion, Model Diplomacy makes a great addition to the course, it would be amazing if more events like this were organized in the future.”
“As a politics student, I extremely enjoyed this simulation because it provided me with insight into how the diplomatic process works and allowed me to gain familiarity with an activity I was interested in but felt insecure about, due to a partial lack of practical experience: this event made me feel more confident in my skills and in my decision to pursue a career in the field. I would definitely recommend hosting the Model Diplomacy in the future as it is an opportunity to proactively engage students and provide them with the necessary tools to succeed in similar, real-life opportunities”.
“I really appreciated the opportunity to participate in the Council on Foreign Relations Model Diplomacy; it gave an insight into the roleplay exercises which think tanks and other organisations are increasingly putting into practice, and to get such practical experience during my academic studies will prove beneficial in the future. I think the option to amalgamate our position papers into a working paper also provides a great incentive to contribute fully to the whole process. I definitely think this should be part of the MA programme; you get out of it what you put in.”
“From this activity, I have gained valuable experience making use of the knowledge I learned in my courses in a more practical setting. Basing on a simulated scenario on Russia and the Baltic states, I and my classmate get a taste of what would be like in real-world policymaking, where we engage in a simulated NSA setting to make a coordinated decision on the issue. The fact that the activity is programmed by CFR also makes it more credible and recognizable as a legitimate experience for employability”.
“The Model Diplomacy Trial was a great experience, which I enjoyed very much. It was very educational to put into practice all that I had learnt throughout the academic year. I was very excited about the role I was assigned and felt that it reflected the modules I had studied as part of my MA. I would encourage students to participate and certainly would be happy to be part of the experience again”.
The day was well planned and designed to create meaningful discussions. I found the content interesting and the tasks challenging enough to keep me engaged throughout the session. The structure of the exercise helped us reach meaningful conclusions and I felt that everyone was given a fair chance to voice their opinion”.