Year 12 Politics Talk

On 18th December, HEHS Year 12 students welcomed back Iazmina Copaceanu, a former Hatch End High School student, who finished her A Level studies with us in the Summer of 2023 and was offered a place to study Politics at University College of London.

Iazmina is also going to specialise in Eastern European studies. She aims is to spend a year at a Romanian University to gain first-hand experience of Eastern European Politics and desires to complete a Postgraduate course in International Relations.

Iazmina told our students that Politics at University is a rather different discipline compared to its secondary school equivalent; students are required to attend their lectures/workshops ready to engage in debates and challenging their pre-existing notions on topics. Completing an A Level course in the subject though prepares one to cope with this next step up.

Iazmina did let us know that whilst she had some individual topics that she particularly enjoyed during her Year 12 studies [e.g. the UK Constitution], the module that she found the most exciting and most useful in preparation for her university course was her Global Politics component of her A Level studies. Iazmina underlined the significance of applying oneself to AS exams; she told our students she was absolutely certain she only received an offer from UCL due to her really strong AS examination results.

When our students enquired about the reasons behind the selection of UCL as her first choice with her UCAS application, Iazmina explained the significance the year abroad at one’s chosen European country played in her decision-making process. Iazmina researched the various partner institutions of UCL and was delighted to discover the list of world-class universities UCL has links with.

To the question what her plans are going to be with a Politics and International Relations degree, Iazmina confidently responded that she wishes to become a Diplomat and represent both British and Romanian interests on a large international platform.

We were thrilled to hear about these plans and expressed our gratitude for allowing us to hear Iazmina’s reflections on her studies and plans for the future. We wish Iazmina the very best and look forward to hearing from her about her future successes.

Mrs Clark, Head of Humanities Department