Institute of Political Science: A second family

by 福德(Juan Alfredo Soto)

Having heard of the high standards of public universities in Taiwan, On 2007 I decided to apply to 5 different schools to pursue my master degree. Fortunately, I got admission letters from each one of them. However, after digging a bit deeper into the different institutes of political science of these major schools, I came to realize that the NSYSU IPS is the more independent, plural and academically neutral among them.

I was happy to take courses from great scholars from a wide range of academic backgrounds and with diverse fields of expertise. I was lucky enough to complete my master thesis under the guidance of Professor Marion Wang, who has vast experience in the fields of Regional Integration, European Studies and Chinese Studies, which are also my main research interests.

Upon completing my master degree, I decided to continue my studies and enrolled in the IPS PhD program. This time, I had also got admission into 3 other diplomacy and political science institutes in northern Taiwan. Still, I decided to continue in the NSYSU IPS, a decision that I will never regret.

It is true that the IPS’s requirements and expectations of the students might seem too high, especially when comparing with foreign universities. Still, the family-like treatment of the teachers and staff makes it less heavy. And, at the end of the day, we cannot but be grateful for the challenge that has helped us build a strong academic character and provided us with the tools necessary to face any work environment.

For anyone looking for an independent, plural and neutral institution to study political science, I would not hesitate to recommend the Institute of Political Science of the National Sun Yat-sen University.