1. Department of Politics and International Relations
32-38 Wells Street
London
W1T 3UW
T: +44 (0)7447126473
E: D.Anand@westminster.ac.uk
17 May 2014
Dear Madam/Sir
I have known the applicant Sarah Helena Schafer closely since she took my module ‘Postcolonial Politics:
India and China’ in 2013. This is a class of 90 plus students and I came to know Sarah because she was
undisputedly one of the best student. During various seminars and events in the Department, I observed her
more closely and was tremendously impressed with her wider intellectual capacities, her desire to think
differently and her seriousness in Politics and International Relations in general.
I came to know her intellectual and study skills much better because I supervised her dissertation on cultural
genocide, China and Tibet. She has been a very strong researcher and writer. We are marking the
dissertation right now but I am confident that she will secure a clear distinction and would come out as one of
the best performing student this year.
I keep in contact with her in person as well as through social networks since she is an exceptional person
with sharp intellect, strong research and good communication skills. All other lecturers and seminar tutors
have only positive things to say about Sarah. She was very regular with her attendance displaying an
interest in the course material and keen intellect. She has been active in public events we have organised,
often volunteering to organise.
From the very start Sarah stood out as a sharp pupil and over time we got around to discuss her ideas about
the course, her career and everyday world politics. She impressed me, and various other members of the
Department, with her grasp over complicated concepts, her ability to synthesise apparently unrelated ideas,
her perseverance, and her enthusiasm to combine academic knowledge with practical relevance. Her ability
to avoid simplistic conceptualisation of ‘problems’ places her in a good position to come up with durable and
grounded solutions to problems that affect our lives.
Sarah is a very highly qualified soon to be graduate, with a wide level of awareness both in relation to
academic issues and more generally. She is very competent, adept at an efficient use of time and resources,
and displays a positive and constructive attitude towards engagement with people and issues. She has a
justified ambition in relation to her work, and rightly sees her own endeavours in the wider context of
contributing to society and to academia. She is clearly capable of very meaningful work and has the
capability of taking leadership initiative, and a genuine keenness to learn new things.
I recommend her to you highly and without any reservations whatsoever. She is an exceptionally talented
and rarely gifted person. I would urge you to provide maximum help to her.
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Dr Dibyesh Anand, Head of Department