History - Greg Lowden

Greg attended a state grammar school in Buckinghamshire and spent a year working in London before coming to St John's in 2002. He is currently living in Tokyo, supported by a scholarship from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.

'The sheer volume of opportunities, both academic and extra-curricular, on offer to history undergraduates at St John's is almost overwhelming. The flexibility of a history degree allowed me to be President of the JCR and row for the College for all three years. Grants provided not only books, but also a month-long research trip to Hong Kong and Singapore for my dissertation. At the risk of offending any of my supervisors, I have to say that my favourite papers were those focusing on recent British social and economic history, Medieval Europe, early political thought, and the history of the 'secret world'. These represent only part of the breadth of periods and locations I was fortunate enough to study. The skills that I honed through each essay and supervision will remain invaluable. I would unreservedly recommend both history and St John's to anyone considering applying.

I am currently learning Japanese in Tokyo as part of a scholarship from the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, and will be working at the UN for six months from October. I am planning to apply to Harvard Law School to start in September 2008, focusing on international law and negotiation, with the eventual aim of a career at the UN or another international organisation.'

  - Greg Lowden, graduated 2005