Programme: LLM International Commercial Law
Nationality: Chinese
A Masters programme in China takes three years whereas in the UK it is condensed into only one so coming to the UK saves me time and provides me with a great opportunity experience a foreign culture whilst studying. Birmingham is a very prestigious university in a big city which will stand me in good stead in my future. The modules available on the LLM are suitable for my future direction and it was only in Birmingham that I could study all the modules which I wanted to.
During the application process I found that Birmingham were one of the quickest to reply to me and were really nice to me when dealing with any questions which I had. This has continued since I’ve been here as staff have been extremely welcoming and happily answer any questions about the course.
Despite the distance I don’t feel too far away from home as I find Birmingham is similar to Shanghai in many ways as it is a big city with lots of things to do and it is an exciting place to be. I watched a concert at Symphony Hall which is beautiful and probably the most fabulous venue I’ve ever been to.
Birmingham has great facilities and this is in contrast to Chinese Universities where even the top universities don’t have the quality of resources available to us here in Birmingham. The Harding Law Library is a good example of this as we have our own dedicated Law Library in the middle of the school.
The class environment is very different to in China where we would listen, take notes and that’s it. Here we have smaller classes and the emphasis is on discussion so that you learn in a more interactive way. I’d recommend coming to Birmingham to study as not only is it a great university it is also not too expensive or cold like other areas of the UK.
Birmingham provides plenty of opportunities to network and meet representatives from big law firms. I have been seeing companies and attending meetings every day during the autumn fair and it’s a great opportunity to talk about trainee opportunities and the culture within firms.
I’m looking into getting a part time job or internship in the UK while I’m here so I can get some experience in UK law. Ideally I’d like to stay in the UK after I graduate and find full time work in the legal sector. Overall Birmingham Law School encompasses everything which you need creating an all round great experience."