As predicted, my stress level has gotten rather high in the last two weeks! Although it was a relief to finally hand in my Discrimination paper (all 5999 words of it) I then had to work on my preparation for my Globalisation seminar, do the prep for the group assignment in WTO (which was pushed back to the 7th by an act of some benevolent law god) as well as the general course reading. 7 weeks, 5 days and counting - Dundee, here I come!
In other (pretty astonishing) law news, while looking around the UA website trying to find which days the university is closed on next week (Tuesday is apparently a bank holiday and I'd written it down on Monday in my diary) I stumbled across the new and updated Law Faculty page for students wanting courses in English. Imagine my surprise when, the 3rd year undergraduate student that I am, read the following:
"The IELSP is a postgraduate study programme offering a variety of courses in international, European and comparative law"
After reading that through a few more times, I then saw that the IELSP is apparently one of the two masters level programmes UA offer to international students in law, and that you are supposed to have completed at least three years of law school before enrolling. I did two before I got here... No wonder the workload is so big, the classes are so hard, and the Belgian masters students share some of the classes! On the plus side? It will look even more impressive on my CV that not only did I study abroad for a year but that I studied a postgraduate course while in the middle of my undergraduate course! Employment, here I come!
The weather has here been too fickle to venture out for walks and wanders, and I've managed to visit every museum in Antwerpen with my visitors. When my girlfriend comes for a visit in less than two weeks we're planning on venturing over to Gent and maybe some more of the coast if the weather is nice. There is a light at the end of that dark tunnel which plagues law students as exam season approaches! Well, better get back to working on my three term papers and presentation if I'm to be finished in 7 weeks and on my way back to the lovely UK.
27 April 2012
14 April 2012
Deadlines, reading and a few more deadlines - welcome back
As the holidays draw to a close I am sadly being forced to start contemplating the coming classes and deadlines more seriously than just as a vague idea hovering in the middle-distance. With just 9 1/2 weeks until I return to the UK and a mere 7 until the beginning of exams it's time to step up the legal work - farewell relaxed weekends spent lounging around in pajamas and watching films.
To give an idea of the craziness about to ensue, here is my deadlines/exam schedule:
Now I have only just over 2 months left living in Antwerpen I've been thinking about what would have been useful to know ahead of setting out for the train station. The biggest impact on my budget (even with the Erasmus grant) was definitely textbooks and course readers. Being used to UoD where you only study a couple of subjects a semester and can usually share books or borrow them from the library, it was a big shock to my purse when I had to buy at least one book for almost every one of the 12 subjects I've studied. And of course, being law, it is hard to use second hand as new editions keep coming out and the lecturers update their course readers every year. In total I have been forced to buy 8 sets of materials and 4 books, and had to print over 300 pages for various subjects. And Amazon either doesn't sell them or doesn't discount more than a pound or two so it's easier to buy from Acco, the campus bookshop. Ouch. With the textbooks having an average cost of €45 and the readers costing on average €20 each (occasionally there will be one that's only €10 but some cost €30), that is a pretty hefty pricetag - make sure you leave plenty of room in your budget for the year!
Handy hint: check the set textbooks for the subjects you've chosen before departing as you may be able to find last years edition and borrow a friends when the new version is different
Now that the holiday is almost over I must begin to tackle the reading mountain for the week ahead - and with classes in WTO, Protection of Human Rights, Globalisation and 10 hours of External Relations, it is a rather high mountain! I just hope I don't get altitude sicknes when I manage to reach the summit.
To give an idea of the craziness about to ensue, here is my deadlines/exam schedule:
- 18 April External Relations seminar
- 20 April Discrimination paper due
- 20 April WTO Group Assignment 2 due
- 25 April Globalisation seminar
- 4 May Discrimination presentation
- 15 May Private paper due
- 29 May External Relations paper due
- 29 May Globalisation paper due
- 1 June Discrimination exam
- 4 June Private exam
- 8 June WTO exam
- 14 June Protection of Human Rights exam
Now I have only just over 2 months left living in Antwerpen I've been thinking about what would have been useful to know ahead of setting out for the train station. The biggest impact on my budget (even with the Erasmus grant) was definitely textbooks and course readers. Being used to UoD where you only study a couple of subjects a semester and can usually share books or borrow them from the library, it was a big shock to my purse when I had to buy at least one book for almost every one of the 12 subjects I've studied. And of course, being law, it is hard to use second hand as new editions keep coming out and the lecturers update their course readers every year. In total I have been forced to buy 8 sets of materials and 4 books, and had to print over 300 pages for various subjects. And Amazon either doesn't sell them or doesn't discount more than a pound or two so it's easier to buy from Acco, the campus bookshop. Ouch. With the textbooks having an average cost of €45 and the readers costing on average €20 each (occasionally there will be one that's only €10 but some cost €30), that is a pretty hefty pricetag - make sure you leave plenty of room in your budget for the year!
Handy hint: check the set textbooks for the subjects you've chosen before departing as you may be able to find last years edition and borrow a friends when the new version is different
Now that the holiday is almost over I must begin to tackle the reading mountain for the week ahead - and with classes in WTO, Protection of Human Rights, Globalisation and 10 hours of External Relations, it is a rather high mountain! I just hope I don't get altitude sicknes when I manage to reach the summit.
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