UCL-LLM

Having completed my LLM, and reflecting on my experience, I would argue that there are five main things to consider before deciding to undertake the LLM.  

1. MOTIVATIONS

You need to consider why it is you that want to undertake the LLM. I would argue that it is not worth undertaking a masters degree solely because you want another year in education, or, in other words, to put off entering the working world. If you do go into your LLM with this as your sole motivation, you will be in for a rude awakening because the LLM is nothing like an undergraduate law degree- much more is expected of you.

What should be your motivations then? Well, I would argue that there are two main reasons you should want to undertake further study, either A) because you have a genuine interest in a specific field and/or B) because undertaking the LLM is a step towards an ultimate career goal.

2. NECESSITY- improving employability vs necessity

There is debate as to whether or not undertaking a LLM makes you more desirable to employers. I think whether or not this is true is highly dependent on the career field you are entering. Whilst the LLM is impressive to employers, who will see your completion of the LLM as evidence academic capabilities, this does not necessarily mean that you will inevitably secure a job position over someone who does not have a masters degree.

That being said, if you intend to enter a niche area, specialising in that given area in your LLM will inevitably put you at an advantage when applying for certain jobs. Notwithstanding this, for most people, a LLM won’t be strictly necessary. I mean this in the sense that you will be choosing to undertake a LLM because you want to (for various reasons), however for some, undertaking a LLM will be a necessary step towards a specific end goal, e.g. to thereafter undertake a PhD.

3. COST EFFECTIVENESS

Your motivations for undertaking a LLM should be weighed against the financial burdens of undertaking the course. If you are an international student, you should definitely look into scholarships. I am aware that many of the international students on UCL’s LLM secured funding through Chevening scholarships. UCL now offers their own LLM scholarships too. If you are unable to secure a scholarship, and are privately funding your LLM (through a student loan or your own funds), you should give considerable thought as to whether the benefit of undertaking a LLM will likely outweigh the financial burden.

4. THE UNIVERSITY

It goes without saying that choosing the right University for you is incredibly important, whether you are undertaking an undergraduate or postgraduate degree. With regards to undertaking a LLM specifically, you should focus on choosing a University that, for the courses you wish to study, has the best lecturers to offer. In this sense, you will want to research the course leaders at the Universities your are applying to, and look at their research and practical expertise in the field that they are teaching.  

A University is also more than the lecturers it has to offer. If you want to go to a campus based University, for example, UCL might not be for you. If you want to get involved in drama or film making societies, then you might want be attracted to UCL, since UCL’s alumni includes Christopher Nolan, for example.

5. THE EXPERIENCE

During the course of my LLM I soon realised that I was stronger at writing coursework than I originally gave myself credit for. In most of my attempted coursework pieces I achieved distinction grades, and in my final dissertation I obtained 68%. This blogpost outlines some of my best tips for writing an excellent piece of coursework.

1. Structure

Structuring your essay is key. You need to take the time to plan the sections of your essay. Broadly, these sections fall into: the introduction, main body and conclusion.

A. Introductions

Your introduction should address the question and lay out the arguments you will cover in the main body of your essay. You do not want to focus on addressing too many arguments, since this will make your essay superficial. Rather, you need to be engaging in depth with the arguments you present.

Now, this may be difficult if your essay question is very broad. To address this, you may want to narrow the scope of your work. For example, by stating, ‘ this essay will focus on A,B and C factors, as they pertain to topic D. It is argued that these factors are most relevant to topic D since….’

Another way to narrow the scope of your work is to make your argument ‘contingent’. What do I mean by this? Well, one of my essay questions was as follows:

‘Roe v Wade represents the best possible solution to the abortion question, and should be adopted by other national courts- discuss.’

This question required me to, from the outset, define what I believed the ‘best possible solution’ to the abortion question was. I therefore made my argument contingent, stating:  ‘Whether Roe v Wade can be deemed to offer the best possible solution to the abortion question and therefore ought to be adopted by other national courts, is contingent on whether the following can be satisfied: that the United States Supreme Court engaged in conceptually sound reasoning, where such reasoning has given effect to the autonomy rights of women, etc.

B. Main body and conclusion

You are encouraged to use subheadings to structure your LLM work. Using my example above, my subheadings were: ‘ Roe: abortion as a privacy right’ (addressed the United States Supreme Court’s reasoning) and ’The implications of Roe: feminist critiques’ (addressed whether Roe gave effect to the  autonomy rights of women amongst other feminist criticism) and so on.

2. Theory

Whilst you might not need to incorporate legal theory into every essay you write, in my experience undertaking human rights based modules, extra credit was always given when I showed a sophisticated understanding of legal theory.

What do I mean when I say legal theory? Well it depends on the module you are studying but, for example, when talking about ‘rights’ in general, you might want to discuss what a ‘right’ truly is and how conceptions of it have differed over time, with reference to several academics such as Moyn, Donnolley, and Jackson.

When I was discussing Roe v Wade, I made sure to include feminist theory, in particular, writing about ‘intersectionality’, a particular subdivision of feminist theory that looks at the interaction of race, class and gender.  

3. Arguments and opinions

Another sure fire way to get a good grade is to ensure that you are comparing academic opinions AND offering your own opinion as to whether an academic opinion is convincing.

A good formula may look like this:

A. State your argument

B. Counter argument What have critics said that might challenge your stance? Or, what weaknesses can you foresee with your argument?

C. Counter your counter argument Dismiss the challenges made against your argument- point out why they are weak

4. The bigger picture

Preparing for examinations is always difficult. During my final year of undergraduate study, I undertook 3 exams, two of which accounted for my final degree classification. For my LLM, I undertook five exams. Over the years, I have become well accustomed to exam stress and have learnt effective methods of exam revision. I have outlined below my tips of exam success.

Timetabling

In school, we were always reminded that timetabling one’s revision is the key to success. Whilst precise timetables (e.g. factoring in all breaks) may work for some, for me, I found that allocating each day of my week to tackling a particular module/topic of study worked best.

Whilst some argue that it is most effective to cover several topics of revision a day, I have never found this approach very useful. At most, I would tackle two topics per day (one covered from the morning-afternoon, and the other from the afternoon-evening).

Acronyms

If you are studying law, acronyms should be your best friend. They work best when dealing with legal problem questions.

EXAMPLE: say you are studying Family law and have been given a problem question describing a marriage, and then have been asked to identify whether the marriage is valid, a non marriage, void or voidable.

This is how I approached the above question using acronyms: First, I identify my structure, this might look something like:

Introduction: define marriage (Hyde v Hyde and Bellinger v Bellinger), differentiate between non marriage, void and voidable marriages

Non marriage: No statutory basis- origins in R v Bham, Hudson v Leigh- Bodey J test, has there been formality non compliance? (See Al Gamal), is it a forced marriage? (B v I/Re P), did parties intend the marriage ceremony?( Galloway v Goldstein)

I then go on to condense the above information to the following letters: I (for Introduction), N (for Non marriage)

Of course, the pattern continues as I address (in this case) the latter paragraphs of my essay, which inevitably include a discussion of void marriages, voidable marriages, voidable bars, divorce, and divorce bars. In sum, my basic acronym could look something like:

I/N/V/V/VB/D/DB: Introduction Non marriage Void marriage Voidable marriages Voidable bars Divorce Divorce Bars

Remembering a bunch of letters in this way might seem daunting- but the key is to make a sentence out of the letters- preferably something related to the topic studied. In this instance, I would make the letters into a sentence pertaining to marriage/divorce.

Flashcards

Flashcards are another great way to revise- especially if you are on the go. They are particularly useful for law, because you can put the case name on one side, and the legal rule/principle established on the back.

Mind maps

Mind maps are one of the most effective methods of revision. You can condense a whole topic into one mind-map, and/or, you can organise them by sub topics if you want your mind maps to be more detailed.

If you’re an international student who is new to the UK, you will likely want to utilise your free time exploring the many cities that the UK has to offer; even if not an international student, you might want to seize the opportunity to travel across the UK more. This blogpost discusses a few of the cities I visited during my LLM with my friends, and outlines the things we saw and did.

                                                  EDINBURGH

Edinburgh during the Christmas period is unmatched. There is plenty to do in Edinburgh, including the following:

A. Christmas markets

During the Christmas period, Edinburgh is home to Christmas markets- selling food and drink and even rides. Admission is free, so the markets are a free and fun way to spend the day or evening.

B. Chocolate Tree

Edinburgh was very impressive for its selection of restaurants and cafe’s. If you have a sweet tooth you will love Chocolate Tree. They offer an array of chocolate goods, from hot chocolates to artisan chocolates.

C. Museum of Edinburgh

The Museum of Edinburgh is incredibly impressive and is large enough to be able to spend the whole day in. It houses collections relating to the town’s origins, history and legends.

D. Clarinda’s Tea Room

Clarinda’s Tea Room offers a range of delicious home made desserts and speciality teas. There are two things that stood out about Clarinda’s; first, the tea room itself is modelled to look like your grandma’s house, with white nets on the table and fine china being used to serve the food and drink. However, unlike most other tea rooms, there is not an air of pretentiousness about the establishment; rather, it feels cosy and quaint. Another positive is that the prices are very reasonable, especially when compared to the costs of eating out in London.

E. Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is one of the best known attractions in the city. Tickets for students are typically priced at £16, though there are discounts if you are booking online. The castle itself is impressive, and there is plenty to see. However, admittedly, Edinburgh Castle is not the most interesting castle that I have visited (Cardiff Castle is superior in my opinion). Nonetheless, I do believe it is worth visiting Edinburgh Castle if only for the views over the city.

                                                    CARDIFF

A. Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle is without doubt one of the most impressive castles I have visited. Admission for students is £11.50, plus an extra £2.50 being charged for the House Tour. I would absolutely recommend spending the extra few pounds to go on the House Tour. The Bute House is incredibly grand and impressive, and is thus well worth seeing. My favourite part of the Castle, however, were the Wartime Tunnels.

B. Castle Arcade

The Castle Arcade is a very pretty shopping arcade in Cardiff, housing numerous shops and some fantastic places to eat. Here are a few of my favourites:

Madame Fromage

I am not a massive cheese fan, and so was not initially convinced when my friends wanted to visit Madame Fromage- but my skepticism soon vanished when I tried their cheese on toast. Both the bread and cheese was home made; it was the best cheese on toast I have ever tried.

Fabulous Welsh Cakes

When in Wales, you must try a Welsh cake. Welsh cakes are a traditional Welsh sweet ‘cake’ (though more like a mini pancake). You can try them in an array of flavours and I recall that they were particularly good (and well priced) at Fabulous Welsh Cakes within the Arcade.

Coffee Barker

Coffee Barker is a great cafe within the Arcade. I went here for both lunch and breakfast during my Cardiff visit. The cafe is cosy and large- though it does get extremely busy.

C. Bute Park and Boat rides

Bute Park is situated right next to Cardiff Castle. The park itself is very pretty and there is a very nice Tea Room situated within it called Pettigrew Tea Room. Pettigrew offers the best afternoon tea and is well worth visiting. Notably, there are also boat rides, taking you from Bute Park to Cardiff Bay for £4.

FOOD

An easy way to save money as a student is to pre-plan the meals you want to eat. Meal prepping and bulk buying is key in this respect. It is also important to be wary of use by and best buy dates; there is nothing more frustrating than throwing out leftovers because they have gone off. In order to avoid this issue, you might also consider opting for foods with longer shelf lives; for example, dried pastas and porridge oats.

Unfortunately for me, my local supermarket was Waitrose, which made food shopping a bit more expensive. Nonetheless, buying staples did not prove too costly. I think this goes to show that, whilst of course it preferable to have a cost-effective supermarket close by, you can nonetheless make do.

HOUSING

Housing is an important factor in minimising spending costs. I have already outlined in a previous blogpost how to find student accommodation, but with regards to minimising cost specifically, you might want to do your research the ways in which your residence choice could save you money. For example, the International Lutheran Student Centre offers breakfast every morning as included in their rent fee. Moreover, as touched upon in one of my previous posts, you should absolutely factor in travel costs ( i.e. travel costs to and from University) when looking for accommodation.

STUDENT CAFES, BARS AND PUBS

Coffee and alcohol are frequently consumed by students but the costs of consumption can have a heavy toll on one’s pockets. It is therefore suggested that you make the most of student bars, pubs and cafes, all of which will offer alcohol, hot drinks and even food at remarkably sensible prices. UCL was excellent in this respect, since it provided numerous places for students including the following: 

CAFES

Bloomsbury Cafe, George Farha Cafe, Print Room Cafe, Gordon’s Cafe

BARS

The Institute, The Huntley, Phineas, Richard Mully’s Basement Bar

PART TIME WORK

Perhaps the most obvious way to save money is to get a job alongside your studies. In this respect you have two options- either an on or off campus job. As a UCL student, the main place to search for vacancies is the ‘JobShop’, where you can find part-time, seasonal and temporary work. Of course, you may also want to try non-campus jobs, but I would argue that on campus jobs are preferable, since your work hours can be scheduled around your academic timetable. 

PUBLIC TRANSPORT 

Without doubt, London has an incredible range of cafes, restaurants and food markets. This blogpost outlines a few of the places I visited, with recommendations for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH:

Breakfast/brunch in London is pretty expensive. There is no escaping this; a simple coffee alone can easily cost you £4 if you’re at an independent coffee shop. Nonetheless, during my time in London I sampled multiple breakfast/brunch spots, including the following:

1. HALF CUP

Half Cup is a short walk away from Kings Cross station. It is a relatively small cafe offering a range of food and drink, from cakes, speciality teas and coffees to breakfast and brunch foods. My favourite dish was the charcoal bread with avocado toast and cherry tomatoes (pictured above).

2.  GRIND

GRIND is a chain cocktail and espresso bar, as well as an all day restaurant. One of the things that sets Grind apart from other cafes is it’s interior design. The spot is particularly ‘instagrammable’, with its modern interior. Notably, the restaurant offers bottomless brunch, providing a definite excuse for anyone wishing to indulge.

LUNCH:

3. STREET FOOD

There are a plethora of food markets scattered across London. Whilst Camden Market is perhaps best known, there are numerous excellent markets including the Duke of York Square Food Market and Kings Cross Market.This summer I visited the Kings Cross Market a few times, sampling vegan rolls, cannolis, and doughnuts. All in all, you will find relatively well priced fast food at these markets.

DINNER:

4. WING WING

If you’re looking for good fast food, I would recommend Wing Wing. Wing Wing serves Korean style fried chicken, bao, and other excellent comfort food; even more promising is the fact that Wing Wing is on Deliveroo, so you can enjoy their food from the comfort of your own sofa.

5. NORTH ATLANTIC FISH AND CHIPS

Is there anything more British than fish and chips? This fish and chip shop was situated incredibly close to my flat and became a regular of mine. The establishment offers either a take away or restaurant experience. Refreshingly, the prices are very reasonable and the food is always high quality.

6. DISHOOM

Of all the restaurants on this list, you will have most likely heard of Dishoom. Dishoom is a well known restaurant, paying homage to the ‘Old Irani Cafe’s of Bombay’. Dishoom is a chain restaurant within London and offers excellent food- both for meat eaters but also for vegetarians. Whilst Dishoom is on the dinner section of this blogpost, it is worth noting that Dishoom offers an excellent Indian breakfast. If you feel like adventuring beyond avocado toast- Dishoom may be worth a try.

7. HOMESLICE

Homeslice offers some of the best pizza in London. One pizza is easily enough to feed two people, and you can choose to have different toppings on each half. For the amount of food given and the quality of the pizza, Home Slice is excellent value for money. Moreover, the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant makes it somewhere you’ll want to re visit.  

DESSERT:

8. SAID DAAL 1923

The search for accommodation as a postgraduate student is incredibly difficult.This blogpost outlines things to be aware of if you are house searching as a student in London, and provides tips to help you on your search for a place to live.

1. Undergraduates get priority

Perhaps the most important thing to note is that, at least at UCL, undergraduates get housing priority in UCL/University of London run halls. This means that undergraduates are essentially guaranteed housing, whereas postgraduate students are not. From the outset, this limits your options: you can either get a room in privately run halls, or flat share with other students.

2. UK vs International Students

As an International student, you may stand a better chance of securing accommodation in halls run by The University of London/UCL. Some halls such as International Halls and Goodenough College, though open to applications from UK students, are (in my experience) more likely to offer accommodation to international students.

3. Cost effectiveness

There are pros and cons to both living in postgraduate halls and flat sharing. In terms of determining which option is most cost effective, it is safe to say that postgraduate halls are generally more expensive, with prices typically starting from £830 per month. House sharing is typically cheaper- though prices will of course vary depending on a number of factors including location, the number of rooms in the house, etc.

Despite the fact that postgraduate halls are likely to be more expensive than house sharing, halls are typically located in central London areas, and may therefore be considerably closer to campus; this was at least my experience staying in a private hall that was a mere 10 minutes walk away from UCL. Because of the ideal location of my halls, my travel expenses were limited. In this sense, it is definitely worth factoring in travel costs when thinking about where to live.

4. Where to search

I have outlined, as a starting point, where to search for accommodation as a student.

UNDERGRADUATES

A. Halls Intercollegiate UCL undergraduate halls (see UCL website)

POSTGRADUATES

A. Halls UCL postgraduate halls (see UCL website) - note that priority given to internationals students Goodenough College International Halls International Lutheran Student Centre Various privately run halls (UNITE Students, Urbanest, iQ, etc)

B. Flatsharing University of London Housing Services (look at the Housing database)

5. Applications for halls

Once my classes had ended and my exams were over, my time could be freely spent enjoying all of the things that London had to offer. This blogpost outlines a few of the noteworthy things I did and saw in London last summer.

Museums and Galleries: The National Gallery and The Museum of Natural History

If you’re looking for a free day out in London, look no further than the incredible museums, galleries and exhibitions in and around London.

This summer I re-visited the National History Museum and National Gallery; both museums I had visited as a child. It is equally enjoyable to visit with a friend as it is to go alone; hours can be spent admiring paintings and reading about the artefacts on display. Of course, not everyone will be interested in art or natural history, but I would nonetheless encourage everyone to visit these institutions and others, since they always prove to be an entertaining day out.

Exhibitions: Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Routinely, museums across London will showcase exhibitions. This summer, I saw that the Victoria and Albert Museum were showcasing the Christian Dior exhibition. This exhibition showcased personal memorabilia of Christian Dior, his design sketches and an impressive collection of his clothes, including iconic dresses designed for royalty and A-list celebrities. The tickets were only around £20.00 each, however they were incredibly difficult to secure. In fact, it took me a whole day to secure tickets for the exhibition, since the website kept crashing as thousands of people clamoured to buy a ticket. A word of advice then- book early if you hope to secure tickets to an exhibition in London.

The West End

Admittedly, I discovered the entertainment of the West End relatively late. Luckily for me, one of my closest friends is a performing arts student, and, when she came to visit me in June, she advised me as to the best musicals to see. I thereafter checked for tickets online, and to my surprise, found some relatively cheap tickets (under £20). The seats weren’t incredible, but our view of the stage was not overly restricted. The play we ended up seeing was Waitress- a play that, I believe, is still running in London. The play itself was funny, heartwarming and the singing was very impressive.

Royal Opera House: Ballet

I had never attended the ballet before moving to London; nonetheless when my friend asked me whether I wanted to attend go, I agreed. The ballet I ended up seeing was Manon. I knew nothing about the ballet, and, perhaps naively, did not anticipate that there would be such a profound story to be told through the dance. I came out of the show truly impressed by the story, music (there was a live orchestra) and the athleticism of the dancers.

Music/Bars: The Blues Kitchen

There are numerous bars in and around London. My favourite bar in London is the Blues Kitchen. There are two in London- one in Camden and one in Shoreditch. I visited the one in Camden a couple of times. The Blues Kitchen not only serves delicious southern comfort food, but is home to live blues and jazz music almost every night. The atmosphere is incredibly laid-back and the venue itself is effortlessly cool.

Parks: Hampstead Heath

London is home to several beautiful parks; but my favourite is Hampstead Heath Park. This past summer, on one of the hottest days of the year, I took the tube to Hampstead Health park with my friends. Perhaps the coolest thing about Hampstead Heath Park is that it has ponds that you can swim in. There are three: one for women, one for men and a mixed pond. Admittedly, I did not venture into any of them, though there were plenty of people who did. Ultimately, the park had a great atmosphere that day, and it was the perfect way to relax after exams.

It may be seemingly obvious to state, but the content covered on International Human Rights courses will vary from university to university. If you’re interested in International Human Rights, International or Public Law, this blogpost is for you. In this post, I have outlined all of the modules I undertook as part of my LLM, providing examples of the class-work you might expect to be set.

For each course, you will likely be given a course guide. This is essentially a booklet that contains information regarding the content that will be covered each week in class, alongside mandatory and recommended reading and questions that may be asked in class. 

I took the following modules as part of my LLM: Gender, Law and the State, Aspects of National Security, Comparative Human Rights, International Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Gender, Law and the State:

The first half of the course dealt with feminist theory, whilst the second part of the course was much more practical, with areas such as: gender based violence, anti- discrimination law, autonomy and abortion being just a few of the topics covered. 

For each class, you are provided with a reading list- some readings are mandatory, whereas some are optional. The quantity of mandatory readings can vary drastically per week, but I would say on average you might expect to have at least six readings per week. Of course, the length of each reading will vary. Some readings may be primary sources (typically shorter in length), and others secondary sources (typically longer).

As well as the reading list being provided in the guide, you will typically (but not always) have a set of questions to answer. Here are some examples of the questions asked in my gender module guide:

What is the difference between feminist legal theory and feminist criticism of law?

What is liberal feminism? How is it expressed in law?

How were gender crimes treated in international law before the establishment of the ad hoc tribunals? How gender sensitive was international humanitarian law?

How gender-sensitive are the statutes of the ad hoc tribunals? How gender-sensitive is the jurisprudence of the ad hoc tribunals? 

Aspects of National Security:

This course followed the same format as my gender module with one notable difference- for the first half of the course, our tutor compiled all of our reading sources into one long document that he had annotated throughout with questions to focus our learning.

Some of the topics covered included: The Special Immigration Appeals Commission, control orders and exclusion Orders, the admissibility of evidence obtained from torture, etc. 

Questions asked included: 

Was the Special Immigration Appeals Commission correct in its narrow interpretation of that concept in Rehman at first instance?

Is ´foreign policy´ within the meaning of national security?

What is the meaning of ´terrorism´ in UK law?

How will courts review decisions taken on national security grounds? Does it make a difference when the ECHR is engaged ? (contrast Rehman and Carlile)

Comparative Human Rights:

Similarly to Gender, Law and the State, the first half of this module was theoretical, while the second half dealt with a more practical, comparative engagement of human rights issues. 

The first half of the course covered comparative constitutionalism. Much of the reading focused on Dworkin, Habermas, Locke and Hobbes’ works. The second half of the course covered topics such as: the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, emergency powers and counter terrorism. 

Questions asked included the following:

Dworkin is discussing ‘constitutional rights’ rather than ‘human rights’. Is the distinction important?

In what way does it make sense to speak about transformative constitutionalism? Is it a useful analytical and/or normative category?

How context-specific is transformative constitutionalism?

How are judicial review and the embedding of rights related? Is any connection necessary?

What are hate speech bans? 

International Human Rights:

International Human Rights modules can vary greatly in terms of the content covered. At UCL, some of topics covered were: immunities and diplomatic protection, derogable and non derogable rights, the interplay between human rights and other international law, and the extra- territorial application of human rights law. I would note that, many of the courses offered at LLM level are configured around the course leader’s area of expertise/ interest.

There were not many pre set questions in this module. Nonetheless, some of the questions asked on this module included the following: 

What is jurisdiction?

Does jurisdiction mean people or places or a combination or alternative?

Is juris about legal authority or factual power?

International Humanitarian Law:

International Humanitarian Law covered various topics including: international armed conflicts, non international armed conflicts, the interaction between human rights and humanitarian law, and so forth. 

Questions asked included the following:

What is jus ad bellum and jus ad bello?

What is the principle of proportionality

Can the principle of humanity truly be considered a ‘principle’ of International Humanitarian Law?

UCL: London’s ‘global’ University

After I had been accepted onto the LLM course at University College London (UCL), I began to wonder who my peers would be and what they would be like. As an undergraduate student, your course will typically be comprised of UK students, alongside some international students. This, at least, was my experience. But UCL was different. UCL markets itself as London’s ‘global’ university, and that it is. The majority of the students on my LLM course were international students. In fact, during the first week of my course, UCL hosted a welcome party for all LLM and PhD students. During this party, the organisers arranged a light-hearted activity, reading out a list of countries and asking students to raise their hands when their home country was called. It was an amazing thing to witness, there were students from almost everywhere- from Australia, to China, and even Iceland.

The human rights circle

The presence of international students is so strong that, during my time at UCL, I met only one other student from the UK on the LLM. All of the close friends I made on the course were from abroad. Of my closest friendship group, one individual was from the Netherlands, the others from Mexico, Chile and India. We met each other in an introductory lecture during the first week of our course. Thereafter, we discovered that we shared some of the same classes. In fact, we were all in a minority in terms of the classes we were taking. You see, most students believe law to be unitary subject. Of course, if you have studied law, you know that there are pronounced subdivisions. The majority of students on the LLM were specialising in corporate law. For example, I recall hearing that the Mergers and Acquisitions module had over one hundred students. By contrast, my friends and I were taking predominantly human rights focused modules. Our classes were thus smaller (around 20 students) and so, at least in my experience, I quickly came to feel familiar with and comfortable around all of my peers.

How old are the students on the LLM?

The ages of the students on the LLM vary, though I would say that most students are in their twenties to thirties. Of my friendship group, I was one of the youngest. I am in my early twenties, whereas most of my friends on the course are in their late twenties to early thirties. On undergraduate courses, students are typically of similar ages. If you are starting a LLM course having recently completed your undergraduate degree, the age difference amongst your peers may, at first, be surprising; but the amalgamation of students of all ages and backgrounds is one of the greatest things about undertaking a LLM; since it exposes you to an array of people with a multitude of ideas, personalities and experiences.

Are all of the students on the LLM lawyers?

Half of the students on the LLM are lawyers, or already have practical legal experience. The other half of students are undertaking a masters having recently completed their undergraduate degree, hoping to thereafter secure a training contract or qualify as a barrister. This includes both UK students as well as international students who hope to live and work in the UK.

Most of the friends I made on the course are lawyers; one friend formerly worked in a constitutional court, another was a lawyer in a civil firm. One friends was, like me, previously a student; though she had already completed one LLM and was choosing to undertake another at UCL. Notably, this was quite common on the LLM, I met several students who had already undertaken a LLM in their home country (since this was mandatory as part of the process of qualifying as a lawyer) before moving to the UK to undertake an additional LLM.

If you are planning on undertaking a LLM, you be expected to write a dissertation. This blogpost outlines my dissertation experience and details for prospective LLM students what you might expect as part of the process of preparing for your dissertation.

What is expected of you?

Essentially, your dissertation should aspire to be like a journal article. This means your arguments must be of high quality, and (in order to secure a high grade) include original thought.

Time-frame and dissertation lectures

The LLM runs from September-September. Your exams and coursework will typically come to an end in May/June, and your dissertation will likely be due in late August- September. Throughout the year you will have to attend several lectures that have been specifically formulated to help you  to prepare for your dissertation. These lectures will help you to plan, research, write and proof-read for your dissertation.

Personally, I did not find these lectures incredibly useful since, at least from my perspective, good academic writing takes practice and is really only something you can achieve on your own. Of course, however, if you are an international student, the lectures may be more useful, since they may inform you of formatting expectations that only exist in UK based universities. For example, I was not surprised when informed in one of the lectures that OSCOLA (Oxford Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities) was the preferred style of referencing at UCL; indeed, I had been accustomed to using OSCOLA throughout the entirety of my undergraduate studies. However, as an international student, these formalities may be new, and as such the dissertation lectures may prove very useful.

Supervisor allocation and meetings

You will have to submit a working title to your law faculty. The faculty will subsequently allocate to you a supervisor who will likely be an expert in your chosen field of research.You will then have multiple opportunities to meet with your supervisor to discuss your work. Your supervisor will be there to proof read sections of your work and to offer guidance.

Notably, at least at UCL, late June marked the end of the period in which LLM students were able to communicate with their supervisor. This may or may not be a rule depending on where you undertake your LLM. The rationale behind this is simply that term time will have finished in june, and thus supervisors are likely to be on leave. However, depending on your supervisor, some contact may still be possible. Whilst at UCL there was fairly strong enforcement of the no contract rule with regards to face to face meetings, many students (including myself) were nonetheless able to email their supervisors with concerns regarding their dissertation.

The colloquia

Undeniably, the prospect of being cut off from communicating with one’s supervisor is terrifying. I had not begun working on my dissertation until my exams had ended in June. This did not leave me much time to consult with my supervisor on my dissertation. However, UCL does support students in the June-Sep period. In mid July, students were required to attend a ‘colloquia’. The colloquia is essentially a forum in which you present your dissertation plans to a small group of other students on the LLM and to an academic. The presentations were not formal. In this sense, we were not required to create a powerpoint presentation, but merely had to discuss our plans and research. Notably, the professor supervising will unlikely be your supervisor, and will not necessarily be an expert in your field of research. Nonetheless, they are there to provide you with guidance and will challenge you to explain your ideas coherently.

Initially, the thought of having to undertake the colloquia was terrifying. However, my experience was overall very positive. When I entered the tutorial room, I could tell that all of us participating students were equally as terrified as each other, which, in a strange sort of way, put me at ease. Admittedly, the professor was intense in his scrutiny of my dissertation title and asked several questions about the content of my work. Whilst the professor could not offer guidance on the content of my work, being that he was a professor of jurisprudence and not healthcare law; I was nonetheless provided with very useful guidance on how to structure my work.

It is also worth noting that the colloquia gives you a sense of confidence, which is something one might not expect from the process. As I previously explained, my supervising professor had no knowledge of health care law. Moreover, the students I was presenting in front of were writing their dissertations on other fields of law. In this sense, by sharing my expertise with others, I gained a sense of confidence in my academic abilities.

PhD mentor allocation

Is the LLM a worthwhile financial investment?

Truthfully, a LLM isn’t cheap; thus you really need to assess your reasons for undertaking the course. Sure, you might think you’ll enjoy the modules, but are the fees worth the experiences you’ll gain? Before applying, you should ask yourself the practical questions i.e. do I need to undertake the LLM to pursue my desired career path? Will the LLM realistically improve my chances of getting into my desired field? 

Graduate funding 

The decision to undertake a LLM is a difficult one, not least because LLM courses in the UK are expensive and there is often limited funding, particularly for UK students. 

The main source of funding is a post-graduate government loan. As a UK student, I took out this loan to help me to fund my LLM. Unfortunately, the loan is capped at around £10,000 and the LLM fee rate is not fixed.

If you want to study in London, fee rates range from around £14,000-£16,000. The result of this is that if you are relying on a government loan, you will need to self finance a proportion of your tuition and living costs. 

I will discuss the feasibility of self funding below, but first, it is worth noting that there are many universities across the UK that fix their LLM fee rates below the £10,000 mark. Thus, if your heart is set on undertaking a LLM in the UK, but you are concerned about financing the course, you should consider researching the many excellent universities across the UK before investing your money. 

When to undertake the LLM and part time jobs

During my first week at UCL, I met a student who informed me that he had taken an entire year out after graduating from his undergraduate law degree to work at a local supermarket so that he could afford to move to London to undertake the LLM. From a financial perspective, and with the benefit of hindsight, I think that this is perhaps the most sensible thing you can do if you want to pursue an LLM. Admittedly, instead of taking out a postgraduate loan and self financing the remainder of my LLM and living costs, I wish I had taken a year out to save for the LLM instead of having to now worry about mounting loans and interest rates.

This being said, of course, not everyone will want to take a whole year or more out before undertaking a LLM. This is particularly true if you feel that you will lose your pace if you take too much time away from academia. However, notably, lots of students on the LLM are mature students, and many have had lengthy careers before deciding to undertake a LLM. Thus, you should ask yourself whether it is the right time in your life to undertake the LLM. 

Another important question is: is it possible to work part-time alongside your LLM? In theory, I think you can. I have a friend undertaking her LLM in Ireland who has worked alongside her LLM since the course began. 

However, a word of caution: do not burn yourself out. The LLM requires you to spend a great deal of independent time studying if you want to get a good grade. Moreover, presumably, you want to get the most for your money; this means you need to be honest with yourself when assessing how much time you could realistically dedicate to a part time job. 

Luckily, as a LLM student, you will likely have a lot of free time from June onwards (since by this time classes will have ended, and coursework and exam deadlines will have passed). If you find yourself running low on money, you will have plenty of time to work during this period.

A word should also be said about the importance of saving. I started saving for my LLM when I was an undergraduate student, by putting aside unspent student loans. If you pre-plan in this way, you should find it easier to manage your finances.

Where to find part time work as a student

There are many websites dedicated to helping students find part time work. One of the best options is on campus work. Nearly all universities will offer student jobs on campus (from barista work, to working at your university merchandise shop, etc). 

Typically, you will be able to apply for such positions online, making the process very easy. Moreover, since on campus jobs are university run, you will be able to fit your shifts around your study schedule, and not the other way around. 

It is now the end of May and after months of classes and revision, I have completed the majority of my LLM. Since my time on the LLM is nearing to an end, I thought a blogpost on the modules I have studied might be of interest. 

As stated in previous posts, I undertook my LLM with a specialism in Human Rights Law. The modules I studied were as follows: International Human Rights Law (IHR), International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Comparative Human Rights Law, Aspects of National Security Law and Gender the State and Law. Here are my thoughts on the modules:

International Human Rights Law

My lecturer for this module was Dr Trapp. Dr Trapp is an expert in Public international law and the human rights course reflects Dr Trapp’s area of expertise. For example, as well as studying the ‘fundamental’ human rights (such as the right to life) as enshrined in International treaties, I also studied the interaction between human rights and humanitarian law (‘war law’) and the extra- territorial application of human rights law.

I must admit that this module was very challenging. I think this was due to two factors; first, a degree of familiarly with public international law is expected from the outset. Second, the course content is challenging. I have discussed this matter with fellow classmates and those who have taken LLM human rights modules at other Universities. What I have concluded is that the LLM human rights module at UCL is, comparatively, very demanding. You cover complex areas (for example, treaty reservations, extra-territoriality) in vast amounts of detail and there is often no ‘right’ answer’.

Despite the fact that this module was a challenge, I am incredibly grateful to have taken it. I now have a strong grasp of human rights law, humanitarian law and aspects of public international law. Moreover, I could have easily struggled a great deal with the content if it were not for Dr Trapp’s clear explanations.

International Humanitarian Law

My lecturer for this module was also Dr Kimberly Trapp. This module only ran for half a year but I found my time on the module incredible. What is appealing about the course is the fact that most people aren’t familiar of the field of law, since most aren’t aware that there is an enormous body of law that governs warfare. The fact that killing could be permissible under international law was, and still is, an extraordinary concept. The notion went against everything I had been taught in human rights law. This module fascinated me and I particularly enjoyed the learning about the principles that underpin IHL: proportionality, distinction, military necessity, humanity, etc.

The course was also very engaged with current world issues which was refreshing; topics such as as terrorism suppression and non international armed conflicts reflected this engagement.

Comparative Human Rights Law

This module was distinct from IHR since it involved studying human rights law at the national level, across jurisdictions. The module thus entailed a comparison of case-law and constitutions across jurisdictions.

Notably, this module was my most theoretical. The first half of the course focused on the theory of rights. Admittedly, the reading was dense and sometimes dry (Waldron, Dworkin, Habermas can be particularly challenging).

However, the second half of the module was very interesting. In particular I enjoyed the topics on the freedom of expression and hate speech. The opportunity to study issues which are not strictly ‘rights’ in a classical human rights sense, from a comparative perspective was incredible.

Aspects of National Security Law

This module was similar to international humanitarian law in that national security is a relatively obscure area of law. The course was broadly divided into two parts: first I studied closed material proceedings, the admissibility of torture evidence and terrorism suppression. The second part of the module was more technical, since I dealt with the law on the interception of communications (think internet surveillance and Snowden).

The most challenging aspect of the course was the fact that the law is not clear in this area. Everything is contested. Each case reveals long, complex dissents and each piece of legislation in the field has been heavily criticised and subjected to repeated reform.

Nonetheless, I was well guided through the module by Dr Tom Hickman QC. Hickman is a specialist in the field and went out of his way to make the course unique, by inviting guest speakers to talk to the class.

Gender, Law and the State: Current Legal Issues

The first half of this module was an introduction to feminist theories: ranging from intersectionality to post-structuralism. The second half of the course then explored current issues from a feminist perspective. Topics included some of the following; domestic violence, reproductive rights, female representation in politics and the judiciary and so on. The course was not purely legal, since it also engaged with sociological, psychological and political argument.

This module was relatively easy in a conceptual sense (however it should be noted feminist theory was fairly challenging). What I appreciated most about this module was the fact that almost every class was taught by a different person; a person who was an expert in the field.

Hi there,

Most Universities in the UK will offer scholarships for international students. Whether they are partial or full will depend on the university itself, however I suggest looking at each university website to check. You will likely have a different application process depending on which University you are applying to. 

The basics

First, you should know that if you are applying to multiple universities you are going to have to write multiple statements. I would suggest writing one LLM application and then using this as a template which you can edit before submitting to other universities.

I will not spend time discussing the basic requirements of the LLM personal statement (e.g. required character length, format, etc) for this you will need to research.

Nonetheless, here are some of the best tips I have to offer for writing an excellent personal statement:

Know your university

Think about and seek to answer the following questions: Does your prospective university specialise in a specific area of law? Has this influenced your reason(s) for applying to this university?

Extra-extracurriculars

As an applicant, you need to showcase your potential to contribute to the law faculty. This means that you should research and discuss the extra-curricular offered at your chosen university. For example:

‘ At X University I hope to get involved with the Pro-bono unit, as I have previously engaged in such work at undergraduate level….’

‘ Having had experience working for my previous university’s student legal newsletter at undergraduate level, I hope to get involved in the legal newsletter at X University. In particular, I hope to write about Y topic…’

Research your modules and lecturers

I touched on this in a previous blogpost but this really is key to writing an excellent statement. You need to research the modules you want to take as part of the LLM at your prospective university.

When you have done this, you should research the lecturers that teach those modules. In particular, look at the articles that your prospective lecturers have published that relate to the modules you hope to undertake, read a few, and then mention one in your personal statement. For example:

‘ Having read Professor X’s article, ’Y’ I have become particularly interested in his/her idea that... I look forward to studying this in greater depth when undertaking Professor X’s module entitled Z.’

Showcase your potential, but do not brag

If you want to undertake a LLM with a specialism in human rights, for example, and you achieved a 1st class grade in a human rights related module that you undertook at undergraduate level, do mention this in your statement. However, it can be difficult to know how to discuss your academic achievements without sounding like you are bragging. I would advise saying something like:

‘My 1st class grade in X module indicates that I am capable meeting the academic challenges of undertaking an LLM with a specialism in X.’

Your experience is key

Whilst good grades are incredibly important, your extra-extracurriculars are going to be what gets you an offer. How do I know this to be true? Well firstly, I did not have 2:1 or 1st class grades in all of the modules that I undertook at undergraduate level but here I am undertaking my LLM at UCL. Moreover, having talked to peers on my LLM course, it is clear that all of them have something to show beyond their academic achievements.

What you need to do is to relate your experience to the modules you hope to study. For example:

‘Having acted as a research assistant on X subject at undergraduate level, I look forward to learning more about the theory behind X at masters level.’

Show independent thought

You need to show that you have a genuine interest in the subject area and modules you want to undertake. This means that you need to show that you’ve thought about the broader issues associated with certain modules you want to take. For example:

‘ X is currently issue of particular importance in the human rights community. In particular, I found Y’s article to raise some important issues [insert explanation of issues]…I hope to delve into these issues further when I study Z module.’

Discuss your Dissertation plans

Many universities, as part of the personal statement, will ask that you discuss what you want to write your dissertation on. Do not panic. You do not need to know at this stage what you want to write your dissertation on. This being said, you should still mention a potential Dissertation area you are considering writing about and discuss what it is about this area that fascinates you.

Do you need to know your career path?

Again, many Universities will ask you to discuss what your post LLM plans are and why and how the LLM will help you to achieve your future goals. If you feel you can answer these questions with specifics that is great. If, like me, you are unsure of specific post LLM plans, do not worry.

When to apply

It is always best to apply sooner rather than later as all Universities will have strict quotas for how many students they are able to accept that academic year. I applied in February but applications typically open in October. Applications are typically accepted on a rolling basis. Places will fill up very quickly, I believe by March last year UCL had filled its intake for 2018/19.

Separate applications

It is important to note that when you apply for an LLM, you have to apply to each university separately. There is no ‘UCAS’ system for the LLM. This means that you will need to create some sort of online account on each University website where you can then enter your personal details, elect the course you are interested in (i.e. an LLM with a particular specialism) etc.

Application fees

It is also important to remember that each university will have a mandatory (and often non refundable) application fee. Fees will vary between universities but you will likely be looking at a £50 payment.

Where to apply to?

I applied to five Universities: University College London (UCL), the London School of Economics (LSE), the University of Warwick (UoW) and the University of Birmingham (UoB).

Most of my peers who applied for the LLM only applied to one or two universities. My reason for applying to so many was that at the time of applying (third year) I had achieved a variety of grades across all of my modules ( ranging from a 2:2 in some modules to a 1st in others) and I was unsure just how ‘prestigious’ a University I could get an offer form with my grades. If you are in the same boat, I would highly recommend applying to a selection of Universities.

Your personal statement

As part of your LLM application you will have to write a personal statement. Each university will have a specific web page dedicated to providing you with more information on what to include. I will upload a separate blogpost detailing how to write an excellent personal statement, but for now, here are a few key tips:

A) Format

This is a vey obvious point and I so I will not dwell on it in any great detail, just to say the following: be succinct in your writing style, avoid superfluous language and proof read.

B) Explain your choices

If you are undertaking the LLM with a specialism in a certain field, you need to discuss why you are so interested in that specialism. The same goes for explaining what modules you are interested in. This perhaps seems an obvious point but I believe there is a sophisticated way to do this that is guaranteed to make your application stand out.

For example, you may want to respond to the following in your statement:

Are you applying to X University because it offers a particular module that no other University does? Explain why you have the capacity to excel in a particular module and why Have you studied something similar to a module you want to now study at LLM level? How will your experience help you going into your LLM? Have you had practical (work/volunteering) experience in an area you now want to specialise in/study? Which topic(s) are you looking forward to in your modules and why?

C) Do your research

When you discuss what modules you want to study, you need to do some research on your prospective module lecturers. This can easily be done by going to each University website. You should look into and then read some of the articles written by your prospective lecturers on the field(s) you are interested in. When you have done this, you can something to this effect in your personal statement:

‘I am particularly looking forward to undertaking W module, having read Professor X’s article entitled Y on the topic Z’ - and then elaborate accordingly

The waiting game

Waiting for a response after you have submitted your application is painful. I remember spending hours on the Student Room forum looking to see how long applicants on average had to wait before hearing back from a particular University.

Most universities will not give you great guidance on a timeframe for hearing back, except to say that there you can expect a response within 4-6 weeks. However, my experience was as follows: I sent my applications in on February 3rd and got responses as follows:

What does an LLM actually entail? It is generally acknowledged that a Dissertation will need to be completed as part of an LLM. However, it is much harder to find information about the academic expectations that follow from undertaking an LLM. Thus, if you find yourself wondering, ‘is an LLM really for me’ this blogpost is for you.

Choosing your options

Unlike the LLB, module choices are free reign. There are no compulsory modules. In my case, I am taking five taught modules, most of which run throughout the whole academic term, though it should be noted that some modules run for half of a full term. Modules are either assessed by 100% exam, coursework, or a combination of both.

Lectures and seminars

At undergraduate level, you will have undertaken a mixture of lectures and seminars. At the LLM level, lectures do not exist. Thus, each module I undertake involves a weekly two hour seminar with around twenty students, though it should be noted that popular (and indeed less popular) courses vary dramatically in size.

At LLM level, there is great emphasis on participation. This being said, quieter students who prefer to absorb information through osmosis (I include myself in this category) should not feel discouraged by this. I am months into my LLM and have not yet been ‘picked on’ to contribute. This being said, lecturers may organise their classes so as to encourage discussion. For example, one of my lecturers for Comparative Human Rights Law has designated each student as a  ‘special rapporteur’ for one topic throughout the academic year. This does not mean that you are guaranteed to be picked on, but rather it ensures that A) you have engaged thoroughly with at least one course topic and B) that you have had an opportunity to share their thoughts.

Independent learning

It is commonly thought that a LLM involves a much greater degree of independent learning than required at LLB level. This is both true and false. I currently have eight contact hours per week which is not dissimilar to the number of hours I had at LLB level. However, I should note that (so I am told) UCL has more contact hours than most LLM courses offered at other Universities. Nonetheless, most of your time as an LLM student will undoubtedly be spent reading articles, cases and statute. However, is this really so different from LLB level? Arguably not.

Workload 

Seminar work usually comprises of ‘reading’ a number of articles/cases, and you will likely be given  a body of questions per class. Reading has a distinct meaning at LLM level, as I have addressed below. With regards to the set questions, these are NOT like the questions you are given to prepare answers for in LLB classes. The questions are there to prompt self- reflection and to guide you in your reading. This means that lecturers will not always run through the answers to the set questions. Nonetheless it is wise to prepare brief answers.

Examples of questions:

‘ What are X’s main arguments in this article’

‘ Do you agree with X’s argument(s)’

‘ How do X and Ys arguments relate?’

In summary