Although compulsory within our LLB programme, going on exchange as an LLM student in the Faculty is not pursued by most LLM students. This is usually due to the fact it requires an extra semester of studies beyond the typical duration of our one-year LLM programmes. There are benefits though for the LLM students that choose to pursue such, and apply to an exchange period at one of our many partner universities. Below, Faculty alumna Angela describes her experience going on exchange (to Ireland) as an LLM student.

Where did you go on exchange and for how long?

I completed my Erasmus in Maynooth, a thirty-minute drive from Dublin, in Ireland, and I stayed there five months, four for studying and one for traveling.

Why did you choose to go on exchange, even though it is not part of your LLM programme and it requires an extra semester of studying?

Having completed my Bachelor in International and European Law and my Master in Global Criminal Law at the University of Groningen, I always thought that having an international curriculum vitae was fundamental for future job prospects. As such, the experience of learning from another system in a different country is an extremely strong enrichment and asset to add to my CV. In addition to this and fully subjective to my situation, the pandemic hit during my first years of university and as such, made it impossible for me to go on Erasmus. It really seemed like a once in a lifetime experience that I could not have made once I finished University and started working. Six months compared to the opportunities that this experience might have opened seemed like nothing and I was right.

What was your exchange experience like?

My experience was absolutely incredible! I loved everything from day one until the very end. Given the highprices of housing, it is very common in Ireland to rent a room in a family home and share the common spaces with the family living in the house. Speaking for myself, I was extremely lucky as I found a room really easily and for more than a fair price. Unfortunately, I do know that this was not the case for many of the other Erasmus students that I have met there. On top of that, the family I stayed with was just great and ‘adopted’ me while I was there. Once again, I need to mention that I am being totally biased here. Life as a student is also really nice as you make loads of friends, especially if you are involved in different activities and participate in the activities that were proposed by international associations.

How was the education system there similar and/or different to the Dutch system? And what were some of the classes you took?

The education system is slightly different, especially in terms of workload and expectations. Considering that the University of Groningen is in the top 100 in Europe, I believe that studying anywhere else is possible. In general, I did not have any difficulties in Ireland, teachers were clear, really kind and understanding to everyone. The main reason behind choosing Maynooth as my destination was the variety of subjects the university was offering. Being extremely interested in gender-based violence and migration, I picked courses such as Gender, Sexuality and the Law; Gender, Crime and the Criminal Justice System; Migration and Human Rights and Child Law. I can easily say that I loved all of them.

Did you have any memorable moments of learning something new about Irish culture?

I think I learnt something new every day and in every interaction I had with the locals and in my host family especially. I thought Italians were talking fast and on top of each other but I clearly had never been to Ireland :) In any case, some cultures are more similar than what it seems like, it is definitely worth finding out for oneself!

What was the process (here in Groningen) to apply to go on exchange, and any tips for LLM students considering going on exchange?

The process in Groningen was quite easy and well-explained by the International Office. However, it is a process and by nature requires precision and a certain amount of concentration. A good tip I would give is to listen carefully to what the International Office operators explain to you and read carefully the documents they send. They might stress a few points multiple times because they have seen students make the same mistakes over and over and in the end, they only care about this process going as smoothly as possible. The more mistakes you make, the more time you have to spend sending your documents between the BoA and the International Office, just wasting a lot of time. If you do it once and well, everyone is happy… you included.

In conclusion, if you are considering going on exchange I would say take the leap of faith. There can be a million reasons for it to go bad, and in that you will have still learnt something new about yourself. However, I believe that there are even more reasons for it to work and have an experience you will only be able to enjoy while you are still a student, and since you are doing your LLM, that will not be for long.

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Interested in going on exchance as an LLM student? Read more about the requirments and how to contact our Exchange Officers here .