A Blog about Education Abroad

Category: Faculty of Law

  • Mvelo Nzimande at Bern University, Switzerland

    Mvelo Nzimande at Bern University, Switzerland

    Mvelo Nzimande

    LLB Student

    Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at Bern University

     

    Pre-departure:

    I decided that I wanted to end my final year in a rather ceremonious way by going on exchange. Before this exchange experience, I had never even been abroad (unless you count Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique), so this was very exciting for me but also anxiety inducing. Also considering that I’m also doing probably my most challenging module (Company Law 471) this year, and so I had the added stress that I might struggle to keep up with the course work and potentially fail the module while on exchange. This fear alone almost made me decline the offer to study at the University of Bern, however I’m very glad I made the decision to go.

    There were many things that I had to do before I left. For starters, I had to find a new tenant to take over my lease in Stellenbosch, and because I was going back and forth in deciding whether to even go on exchange, I began this process rather late. However, luckily enough I found a tenant one month before my departure. Second on the agenda was getting my Visa, which for Switzerland, one can only get from Pretoria. This meant that I had to travel via plane from Cape Town to Pretoria (and back) twice to get my Visa: the first time to drop-off my application documents (since they don’t work with courier services) and the second time to pick it up after it was processed. I remember when I had to go pick it up, it was a day before my second Law of Evidence test, which meant that I unfortunately had to study on the plane.

    Third on the list of predeparture prep was buying the plane tickets to Switzerland. This was rather easy as I buy tickets from home (Durban) to Stellenbosch (and back) almost 6/7 times a year. The only tip I could give is for people who like me have never been abroad, to not be afraid to ask your parents to come with you for the first week. I was lucky enough to have my mom fly with me and help me settle in at Bern. This made that initial entry into a new country a little less scary. I had her and my exchange partner with me every step of the way. In general, my biggest word of advice would be to start all pre-departure prep as early as you can (i.e., VISA, plane tickets etc.) as this gives you a sort of buffer time for contingency plans in the event that things go awry.

     

    In Bern all of my courses were international law courses, and more interestingly they were all Master level courses since these were the only English options. My modules included international trade regulation, international investment law, international intellectual property and European data protection. In addition to these courses, I still continued with company law and the law of evidence remotely. What was nice about this arrangement, is that my academic work was shorter than what it would have been had I stayed in Stellenbosch and not gone on exchange. For instance, I had no lectures on Fridays. Of course, I still had my work cut out for me, however it was nice to have a three-day weekend to travel and catch up on anything I had not completed during the week.

    Bern is a lot like Stellenbosch in that there is a lot to do, maybe even more to do since it is much larger. I am happy to say that a lot of shopping and site seeing happened – I mean when the public transport is so reliable you can’t help but explore. One can swim in the Aare River, take walks in the Könizbergwald forest, visit the Rosengarten for views of the old city of Bern, visit the Gurten hill for panoramic views of the entire city and much more. Might I add that these places look even more magical when it snows.

     

    Bern, under snow

     

    With regards to how the academic strain compares Stellenbosch, I can say that it is both easier and more difficult. It is easier in that there are less hours of class per week, the course content is not as difficult e.g., I found contract law, law of delict, law of succession, company law much more challenging. However, I think this might be because the only courses I could do were international law courses as opposed to the substantive law of Switzerland – which I can imagine is as difficult as South African substantive law. Further, for all of these courses I did not have assignments, or tuts, or requirements for class attendance. The catch is that for each of them there is only one exam that makes up all of your marks for that course.  So, in essence you only have one opportunity to pass, which makes it more challenging than Stellenbosch.

    Many of the lecturers also did not have English as their first language or their home language. For example, my lecturer for Investment was from Chile with a very strong Chilean accent. So sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying. Lastly, all the exams were oral exams and were all scheduled in one week and although I enjoy oral exams it gets tough when you have four different lecturers who conduct them in four different ways. So, this was interesting to maneuver but I’m glad I did so successfully.

     

    Exchange has most definitely given me the travel bug. I know that most definitely after my articles I will be travelling and perhaps even relocating to another country–maybe even Switzerland. I just love how everything works there and how easy life felt there. And because I’ve made so many friendships from exchange, I know that wherever I relocate to abroad I will have a friend nearby.

    My return back was not too bad. I think a part of me was missing home a little and my family and friends. Obviously, December in South Africa is a festive season, so you know that everyone is making the most of their summer holiday, which was tough to miss out on. The only part that was difficult was saying goodbye to all my exchange friends as others were staying in Bern for a yearlong exchange.

    What made my return back home all the better was seeing my entire family at King Shaka airport with balloons, flowers and huge cards. This was so lovely to see after a long 16 hours in the sky and 3 hours in Dubai. It was nice to know that my family missed me as much as I missed them.

     

  • Christiaan de Wet at Bucerius Law School, Hamburg

    Christiaan de Wet at Bucerius Law School, Hamburg

    Christiaan de Wet

    LLB Student

    Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at Bucerius Law School

    Pre-departure:

    The pre-departure preparations were daunting at first, but if one follows the steps provided by the International Office, everything should run smoothly. The International Office was very helpful with any questions I had, and they helped where they could. It is definitely advisable to start preparations as soon as possible, as leaving fundamental requirements, like visa applications or accommodation to the last minute will only add to the already stressful atmosphere of leaving the country for a few months.

    Even though pre-departure is full of excitement, it does come with a lot of unavoidable stress, so make sure to have everything in place as early as possible. I personally left my accommodation to the last minute and ended up paying a LOT more than I originally budgeted for, so I would definitely advise that one sort it out as soon as possible. DISCLAIMER: if you decide to go to Bucerius Law School and you want to stay in their dorms, fill out the form within the first few seconds, because I filled it out within five minutes, and it was already full.

    The visa application for Germany was pretty straight forward, and I received my visa within a week of my appointment, but I guess it depends on the country you’re visiting. You just have to make sure that you follow the directives given for the application and that you have all the necessary documents. But again, I would definitely try and sort out the visa application as soon as possible, because you never know what might happen. I visited Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, and they were very helpful with giving us all the information with regard our pre-departure preparations. This included information about housing, insurance, module registration etc. So, I would advise that one utilizes all the information and make sure that you stay up to date with any new information that the host university might send your way. What worked well for me was to make a list of everything that I needed to do before I left and to systematically tick the boxes. You just have to make sure that you actually do what’s on the list (unlike me with my accommodation…). And then lastly, just enjoy the last few months with your friends and family and don’t let the nervous excitement eat you up, because I can promise you, you are going to miss them.

    Christiaan with friends at Volkspark Stadion
  • Adrienne Hendricks at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Adrienne Hendricks at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

    Adrienne Hendricks

    LLB Student

    Semester Exchange in the Second Semester, 2022 at the University of Amsterdam

    Pre-departure:

    The pre-departure period is one of excitement, nerves, and many deadlines. I needed a new passport to fill out my applications for the University of Amsterdam. I would suggest that as soon as you know you want to apply for an exchange or go through the interview process to get one if you need to relieve the stress of having to wait for it to be ready. If you go to home affairs, be prepared to take the day off for the application (even if you applied online) and the day of collection will take nearly the same amount of time. The visa process was simple in that I applied through the university, and they guide you through the process quite seamlessly. The process at the embassy for submitting photographs and collection is quite quick so nothing to worry about.

    I do suggest that you apply for housing and your residence permit as soon as applications open because housing in the Netherlands is in high demand. Furthermore, if there are any issues, reach out to the staff at your host university, they generally are very helpful and willing to assist wherever they can. Diarise all the important deadlines that you have so that you have a clear schedule and submit the documentation as soon as possible because the sooner you apply, the sooner they will respond. Furthermore, many of these deadlines fall during June exams. I went on the university website to find which documents were required and prepared them prior so that when the university asked for them I already had them ready and did not need to run around looking for them during exam season.

    Furthermore, another issue was buying my flight ticket. I found that Skyscanner was a good sight to compare different flights and find the one that best works for you. Furthermore, remember that to fly into certain countries such as the UK even for a layover may require an additional visa and that should be a consideration before booking a flight. Furthermore, it is best to book a flexible ticket in case things change and you need to fly on a different day.

    Another thing you should be aware of is that there are quite a few hidden costs that come into play before departure. For example, there are housing application costs as well as welcoming weeks and mandatory health insurance that must be paid fully before your arrival as well as a TB test on arrival. This should just be borne in mind during the budgeting phase.

    I would also suggest trying to establish a relationship with your exchange partner from early on because they can assist you with the application process and remind you of important deadlines. It’s also good to have a friendly face once you land.

    Experience at the host university:

    I chose to participate in the welcoming week programme organised by the Erasmus Student Network. It was a little bit pricey but when you do all the activities it is more than worth it, you get to do different things around the city such as canal cruises, silent discos, comedy shows and museum trips. It is also an excellent place to get to know people and make new friends.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the welcoming week, but it was difficult to switch from enjoying and discovering a new city to refocusing on my studies. I had to complete two law modules from Stellenbosch alongside my courses at UVA which was quite tough. I suggest that when you are choosing modules if you can see when the test week is you compare that to the Stellenbosch exam season and ensure that the test dates do not clash, and you plan your courses so that you have enough time to study for each exam. Also, try to confirm early whether your host university is willing to invigilate the first or second opportunity because my university would only invigilate the second opportunity for one of my exams because of the difference in time zones. Furthermore, remember that when the time changes due to daylight saving keep this in mind for any deadlines concerning the study abroad short course. Remember to submit at South African time.

    An Image of a group exchange students in Amsterdam
    Adrienne with her exchange friends

    One thing that is significantly different between the host university and Stellenbosch is that all your exams are written in one week at the UVA. In Stellenbosch we are used to having exams spaced out over a few weeks. Bearing this in mind you should prepare accordingly and keep in mind that you might write 3 exams in 3 days and that can be quite a taxing experience. Furthermore, be aware you might have to wait a month to receive results back so be patient and try to enjoy the time as much as you can whilst waiting.

    Also, don’t forget your study abroad submission deadlines. It may be very overwhelming dealing with new subjects and adjusting to moving to a new country but keep your short course in mind.

    Finally, the Erasmus Student Network plans travel opportunities to different countries. I suggest you go because it is an affordable way to travel, and you can meet so many new people. I went to Prague, and it was the highlight of my exchange because I got to experience a new city, met new people and saw snow for the first time. Travel is really easy in the Netherlands so take any opportunity to also discover other parts of the country.

    I missed home about 3 months in but regular phone calls with my family and friends helped me throughout this experience. So take your time, be curious and enjoy every minute of exchange.

    Return to Stellenbosch:

    Upon my return home there was a deep sense of familiarity which felt comforting after 6 months away from home. I was able to take in the beautiful landscape of my home city, enjoy the warmth, and enjoy all the delicious traditional dishes I love. It was also a relief to be in a space where I was not always the singular person of colour in a space and to feel like part of a group and not an outlier. However, the realities of safety issues and constant Eskom issues were difficult to deal with. This made me long for the ease of travel, safety and reliability of everything. However, being able to see loved ones again and feel part of my community was something that I deeply required to be happy.

    My return to South Africa consisted of a lot of change, first a move from being on Stellenbosch University Campus to being back in Cape Town. Furthermore, I transitioned from being a student to a young professional. These transitions are significant and life-changing but I knew that I had succeeded in moving to another country on another continent. Furthermore, I was equipped with a new awareness of people, human interaction and how to navigate life’s uncertainties which made this transition somewhat easy.

    Being overseas on my own forced me to become well acquainted with my own company and whilst at first, doing activities on my own proved uncomfortable I began to become more socially independent and assertive in doing what I enjoyed. This helped me be more independent as I entered the working world and made my navigation of that space much easier. Before living in Europe I assumed that it was a cornucopia of opportunities and just a perfect place overall but my experience showed me that with all the benefits of living in Europe, there are also drawbacks such as the cost of living. I think the experience of studying international law has also opened up my mind about the possibilities available after my degree and not just practising law in South Africa but also within the international legal system. Overall, the exchange experience was filled with many ups and downs but the biggest takeaway for me is my personal development and how I can use these newly developed personal skills in the new spaces which I now occupy upon my return. Anyone who was the opportunity to go on exchange should seize the opportunity.