tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6412073653919408292024-03-12T19:32:11.974-07:00Studyblog Law - Utrecht UniversityWebkeyuser rebohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07316593257072326852noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-52354521044104549262018-06-12T14:27:00.001-07:002018-06-17T07:59:20.394-07:00GHIS 2<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;">
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 24px;">In the previous blog I promised to continue sharing my experience with the interdisciplinary honors programme. Last time, I talked about what I studied at Graduate Honours Interdisciplinary Seminars GHIS, which I called the first component of GHIS. Now,</span> I'll continue with the second component of GHIS which consists mainly of the research proposal and a trip to Heidelberg. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 24px;">The second component of GHIS was the fourth and last block. The block started off by a three day journey to the beautiful city of Heidelberg. The city trip revolved around a conference at the university of Heidelberg and some other social activities. The conference was about interdisciplinarity and the role of the university; how are univer</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 24px;">sities ought to be? Also, we were challenged to come up with interdisciplinary approaches towards specific societal issues. The conference was lead by professor Burke, the dean of the honors program along with other prominent scholars who touch upon interdisciplinarity in their respective work. Also, there was a number of PhD candidates who joined us from the University of Heidelberg, and whose respective dissertations are based o</span>n interdisciplinarity. On our part w<span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 24px;">e interacted well with everybody and left a good impression about GHIS and Utrecht University. We, moreover, presented our ideas.There I realized the strength of Utrecht University, really. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 24px;">The trip was not as dry as it may sound now, we had so much fun -I actually now realize that I should've dedicated a whole blog to this trip- we went out for an interesting walk onto the Heidelberg mountains -philosopher's walk. Additionally, we had an amazing hike to Heidelberg castle, and much more during the evenings. </span><br />
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9YUkFTxrL-sRy8DnMzSWjwhbqIgdYkcM9VKakObzmIEjJCJkArw5q92qYWufvG_QOT3x0Fbj3P0oyiRQkLDLXbid7A4Tqc2k3UZKMAVwxT7P6xIHxFSAozdxrU_U50G3C0_ehaGHUdk/s1600/34018844_10155546723306765_5353971974810894336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9YUkFTxrL-sRy8DnMzSWjwhbqIgdYkcM9VKakObzmIEjJCJkArw5q92qYWufvG_QOT3x0Fbj3P0oyiRQkLDLXbid7A4Tqc2k3UZKMAVwxT7P6xIHxFSAozdxrU_U50G3C0_ehaGHUdk/s320/34018844_10155546723306765_5353971974810894336_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was all to prepare us mentally and professionally to the 'research project' that we had to do. Upon our return we had a couple of meetings more at which we discussed our projects and presented them. By then the cohort was already split into 9 groups and each group was tasked to come up with an interdisciplinary research proposal. In the fourth and last session every group presented their work in the form of a scientific poster. Overall it was awesome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The last component of GHIS, which is purely my experience, is the embedded learning aspects of the programme. Those can be explained by</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 24px;"> two words that are peculiar to GHIS; Internationalism and Integration. For me, these were the most fruitful aspects of the programme. </span><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;">Mixing and chatting with people from other countries, cultures and disciplines in an academic discourse is truly indispensable. Everybody was open to share their background; they shared a lot of stories and experiences with me, and I of course was also happy to share my experiences, especially the ones that took place in Egypt. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif;">In the end, I think GHIS, interdisciplinarity in particular, is an umbrella under which students, scholars or practitioners from various disciplines can meet, discuss and learn from each other. This multifaceted approach towards problems has proven to me to be a powerful tool by which complex issues can be tackled. Now, I feel I am equipped with an extra and creative lens through which I can tackle problems that I deal with in my field. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel I become more creative in my discipline; Law.</span></span></div>
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Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-81457477447890811482018-05-30T19:58:00.003-07:002018-06-19T20:28:17.983-07:00The Graduate Interdisciplinary Honors Seminars GHIS<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="8p1qn" data-offset-key="davbt-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdt38tngKliQrfqSIGlpx1tOJyM-xNjTQQyR3MtGJ1L9z7Ip0QNP-OYl0jiX6v78FrzwQWQKURXknZxZtLTsrsjU4lQUp91Bhzam77lkejJ2-oXXvdUnBunBid6on5W4OzF4lKmAyHl8/s1600/P1050272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdt38tngKliQrfqSIGlpx1tOJyM-xNjTQQyR3MtGJ1L9z7Ip0QNP-OYl0jiX6v78FrzwQWQKURXknZxZtLTsrsjU4lQUp91Bhzam77lkejJ2-oXXvdUnBunBid6on5W4OzF4lKmAyHl8/s400/P1050272.JPG" width="400" /></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am a
GHIS graduate! Just three days ago the graduation ceremony for GHIS has taken
place in the marvelous 'Aula' hall at the Academiegebouw of the Utrecht University. The event was
attended by a number of formidable professors who taught us throughout the academic year, among them was the rector
magnificus of Utrecht University, prof. Kummeling. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Indeed each of us was allowed to bring their
families and friends, overall it was a great experience. I myself invited and was pleasured with the presence of my fiance and my best friend. When surrounded with those people success is feasible and enjoyable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For this
occasion, I decided to dedicate this blog and the next for sharing my experiences and thoughts about GHIS, but before doing so I'd like to present some informatiom about GHIS.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgv_1pBgfzWQO8YoB9QW_sKezafL3vPMaY-jw7jFv4wNO28_g8iVIMGBbd4x45qYFVkA55_AkdBO49177xYdR1OHCNw8HYUTLm_ft8nyqZW53XFXU7uqxle6cNITZsTm-3pWO895ldgQ/s1600/P1050288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">First of
all, GHIS is an honours programme for Master students who wish to do extra
effort next to their Master's. In other words, or in the words of the Honours
dean, GHIS is for those 'more-able' students who constantly strive for more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Second,
GHIS, which stands for Graduate Honours Interdisciplinary Seminars is about Interdisciplinarity; in a nutshell Interdisciplinarity involves combining two or more academic disciplines into one. In other words, it is the annexes between two bodies of knowledge or it is using multiple ideas to
get one result, i.e. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">a researcher who combines two disciplines, or a team that consists of a group of
researchers from different disciplines/backgrounds. In this case GHIS is the second type.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Third,
the programme practically consists of two main components, but yet it has various
embedded learning aspects as I will be discussing here and in the next blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The first component of GHIS is the 'seminars'. The idea of such seminars is to expose us to a variety of studies and
disciplines. In principle nobody is allowed to attend courses related to their discipline or study. As to myself, in block one I selected and was admitted to the philosophy seminars which was taught by the famous Prof. dr. Rosi Braidotti. In the second block I attended a very unique and reviving subject called 'Complex Systems' which was presented to us by three professors from Biology, Physics and Sociology whom introduced us to this notion of complex systems, and inspired us with how they apply it in their respective disciplines. Also they guided us on how we could do the same when we get back to our disciplines. I suggest you Google it, and if you apply for this programme in the next years you must apply for this seminar. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JdkVm9dxI1pl9EBfC3AZysnIRWVvWwiC7lWo7xJ1aCOIVFAn6DCv7yyJk_Rn_-G5AoimvdrX9yN8uo-guLWK5auRL62zc1t8qPuT-N7cOYDQjVRR6X73fzm3MxjwAg6trJBlYlPQ6aM/s1600/P1050297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JdkVm9dxI1pl9EBfC3AZysnIRWVvWwiC7lWo7xJ1aCOIVFAn6DCv7yyJk_Rn_-G5AoimvdrX9yN8uo-guLWK5auRL62zc1t8qPuT-N7cOYDQjVRR6X73fzm3MxjwAg6trJBlYlPQ6aM/s320/P1050297.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In, the third block I attended the Dynamics of Youth, which was not less fascinating, but yet we did some sort of field work. In all three seminars, I had to do an assignment in the form of a written paper or a presentation. These were my choices and yet there were many other appealing ones. As I am limited to certain amount of words, I will continue this in the next week's blog. I will talk about the three remaining points; the second component of GHIS which consists of the research proposal and the trip to Heidelberg. Then I'll expand on the embedded learning aspects of GHIS, and in the end, I will present some personal reflections about GHIS and interdisciplinarity.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">TBC </span><br />
<a href="http://lawstudyblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/ghis-2.html" style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">Here</a><br />
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Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-44572548098662353342018-03-19T11:45:00.002-07:002018-03-27T00:42:36.373-07:00Legal Research Master's Conference Committee; Empathy On Trial<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATTBOBe9V_oY262nXtvrvLU5eTDeYiwczi8jeOrso3X24sABfV-DPxUTe3HImyYkLinefjTPbV5rSN0KA1UW5Klm6dmG359jwz-aEzpqDVr20wNJCHr8u61-8hFxvrLiYCb8BHXOdjOo/s1600/team.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATTBOBe9V_oY262nXtvrvLU5eTDeYiwczi8jeOrso3X24sABfV-DPxUTe3HImyYkLinefjTPbV5rSN0KA1UW5Klm6dmG359jwz-aEzpqDVr20wNJCHr8u61-8hFxvrLiYCb8BHXOdjOo/s320/team.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Similar to Hogwarts, the Legal Research
Master's is divided into four committees/houses, each bearing the name of its
main task: Lecture Committee, Study Trip Committee, the Advisory Committee, and
of course the Conference Committee. By the beginning of each LRM year, every
student, upon their choice and motivation, gets to be allocated in one of these
four committees. Fortunately, I was allocated in the LRM Conference committee =>,
and I am glad to share my experiences as well as the topic of this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Generally speaking, in each committee students collaborate and organize activities. W</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">e do tasks where we have to work closely
together, and arrange regular meetings. That works well as we
already know each other quite well and if, for example, any of us has a
nice idea, they can always put it forward for discussion. For me, this kind of
activity gives an extra dimension to our study as each day offers a new
challenge, demanding us to think of new ideas, solve different types of issues
and work together. Also, it makes me feel that education itself is more
enjoyable and more interesting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Essentially, my committee the Conference Committee organizes
a legal conference every year. As organizers we get to enjoy the perks that
come with it, such as choosing the overall theme of the conference, inviting
renowned speakers (and have dinner with them!) and, of course, boosting our CVs.
Other responsibilities range from organizing lunches and dinners, arranging
transportation and accommodation for the international speakers, to promoting the
event across Europe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0EOwocBrsvoiCG4-ZS8rDQEOW18M-UBElNTvO53nAYAq1FcQHo58K26dQFbsVg4rSY-ePJWfrhfOu0LiDvkujIPX7-demZI03p0bad6JV4JINxoA1QrCGe3PFGUYE5M814oZRQLJOW0/s1600/Empathy-on-Trial-Final+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0EOwocBrsvoiCG4-ZS8rDQEOW18M-UBElNTvO53nAYAq1FcQHo58K26dQFbsVg4rSY-ePJWfrhfOu0LiDvkujIPX7-demZI03p0bad6JV4JINxoA1QrCGe3PFGUYE5M814oZRQLJOW0/s320/Empathy-on-Trial-Final+%25281%2529.jpg" width="226" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This year our conference is titled “Empathy on
Trial" and it will take place next month on the 13th of April. The
discussion will revolve around how the field of Law and Literature regards the
role and relevance of empathy in legal education and practice. For the
speakers, we invited a variety of renowned scholars, such as Prof. Dr. Jeanne
Gaakeer (Erasmus University), Marco Wan (Hong Kong University) and Emma Jones
(Open University). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You as well are welcome to attend, check the
Utrecht University event page; you can find more information about the speakers
and the program:<br />
https://www.uu.nl/en/events/legal-research-masters-conference-empathy-on-trial.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-42837117745578934682018-03-18T01:22:00.000-07:002018-03-20T06:19:44.928-07:00Top rated Maters in Law, say no more!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VI5ve0MYU26Bu4kuzUcWl1RUm9mV7gbaJSXZdQFRZU1fpTw6hACD_O_A2hmxB0wi-qZptN6hXgVlyGDn3VnUUIGfc6srvN1HZd097Otj55LUDgaOBe8mV4Lt029g-16ieEWy08piues/s1600/29027144_1935227790121208_4824618204567527231_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="960" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VI5ve0MYU26Bu4kuzUcWl1RUm9mV7gbaJSXZdQFRZU1fpTw6hACD_O_A2hmxB0wi-qZptN6hXgVlyGDn3VnUUIGfc6srvN1HZd097Otj55LUDgaOBe8mV4Lt029g-16ieEWy08piues/s320/29027144_1935227790121208_4824618204567527231_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am very proud, as the recent news has shown that the Legal Research
Masters is rated as top rated masters in the Netherlands 2018. For that reason we were gathered by the LRM dean to celebrate and enjoy eating cakes. Thanks to the dean's efforts, the professors and of course the hard working students to make that success happen; congratulations to all. The results are based on the Keuzgids’ survey published on the 8<sup>th</sup> of March about
master's rating. The survey has shown that the LRM has achieved a score of 94
out of a 100! This score also places the LRM as the best legal research
master's in the Netherlands and provides a corresponding quality seal -shown below- for
information communication. </span></div>
<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c43FreUTndiAz5Go86HO1XO5jshND6NOrRV14nYPRKZhyphenhypheny808NBPnZvqjuuKWihnga9uAG6ZqmKcZyYG_reHOvOuQsonJ8b_za7VJhgBEHq23tle2lVO5b61MXCgc4PJ-MXKjMDZB8g/s1600/ma18_topopleiding_highres_eng.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="385" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2c43FreUTndiAz5Go86HO1XO5jshND6NOrRV14nYPRKZhyphenhypheny808NBPnZvqjuuKWihnga9uAG6ZqmKcZyYG_reHOvOuQsonJ8b_za7VJhgBEHq23tle2lVO5b61MXCgc4PJ-MXKjMDZB8g/s320/ma18_topopleiding_highres_eng.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As the university's news describes it, </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">the Keuzegids is an annual publication by </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">the Center for Higher
Education Information. It is compiled on the basis of accreditation decisions
of the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization and on the basis of student
assessments from the National Student Survey. This means that this guide is not only based on
scientific criteria, but also on quite extensive empirical data. Underpinning
these data are students’ opinions; this year more than 740,000 students were
invited to give their opinion about their study and educational institution. This means also that this publication is not only important
for the faculty deans and policy advisers to improve their work, but also as a guide for students to select their master’s
program. So, if you are applying for masters next year this seal should be
one of you references.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlB-nRAer5X8vny-aVN4Fq3zk1AcNI7wBz-hjZg6RWJCiLrg3LXuRsTsbQAw5RM-04UG_IHPZvq1kVevgMLidXIGa_-W3JMzkQ20c7TUASBsDxqwit1cDKvydEBz6WCc8YYgETkkrLvEI/s1600/28795942_1935227780121209_6818825530223410256_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlB-nRAer5X8vny-aVN4Fq3zk1AcNI7wBz-hjZg6RWJCiLrg3LXuRsTsbQAw5RM-04UG_IHPZvq1kVevgMLidXIGa_-W3JMzkQ20c7TUASBsDxqwit1cDKvydEBz6WCc8YYgETkkrLvEI/s320/28795942_1935227780121209_6818825530223410256_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The main and simple point to take away from this blog is when selecting a
master's program, there are seemingly a few references that can help you
create your opinion and narrow down your choice, such as the program’s
website, the information provided therein and students' suggestions, but there is a yet
another example of some other criteria that
you can look at to assess whether this is a good master for you and your
future. If your are doubting or comparing very similar programs and standards then you may ask the policy advisers to provide you with the outcome of this source, or simply look for this seal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-12555301719372721012018-02-27T12:36:00.001-08:002018-05-24T09:18:30.979-07:00How to research, even when it’s dynamic<br />
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In a previous
blog on the 15<sup>th</sup> of January I wrote about how the Legal Research Master's is a medium to
see law from three perspectives; philosophical, methodological and practical. In
this blog I discuss the Dynamics of law courses –the practical aspect of the
LRM. But what does this word “Dynamics” entail in a legal context? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvmB9IqZeELDlnE0iXukup1abHUzLlDQdg__KOcSUQmOTwPHtFQW_WEC4uENzRJnnhTmtH7ptFeO0OSPXFT8wV4f5u33nHhZhDDuY2uMA6GehQWdyBVJ9Qbsmq3Og3ILyAOcnVn3gA-o/s1600/21272549_1771494619557172_8505104572440510355_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifvmB9IqZeELDlnE0iXukup1abHUzLlDQdg__KOcSUQmOTwPHtFQW_WEC4uENzRJnnhTmtH7ptFeO0OSPXFT8wV4f5u33nHhZhDDuY2uMA6GehQWdyBVJ9Qbsmq3Og3ILyAOcnVn3gA-o/s320/21272549_1771494619557172_8505104572440510355_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Dynamics simply
implies the interaction, challenges and connectivity of and among legal orders.
Thus, the central issue of each dynamics course is the legal intertwining of
the national, European and international legal orders in a specific field of
law. <span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In other words,
how do legal orders interact in a given situation? Do they interact in a
hierarchical or in a horizontal way in a given situation? Which order dominates? Does
the international legal order or law constitute a highest norm, since it
regulates the relationship between states and international organizations
around the world? Or are the states, represented by their national legal orders
and state sovereignty, constituting the highest norm or the source of all
orders? What is the role of European law and institutions as a middle order
between the national and international orders, especially when it contradicts
International Law? </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Overall, there
are three Dynamics courses. Each Dynamics course focuses on certain aspects; in
the first block we started with the dynamics of constitutional and
administrative law, the second was the dynamics of criminal law and human
rights and currently we are diving into the dynamics of private law. In these
courses, words like globalization, trans-national, Europeanization,
harmonization, unification, convergence, divergence, etcetera are closely tackled. To my mind this is a thrilling legal discourse and an essential skill
to any person who looks forward to being a legal researcher. In my experience,
applying and writing about the coexistence of these legal orders is a vital
activity in a dynamic fast world full of technology, legal development and
globalization.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Now I pay
attention to the presence of these dynamics. First of all, International law influences
states in many occasions such as treaty law, <i>jus cognes</i> customary norms,
UN binding resolutions and the case law of the International Court of Justice
and the European Court of Human Rights. Similarly, the European order is yet another
legal order that influences a big number of European states. The role of the EU
legal order in these dynamics is manifested in norms and principles such as
direct effect, effectiveness, primacy, etc. These have implications on the
national legal orders of the EU member states –and in some occasions other
states. Though, national legal orders are able to push back as they still possess
a respective protected legal identity and culture, sovereignty and autonomy in
applying law in its territory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Ultimately, even
when conducting a seemingly domestic legal research other layers may come into
play and vice versa. In a more connected world than ever, a thorough legal
research cannot be conducted in isolation from a background of the interaction
and dynamics of legal orders. This suffices to say that it is vital for any
legal researcher to be mindful of the <i>Dynamics of law</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-62862915486843322452018-02-03T12:08:00.001-08:002018-02-27T12:37:38.709-08:00In the loving memory of Matthias Jorissen<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "agency fb", sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Over
10 days ago I thought about blogging about people of the Utrecht University law
faculty. I thought about picking a monthly character from my fellow students,
university employees and my teachers. The Idea was to pick someone to take a
picture with and to write about. The very first person who popped up in mind
was Matthias Jorissen. Perhaps he was even the one who made me think about it. More
or less a week ago, I had a conversation with one of my fellow students in
front of Janskerkhof –the law faculty building, when Matthias ran into us as he
was photographing and covering some event, as usual. I remember we had had a
short conversation with him. As soon as he left I told my friend about this idea
and that I will start with writing about Matthias and that I will contact him
later about it. It could have also been an opportunity to tell Matthias what I
had in mind, but too much trust I give to longevity! I thought I had all the
time in the world to contact him.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIdTC5kJBl0Wz09YiuEiQ9R0ISBl8ww4pTnBMaPYGF2HZssSKKpwkoeNFiYBzc-ED7QjIu3mCGmwLg2sUZwXNzJu6OoQppnXycGhbb82uGaOA4xymX4guKtoqLu8HczzffviWdL2Zkn8/s1600/22448560_10214786110628943_2484839278468683731_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIdTC5kJBl0Wz09YiuEiQ9R0ISBl8ww4pTnBMaPYGF2HZssSKKpwkoeNFiYBzc-ED7QjIu3mCGmwLg2sUZwXNzJu6OoQppnXycGhbb82uGaOA4xymX4guKtoqLu8HczzffviWdL2Zkn8/s320/22448560_10214786110628943_2484839278468683731_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "agency fb" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even
greater was the shock when I heard that less than a day after this coincidental
meeting, Matthias passed away as the result of a heart attack. But who is
Matthias? Matthias worked as the LRM policy advisor, but he was so much more
than that. Both current and former LRM students called him the father of the
LRM. He was a counsellor, a friend, problem solver. He was the perfect bridge
between staff and LRM students. For our LRM dean prof. mr. Janneke Gerards he
was immensely valuable in assisting her with the organization around the LRM.
She told me the work he did cannot be replaced by five others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "agency fb" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That
Matthias was a special man who was loved by many became even clearer during his
memorial service yesterday. The Janskerk next to the faculty was packed with
people who came to so say goodbye. Many of them brought flowers and the
memorial was filled with speeches and music. Matthias was praised for his humor,
his devotion to everything he did, and above all his attentiveness to each and
every one of us. Matthias will leave an enormous gap in all of our lives. He
will not be forgotten. Goodbye Matthias, rest in peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "agency fb" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI3Yk8mK3ozuEBSh6tIDLhKeabP-xujAW9TJVlOkk9VGcYQbQu0hdcP27HR_zNJE5anQFcCbX91kU-upJ7kR9y5ePSvJNSQ0Yfs2PrjvGulNUl3pUNCH2G66YlmX-1xHHoQCaIb6ttDk/s1600/27707279_10155267359251765_873470669_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI3Yk8mK3ozuEBSh6tIDLhKeabP-xujAW9TJVlOkk9VGcYQbQu0hdcP27HR_zNJE5anQFcCbX91kU-upJ7kR9y5ePSvJNSQ0Yfs2PrjvGulNUl3pUNCH2G66YlmX-1xHHoQCaIb6ttDk/s640/27707279_10155267359251765_873470669_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-48232187837409671612018-01-15T06:31:00.000-08:002018-02-27T12:37:50.127-08:00I am a legal researcher. What is your superpower?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
Surrounded by
articles and books and constrained by deadlines and meetings, I could finally
manage to reach out to my blog. Glad to be here again. My motive this time is
to warn you not to apply for the Legal Research Master’s! Yes, don’t you dare. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqW30YOWtYSBr_QZ6yZrRtt5sio_C3CcggdWt_YTdSADKuQNueT9wprQqS5xd4yRvLDvC5URkYh4KSNzln-aOzjKWYsOHIr8fE0x7As3zwhy5poo39zoxiFEUHvn1VmdII-Ucwv6w2qlo/s1600/21318805_1830702980573690_138946227970502497_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqW30YOWtYSBr_QZ6yZrRtt5sio_C3CcggdWt_YTdSADKuQNueT9wprQqS5xd4yRvLDvC5URkYh4KSNzln-aOzjKWYsOHIr8fE0x7As3zwhy5poo39zoxiFEUHvn1VmdII-Ucwv6w2qlo/s320/21318805_1830702980573690_138946227970502497_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Unless you are
genuinely striving for learning what law is and ought to be, how to solve complex
legal issues, and which methods would enable you to do so; do not apply for it.
Many people here in the Netherlands and in Egypt have been asking me “what do
you study?” When I reply with: “legal research”, they say: “Yes, but which
domain of law; public or private? Which branch of law; criminal,
administrative, civil, etc.? And, which legal order do you study? Is it
national, international or European? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I reply with: “perhaps
all; I study legal research, I am being trained to research law, but let me further explain...” </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">To my mind,
Legal Research Master’s (LRM) inspires me to see how Law can be used as a tool
of change. At the LRM arena, this inspiration arose from looking at law from
three windows; one is philosophical, the second is methodological and the third
is practical.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The first is
philosophical, because when I read the assigned literature and attend lectures,
I approach law as a science, and therefore, many questions
emerge about Law and its characteristics. Secondly, the methodological discourse exposes
me to various debates on several types of legal research. This makes me
understand more how law actually functions and how it can be used in the most
reliable sense. Lastly, I see law from a practical window because at LRM we are
acquainted, more often than not, with tackling and solving complex issues that
emerge from the intertwinement of legal orders, in each domain and in each
branch of law. </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The rational is, those who understand law best and know how
to use it through a thorough training are able to lead in any branch of law -able to change for better.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">These insights
are provided to me via </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Methodology</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> and </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Dynamics</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> meetings,
assignments and literature; the foundational elements of the LRM. Although I make the substance of the LRM seem
too broad, in later blogs I will dig deeper and discuss with examples; how such
elements can be utilized in a given specialization. Also, I will discuss the
possibility & flexibility to narrow down your focus to the topics of your
interest.</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">f you are up
for this challenge and want to know more about the LRM from an international
perspective, stay tuned for the upcoming blogs in which I will give some
insights on the LRM activities, research projects and courses, etc. Stay tuned!</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-72550728126971396072017-12-22T13:25:00.001-08:002018-09-08T06:06:52.178-07:00A new page... <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Two
years ago, I visited this beautiful city, Utrecht, for the first time, and as a
usual traveler I was fascinated by every little detail of this city; the
architecture, streets, canals, restaurants, libraries, the university
buildings, the harmony of everything and
a lot more that I will be elaborating throughout my blog. </span><br />
<div style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwW59GWBxBJSVhQgaVip_2W8t6wtWH5iv6ugk9d4Q5bOsSHcJeeidGnk56GPxpyeKSqTeF_yCoElagfkcWgou3BU7Cao6G_rmoTiCe7OeQjtWG7UTjuF9sM1JGmSaUA6hfi070hmHAj4/s1600/life_in_utrecht.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="800" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwW59GWBxBJSVhQgaVip_2W8t6wtWH5iv6ugk9d4Q5bOsSHcJeeidGnk56GPxpyeKSqTeF_yCoElagfkcWgou3BU7Cao6G_rmoTiCe7OeQjtWG7UTjuF9sM1JGmSaUA6hfi070hmHAj4/s320/life_in_utrecht.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Now, and for over four months, I am so lucky to be
living here and studying at the University of Utrecht as a Legal Research Master student. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">It
is not at all easy, yet utterly adventurous to live and learn in a different
place than what you’re used to. This is not a view of a person who has seen a few, I would confidently say my life has been adventurous to some extent; I am
always on the move; never afraid to take risky decisions; and I am always
‘curious’. However, moving to another city, let alone another country, was one
of the most challenging decisions I ever made. Totally worth it.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> It is not easy to </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">relocate,</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> I am aware that our directions and destinations have to be always justified and
clarified by reasons, such as: sentimental ones; old roots to this destination,
family reunion or friends, but also financial reasons such as pursuing a
scholarship. Even myself, I would not have moved or applied for the Master’s
that I am currently enrolled in unless I had that “big reason”. My reason was
to be with my fiancee. </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">However,
paradoxically, the main aim I am writing this blog is to tell you that you do
not need that big reason to study in Utrecht, because if you are an
ambitious, hard worker person, this University would help you by all means. </span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="line-height: 150%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">My vision is to write on my experience in Utrecht and it’s university. I will do so spontaneously by picking topics that I, and you, may wonder about.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">As
this meant to be an introduction, I am writing some
background information about myself, my vision, mission and the value of this blog. My name is Waleed, 26
years old, I was born in Libya, but my parents are Egyptians and before I moved to the Netherlands I had my entire life in Egypt. I have many hobbies but can be limited to
three categories; travelling and photographing; reading and writing; and Gym
and boxing. </span></span></div>
</div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Throughout each blog, my mission is to deliver to you some practical
experience, of an international student’s life who studies law in Utrecht
University. I will also reflect my social life here as well as the problems I encounter. This should help you creating your perspective about the city, the
university and the Master's I am enrolled in.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
</span></div>
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Waleed Mahmoudhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10150412842891583341noreply@blogger.com1Janskerkhof, 3512 Utrecht, Netherlands52.0938299 5.121709900000041752.0913909 5.1166674000000416 52.096268900000005 5.1267524000000417tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-4526963521801552822017-06-15T06:43:00.001-07:002017-06-19T02:27:06.394-07:00Being a part of the LLM's Honours Programme <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ld834ZrR4XQ-Lh1nTkyEZOD2H780rC_RuGsuolsbbFg4mI2LOKBTBJh7UMx9T2JpnnNqUIEuwM4AeEZKWMdg0zh_C0hxusX_C3k_iGMXOK3sMKqGgmWxbf9YbLXbbB0nS_cAZs2q-uMv/s1600/asp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="385" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ld834ZrR4XQ-Lh1nTkyEZOD2H780rC_RuGsuolsbbFg4mI2LOKBTBJh7UMx9T2JpnnNqUIEuwM4AeEZKWMdg0zh_C0hxusX_C3k_iGMXOK3sMKqGgmWxbf9YbLXbbB0nS_cAZs2q-uMv/s320/asp.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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The LLM's Honours Programme (the Honours Programme)<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is one of the Utrecht University projects, aimed at quality students, which
gathered participants from different study fields of law into one classroom,
throughout all the academic year. I have had the pleasure to be a part of it
and will be sharing with our blog readers the most interesting and valuable
features, which helped me to further develop my skills not only as a
student, but also aiming further, as a law practitioner. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In such regard, various skills
training meetings were aimed towards building the professional conduct as a
lawyer, regardless of possible intentions of pursuing (or not) this path in the
future. They were very practical and informative, with guest lectures that
brought an additional insight into the topics discussed. For example, the
workshop ‘Writing for your Client’ introduced the students to a whole other
type of writing than the usual academic one, by emphasizing the need of being
concise and to the point with the piece that they might be working on.
Additionally, the ‘Client Interviewing and Counselling’ workshop enriched our
skills with many practical examples that our tutors had lived themselves in
real life, in order to create a full picture of what is to be expected from a
lawyer’s daily practice. Particularly interesting was the discussion on the
ethical conduct and behaviour of not only lawyers, but of every professional
who might also be working in the academia. Moreover, the training that aimed
the development of additional skills in legal and non-legal research, to me
personally it showed how a student can conduct an effective hunt for relevant
books or articles by using the library tools, a vital information to possess,
especially for a law student. Overall, the skills’ training was an effective
contribution to the personal development of the participants in the Honours Programme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One feature of the program which
greatly contributed towards our critical thinking and teamwork was definitely
the individual organisation of the content meetings. In small groups not more
than six students, we had to
conceptualise and create a few of the excellence masters track meetings, with
interesting topics which could be easily correlated with almost all of the
study fields of the participants. It happened that the group I was working in
was the very first responsible for organizing such a meeting and our feelings
were somehow perplexed between trying to find a relevant and interesting topic
and imagining what could an ideal content meeting look like. The topics on the
table varied between the newly adopted EU data protection </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">regulation and the <a href="https://pilpnjcm.nl/en/">strategic litigation</a>, also known as public litigation. Ultimately the latter triumphed
and the first content meeting organised by students of the Honours Programme focused on
strategic litigation, which in other words is the use of legal procedure
in a strategic way to bring about certain social, political or legal changes.
This can give a voice to individuals, protect vulnerable minorities, and
provide access to justice for those whose rights are at stake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxerwP53pViNquz8fm6evKfWyKK0SHQtGH87E1_uPXPjwAkbxivF9iz_II6em_RrNHiOY-R_-RqFiHW_0que-2H_I3PidHAwYaY42kRigpAE_rylPvITKm26UII1Knv95rFYFBKO53fy3/s1600/EMT+thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="960" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxerwP53pViNquz8fm6evKfWyKK0SHQtGH87E1_uPXPjwAkbxivF9iz_II6em_RrNHiOY-R_-RqFiHW_0que-2H_I3PidHAwYaY42kRigpAE_rylPvITKm26UII1Knv95rFYFBKO53fy3/s320/EMT+thing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another highlight of the program was the project ‘Law and
Literature’ which envisaged creating parallels between the two fields. The very
interesting topic was introduced by Judge Jeanne Gakeer and then carried out by
other mixed groups of students. What we had to do seemed simple at the
beginning: choose a fictional book/novel and write a legal analysis over it.
The first problems though emerged at choosing what book should we all read and
write upon. However, this is also one of the skills that I got from the Honours Programme, namely conducting the negotiating process between the team and trying to
persuade the fellow students about a specific choice. In the end, our group
decided to read <i><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/04/the-sellout-by-paul-beatty-review-galvanizing-satire-post-racial-america">The Sellout</a></i> by Paul
Beatty, a novel which depicted the modern segregation practiced in the United
Stated and the implicit racial bias when it comes to judicial processes against
people with colour. One could not say that the writing process and the
presentation at the end went smoothly, but we learned from our mistakes and
made sure to improve on a later stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This experience was also further enriched by a specific sub-programme that
was carried out by the European Law master coordinator, prof. Linda
Senden and the students. In the beginning of the year we had a series of
collective meetings, where we discussed interesting topics starting from
possible amendments of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to
organising a small moot court with the aim of introducing the human rights
perspective to our studies, to discussing on a round table the
conceptual and practical problems of the European Monetary Union and trying to
enhance its legitimacy by strengthening the national parliaments representation
and finally, to define and debate the meaning of the well-known term ‘rule of
law’. The specific EU law programme was
very insightful and taught us, the students participants, how to better use our
critical thinking and our public speaking skills. In addition to this, each
student then was assigned an individual project to work on, mainly as a
research assistant to a professor that was preparing an academic article for
publication. I had the pleasure to assist dr. van den Brink for his research on
the impact of the European Monetary Union economic performance policies, which
was also focused on discussing the role of national parliaments on EMU
policy-making. This experience worked as a real boost to my academic research
skills, so important for an LLM student nowadays. It has been a long road of
writing and researching, but before the end of the program, the article is
already sent for publication and I feel that this was an enriching experience
in terms of gaining new skills and reinforcing the existing ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a participant of the Honours Programme 2016-2017, I strongly
believe that this experience, also in part created by the students and for the
students, is a valuable extra-curricular addition, in which everyone should be
encouraged to take part. The amount of skills enhanced, the interaction and
creativity that we took especially from each-other are the features that show
the importance of such initiatives. I greatly enjoyed being part of the Honours Programme and would absolutely recommend it to any fellow/future UU student!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-7507450242135350982017-05-13T02:01:00.000-07:002017-05-13T02:01:07.014-07:00The Utrecht University Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOlvLQ1OenwGqvWOaVjrW55NDtwT9Thf6t8nUFqMB73Z6oeN-3Sr-unAvkh1MsthQvM8ZtOZlWMp8IyWAvhlx4jUyeaso0XyhQhM-WNnsRXILMTR9NluDvMOn7WRNEExWmzgWa85WObXi/s1600/IMG5836jpg-3225358_p9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOlvLQ1OenwGqvWOaVjrW55NDtwT9Thf6t8nUFqMB73Z6oeN-3Sr-unAvkh1MsthQvM8ZtOZlWMp8IyWAvhlx4jUyeaso0XyhQhM-WNnsRXILMTR9NluDvMOn7WRNEExWmzgWa85WObXi/s320/IMG5836jpg-3225358_p9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hello everyone! After a little pause I’m glad to be back and
share Utrecht experiences with you. Let’s say that my absence is justified
because of the start of the fourth period of study here in UU, which for LLM
students equals to writing their thesis. Therefore, not only me, but every
other LLM student in any other discipline is now dedicating almost all of their
time to such an important writing, with which one is expected to contribute to
the academia and make a significant step forward in the debate that is
discussed within the thesis itself. At first it might sound a huge
entrepreneurship and maybe a little scary, but when you start your LLM studies
you will definitely be surprised on how much you can learn and advance your
skills in a small amount of time.</div>
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This brings me to the core message of this blog post. “Every
top university has its own top library” and this is definitely what the <a href="https://www.uu.nl/en/university-library">Utrecht University Library</a> is. I could not imagine writing, not only my thesis, but any
paper that was required during my studies without the library’s resources and
help. With two big and beautiful buildings, one located in the city centre and
the other at the Uithof, the Utrecht University Library is always close to the
students for any material that they might need. </div>
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I remember that one of the main pieces of advice that our
professors used to give before the start of the thesis period was: use the
collection of the library; it is indeed quite big, rich and it is going to be
indispensable for finding the right materials to complete your research. And I
cannot stress that enough. As of my own experience, I needed quite some amount
of different books to buid up my research and almost all of them were available
on the shelves. But don’t worry, if you cannot find a book in the shelf, check
twice on the online catalogue and see if somebody else is using it. In this
case, you can simply put an online request within the system, and the library
staff will inform you when the book will be available for pick-up (you can also
choose a favourable date!). </div>
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For sure that books are an important part of the University’s
library, but its collection, especially for law students, becomes even more
accessible when it includes a list of the most prominent journals (online or
not), where you can find sometimes “life-saving” articles for your research. In
that regard, also the “UBU-link” helps quite a lot. For the ones that aren’t
familiar with the term, this is simply a tool that helps the students to find the
full text of their online material, provided that the library is a subscriber
to that website/journal that you are looking into (and trust me, most of the
time it is).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CgTZDwncSsNxO2MVkuZ3_6c3qUljkF9SEGppK5zsOv8t_CF8Zr6PgKzw8f2dlvW4vGf14GfXTynIiwMNd_ZmRDM_HzyftxHIOpgBhgtHBvjl825ngUkOPiFaMf3GqNCblx9d8S700uez/s1600/aiu_showcase_university_library_utrecht_07x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2CgTZDwncSsNxO2MVkuZ3_6c3qUljkF9SEGppK5zsOv8t_CF8Zr6PgKzw8f2dlvW4vGf14GfXTynIiwMNd_ZmRDM_HzyftxHIOpgBhgtHBvjl825ngUkOPiFaMf3GqNCblx9d8S700uez/s320/aiu_showcase_university_library_utrecht_07x.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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However, the collection of such a vast number of materials
is not the sole feature of the Utrecht University Library. Say, if you have
troubles at concentrating at home, or if your roommates are being louder than
usual, the library has plenty of study spots reserved for students. Circled by
books, in a quiet environment and with a great lightning system, the library is
definitely my favourite place to study. It is true that the building in the
city centre can be quite busy sometimes, especially when its exam week, but you
can always try going to the Uithof: the building is much bigger and it’s
practically guaranteed that you will find a similar quiet and nice place to
study.</div>
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To conclude, as a UU student, academically you will always
have the support you need. The library offers a ton of choices and you simply
need to be aware of them. Check as well with the service desks, the staff is super
nice! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-16818952767138591362017-04-13T11:17:00.000-07:002017-04-13T11:17:09.525-07:00More and more study trips<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeLvJBz_nDxIL1mKrs7GK8wMOpi5FCJtSu_mKrkoJr3lcElECFscGEZ0iU_ZGEy9_QKro3r3XivYmWs21xR4WdqDeR4nIuvGIRR-qixVeAJ55Qdr6I3BUnGMzq32nUaB7GBZV3s_NXJsL/s1600/IMG_0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeLvJBz_nDxIL1mKrs7GK8wMOpi5FCJtSu_mKrkoJr3lcElECFscGEZ0iU_ZGEy9_QKro3r3XivYmWs21xR4WdqDeR4nIuvGIRR-qixVeAJ55Qdr6I3BUnGMzq32nUaB7GBZV3s_NXJsL/s320/IMG_0928.JPG" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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One good thing about studying in Utrecht is that you will
never be alone in the long and arduous process of learning. When I first came
here and faced the student life, I was amazed by the number of study
associations and about their endless opportunities to get involved. There is
loads of extra-curricular work and activities to do for every type of committed
student. Hence, since the beginning of the year I became part of <a href="http://urios.org/">Urios</a> Study
Association, which is specifically aimed at international and European law
students. Apart from the hard work that members of the study association put into
publishing <a href="http://urios.org/magazine-committee/">Curious</a>, the member’s magazine (which is of course open to anyone
interested) and into the prestigious <a href="http://www.utrechtjournal.org/">Utrecht Journal of International andEuropean Law</a>, the committees also organize study trips.</div>
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One of these was carried out few days earlier in The Hague,
where Urios and <a href="https://www.adinformandum.nl/">Ad Informandum</a>, together with representatives from the University’s
Career Services visited the International Court of Justice and the
International Criminal Tribunal for ex Yugoslavia. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG2Uu8VMD6LzOB8a8NBPHPLr45uf-7lifIVepMn-0912xdgaVULh2dNf0V3yoxJu_u15__-sK0C9EQcPvszDirZMK6Kahk7cDuVbwJ76ASp0QsIyoFsk84EG0g6-IbEF-ORcT6qCy-Ku8/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG2Uu8VMD6LzOB8a8NBPHPLr45uf-7lifIVepMn-0912xdgaVULh2dNf0V3yoxJu_u15__-sK0C9EQcPvszDirZMK6Kahk7cDuVbwJ76ASp0QsIyoFsk84EG0g6-IbEF-ORcT6qCy-Ku8/s320/IMG_0926.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The journey began at the Peace Palace, a stunning building
whose construction was quite an ambitious project. Through the very informative
tour in the visitor’s centre, the participants had the opportunity to delve
into the history behind its design and the aspirations of that generation to
foster peace between the countries. The first stone of the Palace was cast in
the spring of 1907 during the second Peace Conference and every country contributed
with precious materials in its construction. Vases were sent from China and
Hungary, Turkey and Persia donated carpets, wood and stone came from
Scandinavia and Brazil, whereas marble from Italy. It is undoubtedly a
breathtaking architecture and definitely one of the places to visit while in The
Hague. The Peace Palace is the host building of the ICJ and its sessions take
place in the Great Hall of Justice, on the right side of the building. During the
visit, we had the opportunity to speak to one representative from the Court’s
information department, who alongside explaining the main reasons of the
existence of the Court and practical matters related to specific cases, also
gave some tips and tricks for those interested for an internship. Naturally, if
you browse their website online, you’ll also find the relevant information in a
blink.</div>
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The visit to ICTY was equally fascinating and informative. From
the horrors of the First World War embedded in the history of the Peace Palace,
we jumped into the fight for freedom of the ex Yugoslavian republics and the
crimes that were committed not so long ago. The welcoming staff of ICTY had
prepared a very interesting documentary for us, of the notorious <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrRgPy7ShgI">Prijedor</a>
massacre, known as the ethnic cleansing campaign committed by the Serb political and military leadership mostly
againstBosniak civilians. ICTY
was established in 1993 by the United Nations in response to reports of such
mass atrocities taking place in the former Yugoslavia and it has been quite successful
in its mission, with 161 individuals indicted by the court. Although rumours
that ICTY is going to close down soon are up and running, we got trusted
information from the internal staff that internships are still possible.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
And what would be the best end for a day filled with useful information
and history? Surely some “gezellige” networking drinks afterwards in Millers
bar, enjoying bitterballen and of course, beers. Therefore, my other advice if
you ever happen to study in Utrecht is: join a study association! You get to
enrich your experiences, expand the network and make cool study trips! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-74591026151245202612017-03-29T12:49:00.000-07:002017-03-29T12:49:20.613-07:00Benefits of blogging <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwBwYYTJ6vOehQKoW7mp_JQCMO1BEvNiTiFYsuIBeVR8VB6BnapPpL5UPpB2-54YG3-wK6ZJFjV6Hu6noc8y_wqMclYCwtL5-xD6XeZ3oauzqVvNj8121BY9lnxQHlfGY0kfHMHE5-7iY/s1600/20170324_144059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwBwYYTJ6vOehQKoW7mp_JQCMO1BEvNiTiFYsuIBeVR8VB6BnapPpL5UPpB2-54YG3-wK6ZJFjV6Hu6noc8y_wqMclYCwtL5-xD6XeZ3oauzqVvNj8121BY9lnxQHlfGY0kfHMHE5-7iY/s400/20170324_144059.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students in the final lecture </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When you take a law course at Utrecht University, you are also
required to take the so-called “capita selecta” during the third period of
studies. In a nutshell, the capitas are short but intensive courses which last
normally up to three weeks and are focused on a very specific area of the study
field. My classmates and I had the
chance and pleasure to follow a very interesting and well-built capita, called
enforcing EU law by EU agencies. For three weeks we were taught and mentored by
Dr. Miroslava Scholten in order to enrich our understanding on one of the most
important developments of EU law and governance, namely agencification. I’m not
going to explain in details what this very complex term means, but for all of
you interested in the subject, you can follow Mira’s blog<a href="http://eulawenforcement.com/"> here.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">This, by the way, is also going to be a blog about blogs and
you’re going to find out more in a blink. So, during our time in the capita we
were divided into groups and asked to choose one of the EU’s agencies in order
to complete a research about its structure, powers, accountability and problems
that might (or not) arise in such spectrum. Besides building great teamwork
skills, the course also taught us not to be afraid of presentations, which is
an important ability to have in today’s times. Thus, after having lectures and
guest lectures (by Michele Simonato, Marloes van Rijsbergen and Laura Wissink),
the floor was for us, the students, to present each week a little bit of our findings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The course was finalised with a research paper of each group
and the creation of a blog on the main topic, including results of our team
investigations. The idea of creating a blog might even sound out of the place
in a law course, but believe me, it is one of the best ways to quickly and massively
spread the message of your research. In the modern times it is hard to find
someone that reads lengthy and complicated papers, unless it is indeed required
for work or study. Most of the people instead prefer easy and absorbable news,
thus the blogging becomes a practical solution. Moreover, the number of people
you reach out is unimaginable. Therefore, I would strongly suggest to everyone:
create a blog on the topic that you’re researching. It is a good idea to put into
test your findings and the process of simplifying your research even helps you as
a writer to really understand what’s going on there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To conclude, our capita was quite successful and the student
teams created five blogs. Nerea and Senta worked on <a href="http://eppofordummies.blogspot.nl/">EPPO</a>, Juliette and Michael
on <a href="https://euagencyeasa.wordpress.com/">EASA</a>, Eline, Laura and Babette on <a href="https://eucompetitionlaw.wordpress.com/">ECN</a>, Anka, Agustine, Hans and Hidde on
<a href="https://frontexplus.wordpress.com/">Frontex+</a> and finally, the cherry on top of the pie, Janneke, Elissavet and
myself on <a href="https://myesma.wordpress.com/">ESMA</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Hint: the
ESMA team will definitely keep up with the blog, since our master thesis topic
are as well on this agency, so see you there! </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-92143200874794099422017-03-12T12:57:00.001-07:002017-03-12T12:57:53.469-07:00Do’s and don’ts in Paris (while you’re on a moot court)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92xQnecnUlpM9fLEXPsv7Wsm4TrDZLAiQ5t3skaJOiZsLg8tRh0ZTw3o3zyTszk8jlfy7auRMtJO99OTLf_gdlzv5Z-Wox26KSLZq0-YDyqlLwmNiKymqMwwvHe_LFjLPbPCkBkz76Op7/s1600/File_000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92xQnecnUlpM9fLEXPsv7Wsm4TrDZLAiQ5t3skaJOiZsLg8tRh0ZTw3o3zyTszk8jlfy7auRMtJO99OTLf_gdlzv5Z-Wox26KSLZq0-YDyqlLwmNiKymqMwwvHe_LFjLPbPCkBkz76Op7/s320/File_000.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utrecht University team in Paris</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Being a European law student is not
always easy, but it sure knows how to be rewarding. Among all the activities
offered by the master programme, I would say that there is no other who comes
close to the nerve-wrecking, race-against-the-time, enriching,
fun, cool, travelling and network creating experience offered by the European
Law Moot Court. I have felt honoured (and very challenged) to be a part of the team that represented Utrecht University in the Paris regional
rounds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">For all the freshers on moot
courts, this one is the most prestigious in the field of European Law. The
experience has started since last year in September, where we went through
rigorous selection processes carried out by tutors and mentors, who of course did a
wonderful job in hand picking what would be the greatest and funniest team in
Paris. After that, we went through the written phase pleadings, which took us a
greater number of preparation hours than any other imaginable course and
various consultations with professors and experts on the field (including a
trip to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The case was extremely
complicated and everyone that we asked simply stood up with a thinking
countenance in their faces slowly saying... “but this makes no sense”... We can
call it whatever we want, but luck wasn’t on our side this year. Nevertheless I
should say that my teammates Nicole, Daphnie and Hans were the perfect mates
who made easy the process of crying on each other shoulders. And there it was,
after submitting our written pleadings, the announcement of the winning teams
was coming closer. We couldn’t believe we got through and as you can imagine,
the preparations intensified immensely so that we could be shining in Paris!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The journey was equally interesting,
beginning from the moment when Hans missed his train, to our feelings when we
entered the hotel lobby and saw the nerdy faces of our opponents. Tomorrow was our
pleading session and we had to be there since 8 in the morning. As you imagine,
life in Paris while you’re doing such an important thing gets pretty hectic,
although we would have loved a slow breakfast with hot chocolate and macarons.
The European Law Moot Court is very competitive and only one team from 12 would
go to the big final in Luxembourg. Even though we did our best and content wise
we were close to perfect, we didn’t go through the second round. The bad news
is that it was really disappointing, but the good news is that we were now
allowed to drink our sorrows away and to finally have some fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">One of the best parts was our
culinary experience with the French cuisine. Starting from the little finger
food, in rich banquets, where nobody understood what in the world they were
eating (but only that it was delicious), coming to Quiche Lorraine, the beef
tartars, les terrines du lapin, the delicious omelettes and the incomparable
hot melted chocolate, everything was perfect and bubbly like the champagne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-1zfFJ38I8VpCjnwKykaHxov2jCcJK0QtXVKLc9QJK1cIGPkvifJLwnhhrqxmypZBh9UVhAKRtFPcY2B_LFzeYgl4JRPDCb5P5zirrBMUMtjp0VOhZS8oQsaw3KLO0hhwBeC6VAN8DVv/s1600/File_001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-1zfFJ38I8VpCjnwKykaHxov2jCcJK0QtXVKLc9QJK1cIGPkvifJLwnhhrqxmypZBh9UVhAKRtFPcY2B_LFzeYgl4JRPDCb5P5zirrBMUMtjp0VOhZS8oQsaw3KLO0hhwBeC6VAN8DVv/s320/File_001.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First pleading round over!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Looking back, I really miss the
days when we used to meet and discuss about the case and I feel that the same
happened as well to my teammates. Call it post-moot temporary depression stage.
In moot court competitions, you either make friends for life or enemies for
life and I am glad that we belong at the first category. That is also thanks to
the support of our coaches, Tony and Diane, who always made time for our
delayed draft submissions and always gave the best practical advice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If somebody is also considering
joining the moot court competition, I’d say go for it and best of luck!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-7816143226641224792017-02-27T04:24:00.001-08:002017-02-27T04:24:53.315-08:00Luxembourg and Brussels, a guide to enjoying study trips<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrEpYz9mA1RWV0INvRTZgEEAkiNIU9edvndXGwfwUKIscnjQJ6IqABnSHPdQhvf6JttP8HQlNsWAHCITzXAtJbfDPVoqLz4J4nii-UChn3P9_OZQNkBsjME1gPqUCwHq6eJWYWJP9puUw/s1600/CJEU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrEpYz9mA1RWV0INvRTZgEEAkiNIU9edvndXGwfwUKIscnjQJ6IqABnSHPdQhvf6JttP8HQlNsWAHCITzXAtJbfDPVoqLz4J4nii-UChn3P9_OZQNkBsjME1gPqUCwHq6eJWYWJP9puUw/s400/CJEU.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Utrecht University students at the Court of Justice of the European Union</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">When it comes
to study trips, everyone is keen on forgetting the long and studious days or
nights before the exams. Along with my classmates of the European Law masters
programme we had a very fruitful, professional and also fun study trip to
Luxembourg and Brussels. A number of EU institutions welcomed us in their
headquarters, providing numerous workshops, presentations, guided tours and
even challenging quizzes. After leaving Utrecht at the first hours of the day
(in a very comfortable bus) we headed towards Luxembourg, where upon arrival,
the Court of Auditors (ECA) was waiting for us, the eager students, to show
aspects of the daily functioning of the institution. I must say that this visit
was quite interesting, since for a large </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">number of students, it was probably
the first contact with such an EU institution. Established to audit the EU’s
finances, the results of the ECA’s work are used by the European Commission,
the European Parliament, the Council and the Member States to oversee the
management of the EU budget and, where necessary, make improvements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">However, the day after was overly
exciting due to the visit to the Court of Justice of the European Union. Our
enthusiasm could be easily perceived. Finally we were stepping to that
institution which is one of the main actors in the shaping of European law as
we know until present days. It was extremely valuable to come in touch with the
real place and people that develop EU’s case law, as much as it was inspiring. More
than half of the Court’s human resources are made of translators and
interpreters, and it was charming to see the swiftness with which they
contributed to make the communication between all official languages of the Union
possible. During our visit at the CJEU, we had the great chance to attend a
court hearing concerning a Dutch tax law case, quite technical in nature as it
entailed the explication of the “regulated market” concept, but nevertheless
very interesting to attend. Equally nice and enriching, was the meeting with Judge
Sacha Prechal, who welcomed us in a private informal lunch. The stay in Luxembourg
was quite hectic, as immediately after we paid a visit to the European
Investment Bank (EIB), again a “new” institution as regards our knowledge which
actually is the world’s largest multilateral <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">borrower</span> and lender.
It was interesting to understand that they provide finance and expertise for
sustainable investment projects that contribute to EU policy objectives. With this,
our Luxembourg visits came to an end and we were fully prepared to spend
another fruitful day, this time in Brussels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">What else could be the main
attraction for an EU law student in Brussels, either than the European
Commission? And of course, this was our next step. The DG for Communication had
prepared a list of interesting meetings and workshop for us, starting with the
presentation given by Mr. Ludo Tegenbosch on the role of the European
Commission as the political executive of the European Union, continuing with
the informal meeting with Mrs Simona Constantin, member of the Jourova cabinet,
responsible for justice, consumers and gender equality and finishing with Mr
Harrie Temminik and his commitment to the digital single market. Our Brussels
adventure came to an end with the visit to the Dutch permanent representation
to the EU, where very committed Dutch members explained what was it like to
work every day with the EU institutions trying to maintain your national
country’s interests at the best level. Undoubtedly, it was a true lecture of
negotiation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Luxembourg and Brussels trip
was one of the best memories that students will cherish forever and I want to
heartily thank our professor Diane Fromage for her commitment, organisation and
of course, patience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-58735950909868662162017-02-01T12:05:00.000-08:002017-02-02T13:18:33.665-08:00Exams, stress and redefining the meaning of life<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWnfZMa96vZzpf-bAhoMtYcnNe8OEhsifIGH7ENTXjmmHMewjHsMKPiU-vE4n-ZTxyHee9K1GqqBzvvPHjnHkEn6M5J6YjsuGZeUTHgBrsFJu5Z6s3dM2LR5QZMzXB11xhZTWv2NMus_/s1600/keep-calm-it-s-just-an-exam-8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNWnfZMa96vZzpf-bAhoMtYcnNe8OEhsifIGH7ENTXjmmHMewjHsMKPiU-vE4n-ZTxyHee9K1GqqBzvvPHjnHkEn6M5J6YjsuGZeUTHgBrsFJu5Z6s3dM2LR5QZMzXB11xhZTWv2NMus_/s320/keep-calm-it-s-just-an-exam-8.png" width="274" /></a>Hello everyone! I am Klea, an Albanian girl studying at the vibrant University of Utrecht. In addition, I am going to be the blogger for my masters programme, European law, until the end of the academic year so thank you for joining and hope you enjoy my posts! As an introduction, let me guide you to the starter pack of dealing with exams and paperwork in UU. Off we go!<br />
It’s almost the end of January and by this time the exam
period is freshly over, at least for the European Law master programme. Making
a quick throwback, I can say without hesitating that it was one of the most
stressful parts of my student life, and let me tell you that no matter what you
do, at least some little stress and excitement will accompany every each of us
during this period and that it doesn’t have to be something inherently bad.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let me describe what a normal student faces in Utrecht. In a
period you are expected to take two courses, with intense studying, tutoring,
lectures, seminars, papers, presentations and nice little extra work included.
Sometimes you will also have very close deadlines. Such, I had a paper deadline
on Friday 13<sup>th</sup> (!!) 6pm and another the same day, but midnight. So
you get the picture. I have the great ability to somehow stay organised and put
my writing and my thoughts together always some time before the deadline, but my
classmates were coming at the library and quietly saying that “Oh, I have 0
words”. Believe me, that is not a position you would want to be in, especially
when your professors are strict! In addition to that, the exams were
approaching. For my course on competition law, to somehow ease us from the time
pressure of the written exam, the professors thought it was a good idea to
propose a take home question. Quick explanation for the ones that maybe are not
familiar with the concept: in such a thing, the professors publish a question
on Blackboard and expect your answers back by the end of the day. Hence, you
are free to do it at home, consult books, friends and everything that crosses
your mind. Sounds easy, doesn’t it. Well, it was rather the opposite. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The case we had to deal with was obviously long and
complicated, but I believe that the more time you are given to resolve
something, the more you tend to be insecure and in the end your mind wanders
around the most remote and unexplored places. “What if” questions arise one
after the other and in the end of the day, you are rushing to meet the
deadline. Mostly everyone in my class was experiencing the same thing and when
finally it was over, we could only think about food and sleep. The worst thing
was that the day after, we had another final exam. And again, after the
weekend, the (finally) last one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therefore, studying in such a pace is not for the faint
hearted, but in the end, everything falls into place. The feelings after exam
period are mixed. I always smile when I encounter in daily life very simple
products, such as bananas or salt, that were put in market by those companies,
the story of which us EU competition law students know by heart. But also, that
makes me hate bananas or salt for quite a period of time. Nevertheless, when
you come home from the last exam, there is this strange unknown feeling that
you’re suddenly free and don’t have to study anymore. So what to do now? Time
to find a new meaning in life!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
P.S: things are not as sombre as they might look. Soon
you’ll get updates about the European young lawyers on their trip to Luxembourg
and Brussels! (Trump voice) It’s gonna be a great trip. It’s gonna be absolutely fantastic. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17845447180684192610noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-51738248020106367022016-10-11T09:26:00.004-07:002016-10-11T09:35:17.235-07:00Live long and Prosper. *Drops Mic*<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hello great, great people! I am very happy to write one last
blog for you now that the madness is over… Most of the students are on their
home countries, and the rest of us scattered around the Netherlands doing the
same thing… pondering if student life was better than this inconsistent and
scary adult world-in which job hunting becomes one of our main activities. I
sometimes think that writing a thesis is easier than writing 3 motivational
letters for different jobs. Example: ‘I am a social person, who
works well in groups and enjoys being in a changing environment, that is always
challenging…’ ‘ I am deeply committed to work for a better world, I believe
that the key relies upon economic sustainability” ‘I just finished my Master,
and I just want to work so I can show the world my knowledge…”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwrS5Q9csuwIqGC3w4EF9VXdBycIMQQKIL4wvmhPxyI9ar2GWHJ5dESeKptXGfKSGMJ6T6qnnCDg5RYFJ6xwF1w_DwxvruZhdOUzITVWSEfSNYL-WEGaix5ilVh_tyk1gjnb1YM0kDE0/s1600/24115039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwrS5Q9csuwIqGC3w4EF9VXdBycIMQQKIL4wvmhPxyI9ar2GWHJ5dESeKptXGfKSGMJ6T6qnnCDg5RYFJ6xwF1w_DwxvruZhdOUzITVWSEfSNYL-WEGaix5ilVh_tyk1gjnb1YM0kDE0/s320/24115039.jpg" width="320" /></a>If only the
world would function with true honesty, motivational letters would sound like: ‘
I just need a job” . “ I want to move out of my parents’ “ Game of Thrones will
be aired next year, I need an occupation until then” “ Please hire me” .<o:p></o:p></div>
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Clearly if this was the case, no one would be employed, but
perhaps there are ways to keep yourself actually motivated (regardless the ‘no’s’).Instinctively, we are drawn to our dream job that most likely we are too
inexperienced to get, and we wait for it for weeks, until we get an answer. I
don’t have a formula for getting a good job, but I do have an advice if you
land a job that ‘does not live up to the expectations’ : It is fine. Take it
easy, we just finished our education, and the important thing is not the actual
activity you are assigned to, it is opening up your head to the workplace
environment, not as a student, but as a professional. </div>
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These ‘ in between jobs’
are not more than our training: It’s like we fit some very nice but
uncomfortable shoes when we graduate, and what we do next is walk them off, to
make it fit better. It is a way to feel more confident with ourselves and our
knowledge, believe that you are a good employee after all, and that you are
capable of doing it. By the time our shoes are worn off, guess what… it is time
for a promotion (whether it is given or if it is a personal decision).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4pk04TkoM6ZkHPXAMdKWM9XX-GY-HjXsO8on3COpsfC8yyUcMmU3rcXfF2QOLgfPZy5rtPdITxV3nVQtnSEKTUVDDkw-zIi4c7Tt4QtpYb_4ggSEyxDjxkswoZPD_KO5rEBJ0ixhR-U/s1600/13198629_10210031973341878_8702628555951002627_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4pk04TkoM6ZkHPXAMdKWM9XX-GY-HjXsO8on3COpsfC8yyUcMmU3rcXfF2QOLgfPZy5rtPdITxV3nVQtnSEKTUVDDkw-zIi4c7Tt4QtpYb_4ggSEyxDjxkswoZPD_KO5rEBJ0ixhR-U/s320/13198629_10210031973341878_8702628555951002627_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> On another note, I would like to provide a small but
significant place to the anonymous heroes among us: Truth is, though fun, this
Master was not easy, in a sense that all of us are going through different
struggles while studying, and the fact that we finished is simply wonderful.
For all the sleepless nights, and for being strong, for all your hard work
while having a part-time job. Dear students, mothers, workers, humans, colleagues, I
salute you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This has been a very good year, and I will never forget this
experience, I sincerely wish you all the best, and for the new students out
there… enjoy it, talk about it, even blog about it, you could be the next
International Blogger, I would be eager to read how are you living all of this
changes. Lastly, I would like to thank the University for giving me absolute freedom and supporting my blog. It was a pleasure.</div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLdb-NEbxNufTOMMT_jpi6xUWzwJQEMcepiDnHr8IsASnlIvp5o4OXkqnCBbRCwpByDn2fxU2ov7Guk0_CnLRIl3Ce_xzA5MF3P53cjMNCSbfeqY3jhn84aX6ZHX9Gv5OZPmx4Xe1uKA/s1600/14188101_10206402694620356_8544417535128244742_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLdb-NEbxNufTOMMT_jpi6xUWzwJQEMcepiDnHr8IsASnlIvp5o4OXkqnCBbRCwpByDn2fxU2ov7Guk0_CnLRIl3Ce_xzA5MF3P53cjMNCSbfeqY3jhn84aX6ZHX9Gv5OZPmx4Xe1uKA/s320/14188101_10206402694620356_8544417535128244742_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Dank u wel! Tot Ziens! Wortel! Blauw!<o:p></o:p></div>
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(You can thank me later for the free Dutch lesson)<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-17571145087883727602016-07-11T04:07:00.002-07:002016-07-11T04:07:57.755-07:00Remember: This stressful moment will become a chapter of your Memoirs. Not all is lost.<div class="MsoNormal">
My dear, dear dearest fellow students: The day that was set
upon the Gods for us to exteriorize our valuable and treasured knowledge in the
form of a digital document has finally become part of the past that is set on
stone. In other words, chances are, that most of you already submitted your
thesis, and now life seems to have gained new colours and challenges… like
holidays.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdBdDux6Kdmq9ggz238myDtvW6KmXSRa4rsg3Jz2wuKvNfknj1fZJD7m60sf08e-TfaSYPGPdnxpyGlrJZRNzBj6gYuUDNVFYV2EAJPgk8drCNdnXXU9J1s9E4_39Z_Brv_hs2iPxdk0/s1600/20160307_111840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdBdDux6Kdmq9ggz238myDtvW6KmXSRa4rsg3Jz2wuKvNfknj1fZJD7m60sf08e-TfaSYPGPdnxpyGlrJZRNzBj6gYuUDNVFYV2EAJPgk8drCNdnXXU9J1s9E4_39Z_Brv_hs2iPxdk0/s320/20160307_111840.jpg" width="320" /></a>A great number of international students have travelled back
to their countries, in order to gain some weight with the so called ‘homely
calories’ that only your local food can accomplish. For the rest of us who ‘stayed’
behind, there are a few options to consider: Either booking a flight in order
to meet up with our forgotten friend (the sun), or enjoy our Netherlands as it
is, and relaxing our stressed nerves. I have been craving for a book to read
that did not include the words ‘securitisation’ or ‘telecommunications’, but of
course this did not happen, as I have enrolled in Summer School, in order to
get more background on European Law. What was I thinking? The enrichment of my
education? Or glory and power perhaps? I will remain silent on this subject,
and leave the door open for any kind of speculation on your behalf.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBe2-8bnA4C0rn6Nq73mDpfiKQtaZoUCB5h6eiEmf6wdojlkB5j7fb9R7Vq18GGNraCzpNJl2Nz6gAmoIYK6d850JMe4-TAFFr0PF1XwnVKx02b4EZ62LMakjh0bTg19PRdDD9U9-HLE/s1600/20160421_133457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBe2-8bnA4C0rn6Nq73mDpfiKQtaZoUCB5h6eiEmf6wdojlkB5j7fb9R7Vq18GGNraCzpNJl2Nz6gAmoIYK6d850JMe4-TAFFr0PF1XwnVKx02b4EZ62LMakjh0bTg19PRdDD9U9-HLE/s320/20160421_133457.jpg" width="320" /></a>A general conclusion I can make from this course is that it
provided me with guidance, not only in the topics of the courses, but on my
professional career. As I finished my bachelor back in Argentina, I was a bit
worried-and what I really mean is scared-of what will become of me as a
professional. I have had training in almost all the subjects of law-from civil
to navigation and aeronautical-but I just could not find my way on regards of a
proper specialization. As the classes of Corporate Governance passed by I developed
an interest-derived by curiosity- on how undertakings interact within their internal
and external organisation. However, the ground breaking subject for me was
regulation: I found my field of interest though this Master, and for that I
will be forever grateful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrqDF59tYbmRSeKS1GvgJ3iyqYuLgA0qz9XYLZoQHa4AeiHFtKlEKK1JwihcUhvOr1xMANZEfYXpjN3uWcwvoi8kZQkgbG8XJJRnmDlOnMMahLMHsoai_p-Db0DXZhEJ6VgAtpdd7iC8/s1600/20160701_192052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrqDF59tYbmRSeKS1GvgJ3iyqYuLgA0qz9XYLZoQHa4AeiHFtKlEKK1JwihcUhvOr1xMANZEfYXpjN3uWcwvoi8kZQkgbG8XJJRnmDlOnMMahLMHsoai_p-Db0DXZhEJ6VgAtpdd7iC8/s320/20160701_192052.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I am aware that some will agree (?)…and other will consider
it not to be their cup of tea, but in this differences is where true beauty
lies. Bottom line is, whatever you do-study or work-always seek to find the
added value of it: No matter how bad your experience or how difficult it
became: You might not know better, but just a<i> little</i> bit more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PS: As I walked in Schipol I realised that NO, I have not yet tried Haring, but in this holidays you are all welcome to do so.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-38602439354283034232016-06-07T14:36:00.000-07:002016-06-07T14:38:01.883-07:00Hey I just met you...and this is crazy,but here is my draft, so call me maybe? No, seriously I need feedback.<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A small step for students, a great step
for the final version of our thesis...between yesterday and today we have
submitted our draft, and I must say...though relieved, there is still some work
to do, at least in my case. My thesis as it is lacks introductions and final
conclusion, and a paragraph or two in each chapter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am no expert in this topic, and this
is my first thesis, but let me tell you a bit about my experience, maybe it
could help some of you, and for the rest who have their thesis almost
ready-have mercy. As I started writing I kept having the feeling that I was
typewriting in the oldest machine ever-scratch that-I meant I felt as if I was
typing in those old typing machines while biking uphill...too much? Well you
get the idea. As I noticed my spirit running low I decided I would write my
chapters separately, in different documents: So I had 4 documents plus
bibliography-which I forced myself to complete every time I used a text instead
of waiting for the very end. The reason behind this is because if I wrote a
single document then the pages were somehow harder to fill, but when I opened a
new document, it was easier to write 3 or 4 pages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is no need to say it: Writing in
this fashion could cause problems with consistency and harmony between
chapters, but I prioritized my 'student vitality' because consistency can be
solved by re-reading and editing, since you wrote it, you<i> should</i> be
able to bind those ideas together. But if you lack energy and spirit, then that
can become a much bigger problem. After all, each find their way to 'stay
alive'-the Bee Gees style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Of course I would like my brain to
function in a more orderly fashion, but I am a rebel with a cause, and as such,
here is my humble advice: Do whatever method <i>you</i> find useful,
do not force yourself because a book or someone says this is the correct way.
Continuing that train of thought, you do not even have to listen to me, write
in the park, during the night, at 3pm, with music, no music, 20 hours concert
of Bieber, death metal, you name it... just keep writing. Discuss your ideas
with someone, it makes your head think clearly...feedback is crucial! Whereas
it is from your supervisor or a friend, talk your thesis away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, as I finished work today I was
happy that a huge step was over, and as I took the train back home I thought
I deserved something special... a treat. That is why, dear students, I did what
any other student in the world would have done: I went home and made meatballs. Because…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhe-DYKmV-5Wm0X_y72yZ9BVnFVLYKtEwzbuypQIJ5KWEtGYnP-L_oRSzPBBDx_7NQjy1CNtqLOhfeThuwx-yJYQ5U3bdJvD1ljWtmTNDQ6__F7-jz0-SO-soK5R1OnCDT3giLe8fFpHQ/s1600/20160607_222745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhe-DYKmV-5Wm0X_y72yZ9BVnFVLYKtEwzbuypQIJ5KWEtGYnP-L_oRSzPBBDx_7NQjy1CNtqLOhfeThuwx-yJYQ5U3bdJvD1ljWtmTNDQ6__F7-jz0-SO-soK5R1OnCDT3giLe8fFpHQ/s320/20160607_222745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>Today is the day,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>What better day than today,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>To deliver your draft, and make some meatballs,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>Because, what better day than today,<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>And what better meal than spaghetti with home-made meatballs.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-30542348996909628372016-05-27T04:28:00.001-07:002016-05-27T04:28:26.995-07:00Hello...it's me..I am sorry for the delay in my post but, as you might know, I am in the middle of my thesis writing and two jobs at the moment, so there is a chance that I might collapse or turn into a unicorn, no one knows.<br />
<br />
First things first, I do not recommend students to take up numerous jobs, but I happen to find that part-time jobs, even if they narrow your free time, it is a way to canalize your focus and energy. A good and usual job for students is being a waiter/waitress in a restaurant during the weekends, and even if you do not speak dutch fluently, you can always try Amsterdam: It is 30 min away by train and during the summer they are desperate for people who can speak not only English, so your mother tongue might become handy.<br />
<br />
Regarding my thesis, well, I feel things are starting to adopt a more coherent shape, and after our second peer group meeting I could include a different input on my topic. The problem with my subject is that when you are studying and reading about a certain regulatory approach most likely you will come across with political and social issues that-though interesting-are not part of the topic itself.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned before, this is the first time I am writing a thesis, so I still find it like a new adventure. Personally, I took a paper I wrote for the subject Regulation and Supervision of Markets and used it as a guide-as I was quite contempt with its structure. This was a real lucky shot, as I found it less stressful to write something knowing <i>where</i> I wanted to go. Pretty quickly a conclusion was made: Structure is 80% of your thesis.<br />
<br />
As from WHERE do I write my thesis...well it really depends.. it could be on the train, but only if you already know what are you going to write-as I would not trust 100% on the 'internet in the train' from NS: I think it does smell fear, as when you actually need it, it becomes super slow-but allows you to browse through Facebook quite easily. Cafés and trains are nice, buy my personal favorite is the cool, dark (don't get me wrong, I am only talking about the colour of the walls, there is plenty of light to read with) library in the Uithof. You just gotta love a place where you can take your shoes off and not be lynched by it.<br />
<br />
Dear students (almost graduates!yay!) see you soon, make sure you are wearing matching and unbroken socks.<br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-35943946149728033942016-04-27T01:18:00.003-07:002016-04-27T01:18:40.805-07:00Carrots, thesis and things like that.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As always in every student’s life, there are moments where
nothing happens, or everything happens at the same time. I like to think I am
more in the second type, as the past few days have been extremely busy. Today is King’s Day, and I have all my orange t-shirt prepared… you might need to add
a scarf, a sweater and maybe a hat, as it is going to be the coldest Koningsdag
in years. I will let you know later what adventures did I live on this day...<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPqUjQHrw0t0U0PDzBDFeEEhZCuOSu5C0skHA4spSFJ81MvunGU0jOht178cPv84wFGws9bT0UGCleA6Jmm8C8pUu4WpEThrEFhHty-9kRNMXtCyfgeffQKs0UTOpq2YgEGJLVruOBk8/s1600/20160420_204653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPqUjQHrw0t0U0PDzBDFeEEhZCuOSu5C0skHA4spSFJ81MvunGU0jOht178cPv84wFGws9bT0UGCleA6Jmm8C8pUu4WpEThrEFhHty-9kRNMXtCyfgeffQKs0UTOpq2YgEGJLVruOBk8/s320/20160420_204653.jpg" width="180" /></a>To start with, we finished all of our exams. That is a
statement on its own, but this was a special exam. Our last subject to be
tested was Independent Regulators, and there was a mix of nervousness and
melancholy, as many of the students are going back to their home countries to
spend time with family and write their thesis. The day before the exam, I was
studying in the library at the Uithof, and as I waked back through the black
silent shelves, something caught my eye…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Once seen it cannot be unseen, and so I left the library
with a sense of confidence, because I knew nothing will be the same after
‘tomorrow’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Soon after the exam another thought crossed my mind: We had
planned a month ago a trip to London, and I have completely forgot about it,
because of the early planning. The idea of the trip started as a visit to the
FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), and then slowly extended to the weekend.
Some of us took a plane on Saturday and were there until Monday. It was my first
time in England, and with this excellent company, it was very hard to have a
bad time. After walking around this huge city, on Monday we had a very interesting talk with some of the members of
this authority, and it was very insightful as we managed to see things from a
different perspective, as they work in a different legal system, separate from
the EU.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On our thesis corner, I am planning to write (at least most
of) my fist chapter, in an attempt to speed things up, as it would be nice to
have some free days until I present my first draft…but first I need to earn it.
A regulator would call it a ‘stick and carrot’ approach. Never underestimate
your Master knowledge. Another good advice I can give the people that will enrol for this study or another is that once you know your thesis subject, or at least an idea of it, write your last papers about it. In other words, explore your idea, writing 10 pages of it can help you see more clearly how can it develop.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOXyKaxDvH6WAKKWBor6kExCs2RrgPv-Ds8I1WmDbX38vh4F7N9mHssOL3IJVGtoLPw8dIVkZC2SbvcjzPvl_2Dx_umBkJclmCrba2PFgvuNmcSPisAUNMw-F4clv4YVYG-Yo43Gu354/s1600/20160425_134729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOXyKaxDvH6WAKKWBor6kExCs2RrgPv-Ds8I1WmDbX38vh4F7N9mHssOL3IJVGtoLPw8dIVkZC2SbvcjzPvl_2Dx_umBkJclmCrba2PFgvuNmcSPisAUNMw-F4clv4YVYG-Yo43Gu354/s400/20160425_134729.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I must say, I will miss seeing my classmates every week. I knew this was going to be a tough year, but thanks to this fantastic people, it
has been an amazing ride.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-38037598292085579692016-04-05T01:56:00.001-07:002016-04-05T01:56:29.749-07:00Reflections & Conclusions: Being epic is the answer.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2Upw-6ZHta_fcRoy1ITE7P-l_M-7Eis7i2ioVDrAGRaEhbr6roU-F9Y2lqFJ_RvvhzOCYlpkyVqZX04XDWPj7Iw_Jw1C1_TGSJzhGXoEYHhCEnr12m2AVtvhQZaH90HUndkAAXtNTzU/s1600/20160329_124759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2Upw-6ZHta_fcRoy1ITE7P-l_M-7Eis7i2ioVDrAGRaEhbr6roU-F9Y2lqFJ_RvvhzOCYlpkyVqZX04XDWPj7Iw_Jw1C1_TGSJzhGXoEYHhCEnr12m2AVtvhQZaH90HUndkAAXtNTzU/s320/20160329_124759.jpg" width="180" /></a> Last week was our University’s birthday,
and I like to think that all throughout this 380 years of history, students
have not changed that much. I mean, sure, 200 years ago there was no social
media and so many distractions, but I bet they found ways to stress and worry
about their future. And procrastinate about their thesis. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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On a ‘personal history’ note,
this past 2<sup>nd</sup> of April I celebrated my Dutch birthday, it has
already been a year since I am here. Of course I have had a weekend of mixed emotions
due to this, and I have been thinking about myself when I first arrived to the
Netherlands. Much has happened after that day, in which my mum (and my cat) and
I were standing at Schiphol airport waiting for the luggage. I am happy to say
I feel completely different, and a big part of that change is due to Utrecht
University. It was here were I had to come across lectures and seminars in a
different language, writing essays (which I haven’t done in years!) and getting
to know this large (and tall) group of humans that surrounded me. I am beyond
happy about this experience, especially because of all this people who came from completely
different parts of the world, somehow we got together and happened to have many
things in common. I have found friends 12.706km away from home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWETuq8XUoHs5bNLrt2EbBxUfmUFlReG40fuAxmLVEjeu-XGAC-hWLTkJkArXqp2d_UHiBEXwXgMoYI5FBgDnk-sFZI_Wl0qU3F2-s17zPIHsWrvlwtXXLdIGTV_wj4JOh2ttBgCHm3zs/s1600/20160404_085602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWETuq8XUoHs5bNLrt2EbBxUfmUFlReG40fuAxmLVEjeu-XGAC-hWLTkJkArXqp2d_UHiBEXwXgMoYI5FBgDnk-sFZI_Wl0qU3F2-s17zPIHsWrvlwtXXLdIGTV_wj4JOh2ttBgCHm3zs/s320/20160404_085602.jpg" width="180" /></a> There are many things I can say
about this year in the Netherlands. Never have I ever thought I could feel
comfortable in such a different culture. Somehow I believe this country awards
you with a great gift when you decide to live in it: The opportunity to be
free. This is one of the aspects of Dutch culture which I enjoy the most: You
are free from labels, as people here hardly care about what and who do you
decide to be, as they do not expect you to be anything but yourself. The key to
this freedom is eloquently stated in their favourite means of transportation:
LE BIKE. This element provides with the solution for traffic and public transportation,
but it becomes more, as you no longer are a ‘waiting’ person, but a ‘doer’ when
you hop on your bike and manage your speed, your style and your time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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What is more, yesterday was my
last lecture of the Master, and I can hardly believe it has gone so fast. Two
finals and one thesis to go. I hope I can write my final version of the outline
by the end of this week, so at least I know how I am going to address my topic.
Last but not least, this is the 100<sup>th</sup> post of the University blog,
and I am honoured to have the chance to write it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Remember: Once a student, always a student. No one can take
this experience away from you. Make it valuable. Make it epic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-86534124799694613532016-03-23T04:31:00.004-07:002016-03-23T04:31:46.288-07:00Stress, plan, relax, write. Repeat.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Well hello there, fancy seeing you again! I was not only out
of the blogging world but also the real world, as I was so sick my face told
unspoken words to people. Meaning, I had the kind of sickness that makes people
put ‘that’ face, like you were a lost puppy that was somehow attending to a
Regulation and Supervision of Markets lecture. Anyway, 4 days in bed a bit of
cough on a side will not stop me from this Master.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uroRSiYRtb0HBztNbKjs4gTYzSj6ZjzDmiLsCK8EoQFEt7N674zlUzs6QtuPVoBSBxXr5VNHQ3wqVxC_eC0bTtucvLY7lg-2d3Rz8tLVpFwGe0_QNHE81LP39fuK25FMAz9uLu7Rzn8/s1600/20160313_152633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uroRSiYRtb0HBztNbKjs4gTYzSj6ZjzDmiLsCK8EoQFEt7N674zlUzs6QtuPVoBSBxXr5VNHQ3wqVxC_eC0bTtucvLY7lg-2d3Rz8tLVpFwGe0_QNHE81LP39fuK25FMAz9uLu7Rzn8/s320/20160313_152633.jpg" width="180" /></a>I have been experiencing a bit of anxiety as I submitted my
draft for my last paper last Friday, as emptiness is somehow very present in
our lives. In other words, we are running out of excuses for starting to write
the thesis. Ideally, we should be writing something this week or the next, just
a few lines, to get that feeling that we are moving forward. Planning is very
important, it is just like a gym routine, we will not get results unless we
actually start doing it. Truth is, writing is not such a big burden, as we have
been writing 10 pages for essays, and if we divide it and write 3 pages per ‘writing
day’ then it’s around 12 days (ROUGHLY ).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many have started to think what to do after we finish, whether
it’s looking for work or internship here in the Netherlands or in your home
countries, I’m very confident despite all the stress and thinking, you will all
find your way, everything will be FINE! So as I have told you many times
before, enjoy this months, enjoy this people that you see, because even though
we have made friends, not all are going to live here after we finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkg4piNiTq_gnf4PYk1mz60kFwj112h_q4Syah37JiMCDz7j4KHAEYMpIN8-v8siePc2TZzFb02uvN9ufTVFc2E6mxDx2hRqvG6htYcDAjsd12oK-DaN74PJhJ-_nllgpoKFBC9_ZHrU/s1600/20160320_150135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQkg4piNiTq_gnf4PYk1mz60kFwj112h_q4Syah37JiMCDz7j4KHAEYMpIN8-v8siePc2TZzFb02uvN9ufTVFc2E6mxDx2hRqvG6htYcDAjsd12oK-DaN74PJhJ-_nllgpoKFBC9_ZHrU/s320/20160320_150135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What I like the most about the Master is the information
available for us. What I mean is, there a lot of visits, and guest speakers
from different organisations, such as the ACM, AFM, or from the private sector.
For a person that had no information regarding the functioning of the EU, this
has been very enlightening. These shows me how this institutions work, and it
can give you an idea on where you would like to work, given that I am not a fan
of law firms, it certainly posted an alternative.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">One advice from student to student: When you are sending a
paper, do not forget to attach the file. I think that is the most valuable
thing I can add now. Tot laterz</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-62256293554722344082016-03-11T05:18:00.000-08:002016-03-11T05:18:12.101-08:00Napoleonic problems: Little people with big ideas.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hello there! I hope you are enjoying (Yes, I actually believe it is possible) this last
weeks of the Master. Trust me, one day you will look back and think those were
the good old days. But since we are living now, I am guessing nostalgia has not really
kicked in just yet…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz6wjDRaNRv83h8OnzuWhyl6fGu-myK_TTHmzFkMfJYZ7Zzskp7sO5_L9iyerZ7DL7mofXhD2zYKGgYDSQJYTHFzIr_awCw42yztX1OOainR87X1puzcw_Zdg4X5ifzktZYO0bbB4b_Q/s1600/20160307_170316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAz6wjDRaNRv83h8OnzuWhyl6fGu-myK_TTHmzFkMfJYZ7Zzskp7sO5_L9iyerZ7DL7mofXhD2zYKGgYDSQJYTHFzIr_awCw42yztX1OOainR87X1puzcw_Zdg4X5ifzktZYO0bbB4b_Q/s320/20160307_170316.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Either way, on the 'News Corner' I am happy to announce that one group
paper and one presentation has gone by, and even though there are some
adjustments to be done, we can say we are almost done. Next week we hand in
another draft for our second subject, and really the anxiety is in the air, as
many of us are thinking when exactly am I going to write my thesis? Should I
wait to the semester is over? Past the exams? Could I do it in a month? Who am
I?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After having my first peer group meeting I have come to one
conclusion: We are all in this together, and we are all fighting little battle. Each have a different style and
approach to their topics, so, this is why I have elaborated some ‘characters’ in my mind
that portray the different stages and situations in which students may be going
through. Personally, I suffer what I like to call ‘Alexander the Great problem’: I have a
good idea, but it can become too broad, and if I am not careful I could even become queen of Persia, Babylon and Asia. There are also <o:p></o:p>Bohr and Rutherford problems: Maybe you have a very specific
topic, (perhaps you want to provide a different interpretation or
definition) When this happens, working with details can be exhausting and confusing,
so why don’t you step a few steps back when you feel lost? Sometimes getting
the whole picture can help finding your way.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpvavSC4OiF_TZTRMBF_onE0GdT-z_u_O7AIMyPMhVK3l666vB1VMeD328Gbxf5Yde_n0SH_H3JQ-q2dpQXyTewWgovi7z0YtArDhUcno9aOyqD_Glmy6LyfDczvuN4KotHl9AAov01o/s1600/20160303_170831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpvavSC4OiF_TZTRMBF_onE0GdT-z_u_O7AIMyPMhVK3l666vB1VMeD328Gbxf5Yde_n0SH_H3JQ-q2dpQXyTewWgovi7z0YtArDhUcno9aOyqD_Glmy6LyfDczvuN4KotHl9AAov01o/s320/20160303_170831.jpg" width="180" /></a>Of course, we are all going through a Darwinian struggle: Only the fittest of ideas will survive. This is exactly what we should be doing with our thoughts, put them on a test: Write them down, compare them, analyse their strengths<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 19.26px;"> </span></span>and weaknesses, stretch them, narrow them and then choose your way into your topic. Peer groups are a very good idea, by now you know your classmates well enough, and you know who can you work with better, so consult with each other, get opinions, help each other. Be the Beatles before Yoko.<br />
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All you need is a thesis, and pass your exams. Sun is shining. This small grain of sand in the universe will say good bye (for now).</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-70750033796436315442016-02-29T07:32:00.002-08:002016-02-29T07:32:54.538-08:00The day that exists every four years: Because 365 days is so last year.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today is a special day, not only did we have a “break” in
the Law department, but also Leo finally got his Oscar. This story proves that
after hard work always comes a reward. In our case (hopefully) it will be our corrected
Thesis and our Master Degree (although I always secretly wish to win an Oscar
one day).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jEoLvrCr0yFRcqt95yv3bsJAKLjh7jJY-5kZZNkFJ2iCINmaL1yUP6h3grHhd8ZAwNDvoQFotcYS2xs8JinkwD21hj4B9ExXCzgPnVINUXJEVeuO8Vdys8iu5W6DV8jE_o4wHoaM_CM/s1600/20959296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jEoLvrCr0yFRcqt95yv3bsJAKLjh7jJY-5kZZNkFJ2iCINmaL1yUP6h3grHhd8ZAwNDvoQFotcYS2xs8JinkwD21hj4B9ExXCzgPnVINUXJEVeuO8Vdys8iu5W6DV8jE_o4wHoaM_CM/s200/20959296.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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So, what have you and I been up to? Between research
proposals, and reading, again, my heart was broken for the attempt of snow, but
none of that matters, as tomorrow Lente is here. I know you must be surprised
as my level of Dutch is getting better by the minute, I feel like a 3 year old
saying (and repeating) random words such as Lente, schoen (shoe), vliegtuig
(plane), and many many more. Anyway, I feel the end is coming, as the task list
is becoming shorter, we are only 2 papers, one presentation, two exams and a
Thesis to go. It’s really not that much is it?</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGUBpna8zexNKiurSAyIgAtqY0PV1eDeyr8PS_l16WgqKuLFyeLhGcVtHyaFHTr6C7qw47V0vsolj1qCRJwOzsC76Hp1DGhdYzLYRR_mPvP0DN-1Ib2FAF7n044HiarBJfOQmpBwCu3M/s1600/20160228_150300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGUBpna8zexNKiurSAyIgAtqY0PV1eDeyr8PS_l16WgqKuLFyeLhGcVtHyaFHTr6C7qw47V0vsolj1qCRJwOzsC76Hp1DGhdYzLYRR_mPvP0DN-1Ib2FAF7n044HiarBJfOQmpBwCu3M/s320/20160228_150300.jpg" width="179" /></a>I’m very happy and excited that I had a meeting with my
supervisor, presented a research proposal and had feedback for my topic. As I
think I mentioned in the previous post, I completely changed my subject and I
will focus on regulation in developing countries, by doing a comparative
approach with the EU. Since this is probably too broad, I decided to narrow it
down to the banking sector. My idea is to find out whether the regulation in
this sector is appropriate, meaning if the approach taken by the regulators is
the most effective (in an economic and legal aspect). Honestly, I can’t wait to
start writing my thesis, but first things first… the two last subjects have to
be passed before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<span style="text-align: justify;">I suffer what many students have suffered before, and that
is a too broad research question. I know I can narrow it down as soon as I
start doing research and reading more about my topic. I think not having
written a thesis before is my greatest strength and my curse. Since I don’t know
the process I do not fear it or dread the moment I have to do it, I am looking
forward to it because I see it as a challenge. And by now, we all know this
challenge is accepted.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So, let’s celebrate… by reading. I’m very sure we can do this 4 months with grace and elegance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641207365391940829.post-35868321109972278382016-02-15T13:08:00.001-08:002016-02-15T13:08:21.782-08:00What to expect when we are NOT expecting.<br />
I will not address the subject that we almost (almost) got snow yesterday. I promised in the past (last week) I would not give in to hope. Nevertheless, I will attach a meme for the moments when I identify volatile snow in the air.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2F6PE04_wgZ-h48FnL1cqW-eNUG015Ond7ifmAG5hFE0Q3HNoJs_mZhamVQIHnABX0CX_WplPXOc1JhUZYfIs3UKZkRFClwZWQmptYv71NziT98EwWx4vmGyxo1R0GnCAKQ8fIi8Qbs/s1600/20733726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2F6PE04_wgZ-h48FnL1cqW-eNUG015Ond7ifmAG5hFE0Q3HNoJs_mZhamVQIHnABX0CX_WplPXOc1JhUZYfIs3UKZkRFClwZWQmptYv71NziT98EwWx4vmGyxo1R0GnCAKQ8fIi8Qbs/s200/20733726.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Either way, I feel a bit odd this last semester as the two subjects we have are quite different from what we are used to, at least in the structure of the courses. For example, in Independent Regulators, Regulation and Accountability not only we have a research paper and group presentation but also receive an opposing view from our classmates. I have never experienced something like that in a presentation, since usually interactions among students are quite rare. Furthermore, in Regulation and Supervision of Markets, we have a similar approach, but with one twist: The oral presentations will consist in providing feedback on a paper of a fellow classmate. Certainly different approach, I am a bit curious about the outcome.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3zQsVPE-JhBWA6GbSkH-2QtZujtthTY10Q42p3ZUPyKbLzN7Mhhn0kAXMEk32TYpOSdq9CNSe1EBfJOPlUsC1_on1r4CZHmhqZVuHSLFa9l2i1p-lzQp03Mt4aYDF6AiN2O0lYMaIao/s1600/20735329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3zQsVPE-JhBWA6GbSkH-2QtZujtthTY10Q42p3ZUPyKbLzN7Mhhn0kAXMEk32TYpOSdq9CNSe1EBfJOPlUsC1_on1r4CZHmhqZVuHSLFa9l2i1p-lzQp03Mt4aYDF6AiN2O0lYMaIao/s200/20735329.jpg" width="200" /></a>Speaking of presentations, dear classmates, do look at your peers, look at them carefully, because this are the last group projects we are going to do. It is funny how we managed to know each other in this past few months, and I was lucky enough to always work with different people every time. I am not sad, but thankful for all this time. Take a closer look at that good friend we all made, all those moments that we needed it, it was there, asking almost nothing for our company... the coffee vending machine, our ally in moments of distress.<br />
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On the Thesis corner, we must also mention something about peer groups. Last week we received a list in which we are divided in groups of 5 or 6 people, that alongside our supervisors will help us work on our thesis in a more efficient way. I think the reason behind this is to make the writing more amiable and dynamic. Without a proper incentive and feedback, students might get a bit stressed or frustrated. I'm having a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow, so I can start discussing how can my topic be addressed.<br />
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Short reflection: Lets enjoy and try to give our best (as always). We have come this far, we are almost in the finish line.<br />
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