The title may sound mind blowing and you may be wondering what on earth is Luciana talking about, but today along with about 15 other students i was formally inducted into the LLM programme at Essex.
As usual ms previous was early for the induction process which began at 905am but i got there at 8 25 am. This was for several reasons, one i was not sure where the place was and also i am just being me. When i got there i was ok, then i saw several persons streaming in, i started thinking about my LLB and the CLE and started feeling overwhelmed. I started to question if i really belong here and whether or not i can manage what is in store for me. I know i like to read but hearing that an LLM is demanding and after going through UWI and NMLS and the work world and i am wondering if i can really undertake this.
I quickly said a prayer and give myself a small box and said luciana get it together, you must have faith and it is too early for this.
I observed then my classmates, i realised i will be the only browning daughta in the class. There are two browning men and another who seem to have a mix of indian in him. I started to smile so that my face would look inviting. Although i came so early i ended up with a back seat because my usual bladder issues arose at the wrong time. Anyway i got a seat beside some nice people with varying backgrounds, apparently the class is not made up of even 70% attorneys. I am the only Caribbean national also. We have Canadians and Americans and some Latin American counterparts.
Now it was time for the welcome. We were given two big folders and a smaller folder with a million and one papers. In addition we were introduced to the course. Now they have changed the programme for the better they say but the work load is there and even more.
1. PIL is compulsory with an essay (2500 words)
2. Research Paper compulsary with an 6000 words essay and an unseen exam
3. You can choose two courses which also have 6000 words essay or unseen exams
after successfully passing that then you have the dissertation which is 15,000- 20,000 words ( a how much page that?)
anyway so far i realise that i will enjoy the courses because of previous knowledge as well as eagerness to learn those evolving areas I have been reading about day to day in the papers.
Additionally there is a course not compulsory called legal writing for masters students. It is really geared towards persons whose mother language is not english but i am still going to brush up on my well needed grammar. It lasts only for four days first class was today. It was like law and legal systems with a little bit of legal methods and research....LLB foundation courses that is.
Well i am now in my room, going to take a nap and then wake and do some housekeeping and start the ball a rolling by reviewing handouts and choosing my courses.
oh by the way as the class was about to begin we had a fire alarm so imagine that for a dramatic beginning. in terms of the weather the sky was nice and blue, but laud the cold a bite me
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2 comments:
Sounds like you are in for a real treat over there in jolly ole England. Just say thank God it is not as cold there as it gets here in good ole Canada.
well cousin... this seems like it is going to be a treat. I recall that I felt the same way when I started my LLM in Sept. 2007 but thank God I am over and done. I was the only Black person in the class also..at least you have 2 men! Not to worry all you have to do ins wow them and they will be quite amazed that we are good writers of english, that happened to me. BTW 15,000 words is about 50 pages so get ready for the writing. Also get ready for the 3pm nights for me that was the worst of all. I do not know if they told you about the library tours but get chummy with Lexis and Westlaw; that will help you to stay warm inside your rather than cold...and walking to the library.
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