GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE EXPERIENCE REPORT. Exchange semester: Spring 2015 Academic year: Host University: University of Connecticut

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1 GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE EXPERIENCE REPORT Exchange semester: Spring 2015 Academic year: Host University: University of Connecticut Country: USA I GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL The school looked very nice. Even though it was quite old it had a Hogwarts kind of look which was very nice (especially in the snow). The Law faculty is located outside the city in not that nice of a neighborhood. In the first week the police will come by to give you a safety instruction and it is a lot different than Tilburg. Plus sides are that you have a free gym on the faculty and there are plenty of bars etc in West Hartford which is a 5 minute Über drive. The exchange population is not huge (at least not in my semester) but they have a lot of foreign LLM students with whom you will mix. The locals are also very involved with the international population so more than enough social contacts. II PRACTICAL INFORMATION The information of the university was on time and there were no real troubles. The only issue is with ing in the US is that your visa takes a lot of time and is also quite expensive. Start the procedure about two moths approximately before you leave. When I arrived my landlord picked me up and in the coming days the faculty had some formal introduction planned. It was nothing like the TOP but with the other students you will be able to plan some fun stuff yourself. The housing was great for me but not for everyone. You have to sort it out yourself via a list that the faculty prepares and I had a great house without the landlord living there. A lot of students have a house with the landlord present. Which makes for not a great social environment. Usually mailing your contact person at the faculty helps a lot with finding a nice place. The US is quite expensive, but going to the aldi helps a lot and you should save up some money before you depart. I would mainly suggest that everybody spends their money on travelling like I did. You can also save loads by just copying the books in the library instead of buying them, the usually are priced for $ a piece. The academic calendar was pretty straightforward. You start in the second week of January and end around the end of May, furthermore you have your spring break at the beginning of April. You have a contact person there which is supposed to help you with all your issues. She was really helpful and always up to chat about your current or possible future problems. You try to promote TiU to the other students also because it would be nice if they would visit your home, but people usually already have their plans set. There was not a lot organized by the faculty and even though there are numerous student organizations they are especially for particular social groups (like the Jewish law society club or the Italian club etc.). You can get a lot of free lunches at their activities even if you are not part of the group they encourage you to come anyway. Personally I didn t have a huge culture shock but be aware of the fact that the US really has it s own customs and culture and is not just Europe times two. The people are a lot less direct than in the Netherlands but on the other hand they are a lot friendlier. You neighbors will always ask you if you need anything and if they can help you. The language was not an issue and all the courses are of course in English.

2 I think you get a great boost on your resume from your exchange and also that it is a great experience that everybody should have. III ACADEMIC INFORMATION I took the courses: - Refugee law - Corporate finance - Principles of Insurance - US law & legal institutions All great courses that I would recommend, especially Refugee law. Corporate finance had an amazing teacher which would take you out to lunch in his Tesla but I just didn t like the subject in retrospect so therefore not my favorite. The academic level is quite high but everyone passes their exams. Because of the way they teach you have to be prepared for every class which is a lot of effort. This does make sure that your exams are not that big of a deal. Because it is a common law system it was really case based teaching but you could also take your books to your exams. The professors are also very approachable. All the exams that I had were open book and we had all the resources we needed in the library. No public computers though. 1. Corporate finance 3 6 x Substitute course LLM This course covers the essentials of corporate finance for lawyers, including both quantitative and legal aspects. Topics may include the basics of finance (time value of money, risk and return, diversification), introductory accounting, valuation, corporate securities and capital structure, and some of the legal issues that affect different forms of financing. No familiarity with finance is assumed. The course does involve some arithmetic and elementary algebra. All arithmetic operations may be done with a calculator or spreadsheet program

3 2. Refugee Law 3 6 x Substitute course Undergraduate/LLM Millions of people worldwide are forced to flee their homes as a result of persecution, war, or other factors. This course will focus on legal responses to the problem of refugees, on both the international level and in United States law. The course will examine the development of international norms concerning the protection of refugees under the U.N Refugee Convention and Protocol and the Convention Against Torture, and consider in depth the laws and institutions that address claims for asylum and related forms of protection in the United States. The course will examine issues such as the legal standards for qualifying for refugee status, the challenges of assessing applicants' credibility, and the complex and controversial issues raised by the increasing numbers of refugees fleeing from gender-based harms (such as domestic violence, forced marriage, and female genital cutting) and gang violence. 3. US Law and Legal Institutions 2 4 x Substitute course

4 LLM This course focuses on the fundamental doctrinal, methodological and structural characteristics of the United States legal system. The approach will be comparative in nature and deal with selected topics drawn, inter alia, from constitutional law, the law of torts, contracts, civil procedure, and conflicts of law. American legal education, the judicial system, and the legal profession will be discussed as well. This course is only open to international LL.M. (Insurance and U.S. Legal Studies) and exchange students. 4. Principles of Insurance 3 6 x Substitute course Written Exam Undergraduate/ LLM This course is a of the legal principles applicable to the contract of insurance and to the state regulation of insurance. These principles are examined in the light of their institutional setting. Legal and non-legal material is utilized in this course. Topics studied include: formation of a contract; insurable interest; premiums; construction of life, property, accident, liability, and group contracts; concealments; warranties; conditions; exceptions; waiver; estoppel. This course also covers the propriety of federal regulation concentrating on the areas of national health care, no fault, and pension reform.

5 Concluding, definitely go on exchange and I would absolutely recommend the US. Make sure you save enough money because living is expensive!