Thursday, December 8, 2016

Workload meets New York

The LLM is work. Much work. If you take the program seriously, it is. And if exams are approaching, as they are now, it definitely is. (Admittedly, maybe my fellow students who have law firm experience disagree mildly smiling on this greenhorn view…) Pages over pages of readings, you will do as you fear ‘cold calls’ or because you just find it earnestly interesting, may overwhelm you. Weekly discussion papers, or seminar papers require you to spend your most of your time in the library. Taking a look in the syllabus may sometimes hurt – or cast doubt if your professor really is serious. Does he really want us to read that for the next week? You want a sneak preview? Here you will get an absolutely unique chance to see an excerpt from our American Constitutional Law syllabus for our two last sessions:

Slavery and Race.     BLBAS 255-301, 347-72, 405-44, 1093-1152, 1161-1180, 1231-1335; ACAB, Chapters 7, 10; LOTL, Chapter 5



Believe me, there will be times, in which you forget that you are in New York New York. It seems far away.

But: it is not. What is better than relaxing in New York? What is better than emerging from the Columbia, working, thinking bubble in New York? New York, the place, where there is nothing, you cannot do.


Often I am asked why I chose Columbia. It was a difficult choice. There are many answers. But one reason, which I think you realize only when you are there is that you can combine both: studying hard, learning a lot, being challenged by the best of the best, losing yourself in the system of thoughts called law and experiencing life’s richness and diversity.


This blog is featured on LLM GUIDE, a global, online community for prospective LL.M. students, and a directory of programs offered worldwide.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!


So American! Unfortunately, I missed the Thanksgiving parade in New York. I have made my way taking the super comfortable Greyhound Bus (ok, maybe irony here) to Boston to celebrate Thanksgiving in an American family. But, the Turkey, the pies, the Thanksgiving walk, the Thanksgiving football game, the Thanksgiving mood all over the place – all this was definitely worth missing the parade, which I however of course watched on TV, I believe. So if you have the chance to celebrate with Americans – take it! And if you don’t have it – of course, Columbia Law School community can compensate for that: in Lenfest Hall, there is a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!







And now, please excuse my only brief report: I could explain now that you should make the experience yourself...But the real reason is: Black Friday is waiting…


This blog is featured on LLM GUIDE, a global, online community for prospective LL.M. students, and a directory of programs offered worldwide.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Campus

It is somehow funny, but true: all in all, travel time is less than in Germany. I spend less time in the subway than in Germany. The reason: Columbia is a Campus University. Everything you need is within walking distance.
I did not have this in mind when I applied, but in the retrospective, this might have been a strong additional argument to choose Columbia. It is just comfortable to sleep until 10 minutes before class starts. It is just convenient to be able to fetch a book you forgot. But this is not it. Everything is nearby: the dodge fitness center, the swimming pool, the squash courts, the book store, libraries, the law school, music practice rooms, university housing or other university buildings where you can broaden your (legal) horizon be it in the business school or SIPA, just to mention two examples. Columbia Law School is basically in the center. Restaurants, supermarkets, or bars are also not to far. It is indeed possible to survive here without walking more than 5 minutes. And for friends of nature, team sports (and dogs), Central Park, Morningside Park and Riverside Park are 15 minutes walk away – at most. There are not only dog playgrounds, but also wonderful soccer fields, tennis courts, running tracks, outside squash courts, baseball fields waiting for ambitious hobby athletes. What sounds like an euphemistic advertisement for an apartment, is true.


You may call this ‘Columbia Bubble’. It is not New York downtown. Life is busy, students are hurrying to their lectures. But it is calmer. It is not as breath-taking and hectic. But it is still New York. New York, with its thousand faces: ‘Columbia Bubble’ is a calm part. And if you miss the hectic, crazy life: it is at sight. And if this is not enough: it takes just 14 minutes subway-ride to Times Square.




This blog is featured on LLM GUIDE, a global, online community for prospective LL.M. students, and a directory of programs offered worldwide.

Friday, November 11, 2016

A week of history in New York

On Tuesday, the American people has spoken. The outcome has been received very differently throughout the country. I do not want to add to the countless comments on the election. But how did it feel to be in New York, at the heart of the grand final?


Do you know these days, which seemingly never end? On which you basically spend your time waiting and waiting and waiting? On which you are checking your watch every 5 minutes, to realize that only 5 minutes have passed? On which you learn what eternity must feel like? Well, that day I checked my watch often. Very often.
Election day started early for me. Triathlon swim training at 6 am. But already there, you could feel that it was going to be a special day. Tension was in the air and water. The election was at the center of every conversation. And this should not change the entire day and night – and not even the entire following week. Classes were taking place. Yet, most of them were recorded, acknowledging that many students were participating in voter protection or otherwise engaged in the election process. Hence, law school was somehow lifeless, not as busy as usual; rather a ghost-town.

Speaking of ghost-town, finally, when classes ended (early – the professor had an important appointment – who knows what…) at 6 pm, we headed downtown. Downtown, where both candidates were holding their election parties less than two miles apart from another. New York, normally known for its busy and hectic traffic, seemed almost like a normal city. True, there was probably still as much traffic as in a normal city during rush hour. But that traffic is probably attributable to the fact that the Rangers were playing (who went to watch ice hockey on this unique night???). But compared to New York standards, it was calm and quiet. Calm and quiet, but electric. You could basically feel the excitement in the air. It was everywhere, despite the lack of the usual crowd. On our way downtown, we were asked multiple times whether we have casted our vote.

Our first stop was the block party in front of Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which was hermetically cordoned by the police and hidden behind several rows of heavy, sand filled dump trucks, provideding protective barriers. Having passed a one-hour labyrinth trough various security checks, we soon learned that the huge crowd of hungry and nerve-wrecked Clinton-supporters had already bailed out the few overpriced food trucks and that there was only a single, but huge screen, with subtitles covering the most recent polls. The crowd was hence nervously checking the first results and polls on their mobiles – nervously skimming either New York Times’ live coverage or text messages from home (in my case Germany and UK!).

Since we were curious about how the rest of New Yorkers experienced the election, we decided to leave our super comfortable standing spot surrounded - that was by now surrounded by already less optimistic Hilary Clinton supporters – and to head further downtown. The streets were even more deserted than before. Arriving in one of the numerous bars, we realized where everyone was: inside, eating, drinking, cheering for every vote Hilary Clinton would win, for every State, which would turn blue on the TV screens. Soon however, as the night wore on, and as the map turned more and more into red, it became more and more quiet. Eyes turned more and more red as well. Tears. Silence. Shock. Frustration. Disbelief. Devastation. Angst. And still shock. Yes, New York – and this definitely proved true in the bar and everywhere else I went that night – was clearly in the hand of Democrats. No-one here had expected this outcome. And no-one here did like this outcome.
The subway-ride home was even ghostlier than our rides during the preceding hours. Only people wearing blue, wearing Hillary badges, were on the train. Silence. People were staring at their mobiles in disbelief. One man read the Tuesday morning newspaper - it seemed as if it would allow him to deny and ignore what had just become a new reality.

After stepping out of the subway, we passed College Walk on Columbia Campus. In almost every window, you could still see the flickering of TV screens. There had been still no concession speech. More than 200 Columbia students had gathered spontaneously at the heart of the Campus, protesting against the outcome, with chants such as “Fuck Trump”. The entire situation felt surreal. Just in this moment a friend texted me: "It's surreal."

The next morning. Unlike the sunny days before, a grey, rainy, depressing November day. Class. There was only one topic. THE Election. In Constitutional Law, our usually lively, energetic, enthusiastic, but now pensive, sad, and depressed professor dedicated his entire lesson to an ad-hoc hour-long comment on advantages and disadvantages of the American democratic system. The faculty had organized a joint breakfast, creating a space for informal discussions. Professors, staff members, students – it was a diverse group, who joint, seeking to understand what this exceptional night meant for America. Fears were bravely expressed. Thoughts on democracy and our fundamental values were exchanged. Many important and right words were found. And again, tears were running. It was a moment, in which you realized what it meant to have a school community. It was a moment, in which you realized what community means. Student organizations held similar events throughout the entire week.

On my way to dinner, back downtown. New York had already shaken of last night's ghostly paralysis. Shock, frustration and devastation have turned into anger. Anti-Trump protests were clogging the streets of Manhattan. People seemed almost relieved to loudly shout out their discontent with the president-elect. Again, this is New York.
Now, few days after election. Slowly, slowly, slowly normality returns. Of course, the election is still omnipresent, yet, with a slightly less emotional tone. A more rationally motivated search for answers and explanations has begun. And Columbia University lives up to its ideals and main function: providing a space for discourse and discussion. Everyone is becoming active. Everyone is getting involved. Even fun events, like Open Mic, are used to reflect together, to share experiences, thoughts and feelings about election night, and to revisit values of the American and the democratic societies.


On Tuesday, the American people has spoken. Now, the world discusses. New York discusses. University Columbia discusses. Is this what democracy feels like?

This blog is featured on LLM GUIDE, a global, online community for prospective LL.M. students, and a directory of programs offered worldwide.

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This blog is featured on LLM GUIDE, a global, online community for prospective LL.M. students, and a directory of programs offered worldwide.