Go Abroad in Law School!

By Afua Akoto

If you have the opportunity to go abroad during law school, do it. Immediately.

I am an avid proponent of studying abroad. In undergrad I went to England, South Africa and Botswana and truly enjoyed my experiences in each country. Coming to law school, I didn’t think that I would have the opportunity to study abroad. Needless to say, I have never been so glad to be wrong.

UConn has a number of programs you can choose from but factoring in potential language barriers and excluding places I’d already been; I chose Leiden University in the Netherlands. Leiden is a small Dutch town full of food markets, canals, and amazing people (all of whom speak English so there were never any language issues.)

The application process is not strenuous, it just takes time to work with UConn’s international and study abroad offices to make sure the right paperwork is filled out. Leiden will assist you with housing and guide you through the process of picking classes but a lot of the ownership is on you to book the necessary flights and set the proper schedule so that the credits and classes match up correctly. Law classes at Leiden are not taught using Socratic method like UConn law classes but you get the hang of it quickly enough.

Once all the boring technical stuff is taken care of, then comes the fun part. Leiden has a great international student program that organizes week-long orientations, day trips

throughout the Netherlands, and weekend trips throughout Europe (I chose the group trip to Prague). It’s a great way to make friends. I was able to meet people from Australia, Sweden, Italy, Cyprus, and the U.S.; all of whom I still keep in touch with today. Outside of the programs put on by the school, there are plenty of opportunities for travel. I studied abroad with another student from UConn Law and we went to Belgium, Germany, Italy, and England. With careful planning and a bit of an adventurous spirit, traveling is doable without breaking the bank.

Don’t get me wrong, not everything about studying abroad is great. There are periods of homesickness, cultural barriers can be daunting, and jetlag sucks. Yet, the good outweighs the bad; the key is to immerse yourself in the culture and allow yourself to have fun. Go to the markets and eat the seemingly disgusting raw fish (that’s where I drew the line honestly but the French fries with seasoned mayo are delicious and so are Stroopwafels), participate in local holidays (King’s Day is a fantastic day to be in the Netherlands), and attempt to speak the language (I learned Good Morning, Please, and Thank You). Trust me, the locals appreciate the effort and it makes the entire experience that much better. The more you take part in what goes on around you, the more amazing the study abroad experience becomes. In the end, you won’t even want to come home, and even if you do – you’ll spend a long time trying to figure out how to get back.