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Re: Durham LLM

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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Durham LLM
Fri Jun 17, 2005 04:33 PM
Hi there!

I received an offer of accomodation and wanted to ask if anybody else did so? If yes where?
Giovanni I guess you'll stay at howlands farm? My offer is for a room in Palatine House, that is my first preference.

Well needless to say I'll accept the offer, I just have to wait for the Occupancy Agreement to sign and return it...

cu-
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giovannig

Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 25
Re: Durham LLM
Sat Jun 18, 2005 04:04 PM
Hi Reinhard,

I didn't receive an offer yet. Yes my first choice was howlands.

Bye
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droid

Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
A close visit to Durham
Sun Jun 26, 2005 03:16 PM

Hello there !

For those of you who are asking about the city of Durham, I may enlighten you a little, since I have been there for a couple of days.

*This post describes the city of Durham only, and is written only by someone who has been there once. I would strongly advise you to conduct your own research.*

First of all keep in mind that Durham is indeed a small city, compared to Edinburgh and Manchester, although only 17mins by train from Newcastle, which is -as many friends of mine have described- one of the best cities for clubbing and having fun).

However, the marvellous landscape will compensate for the lack of a majir city's life. The river, the Cathedral and the bridges make Durham special and different from a big city. From another point of view, Durham is a major University, so, there is no possibility of getting bored or not having fun with all those students around.

The market is not small at all. You can find everything there, from marks&spencer to a CD&DVD store. I amd not an expert in shopping, however I think that the market is rather good.

As far as accomodation is concerned, I wandered throughout the city and I figured out that almost every big college is located to the lower places of the map (see the map provided at the University's website), surrounded by trees. If you like waking up in the nature, then this is a unique opportunuty !

As far as I know, Ustinov College is the place where all Postgraduates are offered accomodation in the first place. The main site is in Howlands Farm, to the bottom of the map. It is the most "distant" site 15 - 20 minutes walk from the LLM dpt. but only 7-10 from the central library. I put distant in quotes because if you live in a major city like I do, you would "kill" to get a place only 15mins walk from your job. For those who don't get thrilled with the idea, there is always the bus. (try to compare moving around London with this...)

At the time I got there there was much constuction going on at Howlands. Many new houses were built (just finished), whereas the older ones were brand new. I wouldn't prefer an old house, even if it was opposite of the Law dpt.

As far as nightlife is concerned I know nothing at all. I got early to bed, since I was dead tired from my flight & journey.
Oh yes ! Do not even think of travelling by train from London. Rail is far too expensive. Better land at Newcastle International and get metro+rail to Durham.

In conclusion Durham is a concentrated University, ideal for student life and undisrupted and undistracted study. If you are looking for a place to study and get away from the city madness, then Durham should be one of your choices.

PS. Those who know about Durham are welcome to add everything that I have omitted and of course correct my errors.
(As regards to the academic part, I may write another post, later.)

see ya !
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giovannig

Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 25
Re: A close visit to Durham
Sun Jun 26, 2005 09:33 PM
thanks a lot droid!!

I didn't know that much about durham but, for some reason, i was expecting a place exactly the same to the one u described and i'm very happy to hear that place is like i was wondering!!

I laught about the 15-20 minutes walking cause, as u said, when u come from a big city u'll never be that lucky to walk just 15-20 minutes to reach any place (and i live in rome)...so no problem about that....i'm just worried about the noises at howlands farm for the new buildings construction. They told me the disruptions are not that much...and i choose howlands also because i would prefer to have aa new building and my own bathroom. Can u add something around this topic?

I'll arrive at the airport of durham. I heard the airport of newcastle is closer to the university but i think the airport of durham is still a better solution than to arrive in london. Am i right?

Are u going to get an llm in durham starting next october? What subject? Where are u from? How old? What resedence did u choose? [Just if u like to answer that otherwise sorry for asking].

Any other info on other topics will be welcome from u, as u announced about the academic part for istance.

Ciao

Giovanni
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droid

Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
Re: Re: A close visit to Durham
Tue Jun 28, 2005 09:45 AM
Buongiorno Giovanni,

I am 25 years old, male. I am a trainee lawyer and I live in Athens.

I have already been offered a place at Durham LLM.
Both my information and recent ratings have shown that Durham has an exceptional law school. Therefore it was one of my first choices when I was applying for LLM, although it is neither widely known in Greece nor prefered by the majority Greek students ("we want London ! The fun, the gigs !!!").
However, as far as I know, this year many students from Greece have applied to Durham and in one occasion Durham was their first choice !

Presonally I do not know if I'll go to Durham eventually, since there is no e-commerce subject, which is my primary interest.

To answer your questions about the houses, I do not know about the interior. I only saw the exterior of the houses. One thing that drew my attention was that there was a combination keylock fitted on each house outdoor !!! (or at least I think I saw that !)

As for the construction, imagine that the houses were finished but there is something big going on there. Looks like a gym. However, despite the works Howlands was very quiet. Keep in mind that Ustinov has two other sites besides Howlands.

I do not know about Durham airport. I booked flight with AF through Charles de Gaulle so Durham was not a destination. However getting a flight to London and then to Durham is also a possibility and of course a direct flight would be the best !

If there is anything else you want to know just ask !


P.S. If you want to have really good pasta, seek the Italian restaurant underneath Pizza Hut, on the side of the river bridge ! Of, course, as an "Italiano vero" you should bring your espresso machine with you because in general, the coffee in England is totally unacceptable. I will bring my shaker for making frappe (hehe!) - No hard feelings guys, it is just that we are a bit "bon viveur" !

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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Re: Re: A close visit to Durham
Wed Jun 29, 2005 07:10 AM
Hi droid,

nice description... Actually it sounds like a good idea to visit a place before making your choice. Well anyway for those who made their decision (like me) it was very encouraging.
Well if you bring your shaker with you we should really wish that you'll decide for Durham.
BTW are you sure about the subjects? Since the website is not really so much up to date it might be possible that there are e-commerce subjects (even if they don't offer a llm in e-commerce).

cu
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giovannig

Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 25
Re: Re: Re: A close visit to Durham
Wed Jun 29, 2005 02:35 PM
Hi droid,

thanks a lot for your info. Actually i'm in a hurry so i'm leaving u just this message about 1 thing i think is important for u. Later i'll comment your last post and of course i'll bother u with more questions ;)

Reinhard is right. I want to let u know that they (Univ of Durham) sent me a list of the llm modules. Even if there is written that not all modules may be available during any particular year, in the list i can read about ELECTRONIC COMMERCE. And even if it seems to be a "little" module (just 15 credits instead of 30 of the regular modules and 45 of a few other ones) it's also true that u can still write your dissertation on that subject for a maximum of other 90 credits and, considering that the total credit u have to reach are 180, 15 + 90 = 105 on 180 seems to be a relevant part of an LLM.

If u want to be sure about the presence of this module (and the possibility to write your dissertation on that) in 2005-2006 u could send an email to the llm administration. There is a certain MRS Alisoun Roberts very kind who will answer u very soon.

Ciao
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
ACCEPTANCE FROM DURHAM
Wed Jun 29, 2005 09:10 PM
HI EVERYBODY,

I AM KAMEL FROM EGYPT I WILL GO TO DURHAM NEXT OCT. FOR THE LLM (COM&INT.TRADE), I APPLIED TO COLLINGWOOD AND I WILL TAKE PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH COURSE 3, HOPE TO MEET ALL OF YOU IN DURHAM.
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giovannig

Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 25
Re: ACCEPTANCE FROM DURHAM
Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:14 AM
hi Kamel

nice to meet u.

i'll take the same pre sessional english course of u.

see u there.

ciao
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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Re: ACCEPTANCE FROM DURHAM
Thu Jun 30, 2005 08:21 AM
Welcome Kamel!

So you're no Ustinov guy... Did Collingwood offer you a room?

Giovanni, you are not talking about the Postgraduate folder we received? Because I don't remember a list of subjects in there.
So was this in a letter? Are the subjects similar to those on the llm-site?

Did anyone of you receive a confirmation of Durham of your acceptance of the place? I mean something different than the letters from the colleges?

cu
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
hi giovani and reinhard
Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:10 PM
hi giovani and reinhard,

actually they sent me an application, but for the room i think i
understand that everything will be sent in august except for the english course, 9 iam talking about the contract to sign for the room and letter from the department of law), the last any post was sent to me was in may, did any of you receive anything in the past few weeks?
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
confirmation
Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:17 PM
actually i did not receive any confirmation and i tried to phone them at the graduate college but i think the lady did not understand me quiet well.
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giovannig

Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 25
Re: confirmation
Thu Jun 30, 2005 01:55 PM
hi to everyone.

i did receive the modeules' list i have with the application pack (it's a separete shit) many months ago. the modules in it are exactly the same of the ones in the site (infact there is e-commerce too).
the last thing i received from the department of law was an emended letter of acceptance (in the first one i was accepted under the condition of obtaining 7 in ielts; in the emended acceptance letter, after that i sent them my ielts score of 6.5, they wrote that the offer was ememnded in the sense of offering me a place under the new condition of applying for 1 month pre sessional english course).

ciao

giovanni
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Zhanna

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 3
Re: Re: confirmation
Sun Jul 03, 2005 01:32 PM
Hi, everybody!!!!!!!!
I'm Zhanna (from Kazakhstan). I'm going to Durham in september. My course is Int.trade and com law. I'm not sure about accomodation, because I havn't got appl. forms from the Un-ty (they sent them in may and I still cannnot get). i had offers from Warwick and UCL, but I've chosen Durham. (In Kazakhstan nobody knows this Un-ty).
One question - Does the number of 180 credits include thesis?
Bye-bye
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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Re: Re: confirmation
Sun Jul 03, 2005 05:28 PM
Hi everybody,

welcome zhanna, first of all in this thread we have to congratulate you for chosing Durham :-)
from may until now seems to be a rather long time, maybe you should try to call them and to ask them to send it again? just to be on the sure side. sometimes letters get lost.
180 credits are the courses and the credits you get for the thesis, which counts between 60 and 90 credits, depending on how many words you write.
www.dur.ac.uk/law/llm/programme.htm

giovanni apparently I missed the sheet with the module options, but since the content is the same I don't see a problem there.
kamel from university I didn't receive anything since my acception, but I received the things from ustinov college, which means that they must have received my acception.

did any of you ever try to send an email to pgadmissions and received an answer? that's my one million dollar question at the moment...

cu!
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
Re: Re: Re: Re: confirmation
Mon Jul 04, 2005 01:05 AM
hi Reinhard,

the answer to your question is negative, it is nice to be in the same boat all together???????

salam
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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: confirmation
Mon Jul 04, 2005 07:38 PM
:-) well yes it is nice to be in the same boat all together, but I'd prefer if we were in another boat :-)
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anas

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 23
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: confirmation
Mon Jul 04, 2005 10:20 PM
hi kamal

i would like to know your overall avergae,and do u have any legal experience
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Zhanna

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 3
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: confirmation
Tue Jul 05, 2005 03:15 AM
Hi, everybody!!!!!!
Thank you, Reinhard.
I don't wait anything from them untill august. I think they (PG office) will not send us anything, maybe the Department will.
Do they usually offer the1-choice accomodation?
Thanks,
Bye-bye
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
anas
Tue Jul 05, 2005 03:28 AM
salam allokam anas

in order to be admited you need to have an average good score (Gayed) over 70%, with a good IELTS score 6.5 or 7.0 . For the working experience, yes I have some but it is not relevant I know an Egyptian who was admited to LSE without any working experience nor high grades, the most two important things are the recommendation letters and the statement of purpose. by the way aren't you from syria?

Salam
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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: anas
Tue Jul 05, 2005 07:33 PM
well zhanna frankly I have no idea whether they offer 1-st choice, I'd say that just depends on how full they are: if they have enough place, why shouldn't they give you your 1st choice??
you're right maybe the department will send us some more information: when to be where and this sort of things...

btw I have to announce: it is not hopeless: just because the guys in the pgadmissions office seem to be on holidays, not everyone is. so if you have urgent questions, just try all the other email adresses :-)
cu
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droid

Joined: 25 Jun 2005
Posts: 4
E-COMMERCE !
Wed Jul 06, 2005 03:49 PM
Hello again ! Nice to see so many new people here !

Sorry for the delay. I was away for a few days for a short vacation.

It seems that there was no e-commerce module for this year (2004). I talked to Mrs Roberts who informed me that the professor who taught the module has retired. However in 2005 there might be someone else who will teach the module.
Please contact Mrs. Roberts for details.

As far as the 180 units are concerned, YES the dissertation is included in these units. You might get a longer dissertation and fewer taught modules, or vice-versa.

I am still in the "LLM chase" (although if I don't make up my mind until mid July, I might miss the house at Howlands....), so I might be there in September !

see ya !
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maki

Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 6
Re: Durham LLM
Thu Jul 07, 2005 12:17 AM
Hello to everyone (and piacere ai ragazzi italiani).
Can i join you???
Am plased to find some persons who will go to Durham.

My name is Makiko from Japan.
I will attend the LLM in European Legal Studies in this year.
I am anxious about my English ability (my listening & speaking skill is terrible one), but i won't join the pre-sessional English course due to the financial circumstances.

Two days ago, i accepted the confirmation of the accommodation.
(I sent the application form of accommodation around the beginning of May.)
And i have to return a copy of executed Residence Agreement to the College no later than 15th of this month.
(Two copies of Residence Agreement were enclosed and i understand that only one of them should be returned to them. Am i correct???)
Reading through the Agreement is bothersome, but i must do it....
My residence will be Howlands Farm.
I learnt that the Residence is still under construction and there were some protests by students, but am slightly released to know that noise caused by the construction is not so terrible...(someone wrote so, didn't he/she?)
And i have known that buses for students run in the city at night.

I look forward to studying in Durham, because all persons that know Durham said that it is very good place.
I prefer quiet cities/towns, and it seems to me that Durham is one of ideal cities for study.
And, i also look forward to seeing you all in September!

Cheers,
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Reinhard


Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 72
Re: Re: Durham LLM
Thu Jul 07, 2005 07:04 PM
Welcome Makiko, of course you can join!
As far as I know you're the first to study European Legal Studies, but Durham has an excellent reputation for European law. Good choice I guess...

So when will you arrive? I received just one copy or the residence agreement, but I'm at palatine house, so maybe that's the difference. Actually I know how tiring the reading is, but I think we should know what we sign (even if we are lawyers). And it's always funny to know what we're supposed to do and not to do.
As I understood the construction works will be finished somewhen??
I guess the noice won't be so bad, at least you know you're in a new building...

well if you prefer quiet cities durham is ok...
cu
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KIMO

Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 6
Re: Re: Re: Durham LLM
Thu Jul 07, 2005 08:10 PM
Welcome Makiko, nice to meet you.
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