Exam Update
Well, I have done three exams so far. Here are the basics:
1. Monday = EUROPEAN AND WTO LAW. This was done in a group of 9 altogether -- eight Americans and one Italian. We answered questions one at a time for about 45 minutes in a room that must have been over 100 degrees F. Oh, by the way, there's no A/C in Germany, and they have had a heat wave here over the last few weeks, which makes studying practically impossible. Anyway, everyone passed. I had to answer two questions, both about cases we'd read for class, and I did so successfully. Good thing I'd done the reading.
2. Tuesday = LEGAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY. This was my first law exam ever in German and I was very nervous. I did a crapload of work for this class, trying to be prepared as possible. Even though it was only 15 minutes, it was just me and the professor one-on-one, so there was nowhere to hide. To my utter amazement, it went very well. Only at the end (when the professor was trying to get the difference between rules and principles out of me) did I falter even a little bit because I never really understood the whole thing about principles. But I hung in there, answered everything in German, and did my best, and it worked out very well. I think he was surprised at some of the stuff I knew, honestly. It gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of this week.
3. Wednesday (today) = INTERNATIONAL CIVIL PROCEDURE (AKA TRANSNATIONAL LITIGATION) AND INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LAW. These courses are related, and taught by the same professor, so I had a combined exam that covered both of them. I was alone since I was the only person taking both classes (as far as I knew). I expected to have a half hour exam that covered a number of topics fairly thoroughly. This did not happen. The professor was surprised to see me when I arrived in his office, and after I reminded him that I was there to have my exam (which we'd scheduled a few weeks ago...he is one of the busiest people I have ever met so it's understandable he didn't remember right away), we got started. He asked me a few questions, a couple of which were so general that I didn't understand what he was asking and had to ask him to clarify (that was embarrassing and a bit demoralizing for me). His questions covered the basics of the procedure determining international jurisdiction (if the accused is a resident of the EU, this is covered in an EU regulation 44/2001), and of evaluating which law is applicable under Germany's international private law rules (which are covered in the Einfuehrungsgesetz des Bundesgesetzbuchs, or EGBGB, for those keeping score at home). And then, all of a sudden, he announced it was over and I'd passed. I was quite surprised by this because I'd studied a lot for this class and was prepared for it to be more difficult and in-depth. Oh well, I guess I would be the biggest dork in the world if I complained about an exam being too easy.
So three exams down and two to go. Tomorrow is a group exam for the Convention for the International Sale of Goods, and then on Friday I have my last exam in International Criminal Law.
It is very difficult for me to motivate myself to keep studying at this point because it is so hot and I'm so tired of studying. But I'm more than halfway done, and I only have 10 days left in Germany, so I'm determined to make the rest of my time here really count.
Of course I am also very homesick right now, even though SP is here. I'm just missing home and its familiarity. I am so tired of everything being so different all the time and having to deal with it, analyze it, and figure out what it all means. I have never been a roll-with-the-punches type of person, and being here in Germany really challenges me in that way all the time.
I am also missing my cats, Gah-Boy and Katie. I have not seen them in over four months and my heart is heavy. It's time to go home.
1. Monday = EUROPEAN AND WTO LAW. This was done in a group of 9 altogether -- eight Americans and one Italian. We answered questions one at a time for about 45 minutes in a room that must have been over 100 degrees F. Oh, by the way, there's no A/C in Germany, and they have had a heat wave here over the last few weeks, which makes studying practically impossible. Anyway, everyone passed. I had to answer two questions, both about cases we'd read for class, and I did so successfully. Good thing I'd done the reading.
2. Tuesday = LEGAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY. This was my first law exam ever in German and I was very nervous. I did a crapload of work for this class, trying to be prepared as possible. Even though it was only 15 minutes, it was just me and the professor one-on-one, so there was nowhere to hide. To my utter amazement, it went very well. Only at the end (when the professor was trying to get the difference between rules and principles out of me) did I falter even a little bit because I never really understood the whole thing about principles. But I hung in there, answered everything in German, and did my best, and it worked out very well. I think he was surprised at some of the stuff I knew, honestly. It gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of this week.
3. Wednesday (today) = INTERNATIONAL CIVIL PROCEDURE (AKA TRANSNATIONAL LITIGATION) AND INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LAW. These courses are related, and taught by the same professor, so I had a combined exam that covered both of them. I was alone since I was the only person taking both classes (as far as I knew). I expected to have a half hour exam that covered a number of topics fairly thoroughly. This did not happen. The professor was surprised to see me when I arrived in his office, and after I reminded him that I was there to have my exam (which we'd scheduled a few weeks ago...he is one of the busiest people I have ever met so it's understandable he didn't remember right away), we got started. He asked me a few questions, a couple of which were so general that I didn't understand what he was asking and had to ask him to clarify (that was embarrassing and a bit demoralizing for me). His questions covered the basics of the procedure determining international jurisdiction (if the accused is a resident of the EU, this is covered in an EU regulation 44/2001), and of evaluating which law is applicable under Germany's international private law rules (which are covered in the Einfuehrungsgesetz des Bundesgesetzbuchs, or EGBGB, for those keeping score at home). And then, all of a sudden, he announced it was over and I'd passed. I was quite surprised by this because I'd studied a lot for this class and was prepared for it to be more difficult and in-depth. Oh well, I guess I would be the biggest dork in the world if I complained about an exam being too easy.
So three exams down and two to go. Tomorrow is a group exam for the Convention for the International Sale of Goods, and then on Friday I have my last exam in International Criminal Law.
It is very difficult for me to motivate myself to keep studying at this point because it is so hot and I'm so tired of studying. But I'm more than halfway done, and I only have 10 days left in Germany, so I'm determined to make the rest of my time here really count.
Of course I am also very homesick right now, even though SP is here. I'm just missing home and its familiarity. I am so tired of everything being so different all the time and having to deal with it, analyze it, and figure out what it all means. I have never been a roll-with-the-punches type of person, and being here in Germany really challenges me in that way all the time.
I am also missing my cats, Gah-Boy and Katie. I have not seen them in over four months and my heart is heavy. It's time to go home.
posted by Jennifer at 09:05
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