Hello everybody,

I'm a french student finishing my 5th year in Strasbourg (east of France...) and looking forward to do a LLM...

Studying in South Africa would realy be a dream coming true to me!
But the problem is: every LLM has a cost (not very high for UCT, if I understood well), and I can't ask my family to continue giving me money for one more year if it's not for a good reason, you know what I mean (excuse my not so good english :))... And the fact is: I can't find anything about UCT's reputation: is it good, or not so good?
And, of course: is there a "better" university in south africa where I could do a LLM (Stellenbosch...)?

Finaly, to say it clearly: if a LLM in south africa isn't worth anything (or at least isn't worth the money my family will have to send me for one more year studying), I think I will forget my dream of living in a beautiful country like south africa for a while...

Thank you very much to those who will answer and give me their opinion, wether they study/studied in south africa or are able to give me their advice...! :)

Raphaël

If anybody from another south african university reads this, I would be happy and thankfull to read about your opinion!

I considered LLM at UCT at first, but that's just because I've not really studied the other opportunities so far (Stellenbosch, Pretoria...).

If you can help me with your experience, it would help me a lot for sure! :)

Nobody...?

Hi there Raf2411
I don't really know about UCT, Stellenbosch or Pretoria because Im not a student at neither of those unioversities (rather at the University of Namibia).
But I once considered applying at all three of those universities (and did alot of research on the three) and I would say that they are generally among the best in SA, especially Stellenbosch. The latter university is known for its impeccable reputation in all its disciplines and in opinion is comparable to Ivy League colleges in the US (Harvard, Yale etc.).
UCT and Pretoria are also pretty good so you wouldn't make a mistake if you chose one over the other.
Tell you what, why dont you log onto their websites and compare their prices for the specific course that you want to do, coupled with the electives (optional courses) that are available for each.
Good luck

Hi Anthony,
Thank you very much for your very interesting response :)
I started considering making an LLM, especialy in South Africa (beautiful place, life experience, much cheaper than US and even UK), last year, and I forgot the idea for a while but now I'm considering again (for 2010) and my choice would be UCT or Stellenbosh, one of these, that's sure now.

I've made some researches in the last weeks, and I found that in terms of prices and interesting courses (for me) both would be on more or less the same level... Difficult choice so: UCT in beautiful Cape Town, with the beaches, beautiful university (according to the pictures I could see); Stellenbosch in very nice environement too in fact, in a more little town but with a lot of charm and full of students...

Now, one thing surprises me in your comment: Stellenbosch comparable to Ivy League colleges? are you sure :s?
I only read about UCT being the best south african university (according to charts)... I couldn't find a lot about Stellenbosch's reputation, so I wouldn't expect it to be that good. Could you tell me more about it (where you heard it etc) please?

Thank you very much!

Hi Raf,
Yes, to me Stellenbosch is an exceptional university and I regard it as South Africa's own "Harvard". The charts might not share my sentiments but I think that South Africa has pretty good universities and I would even go as far as saying that it is one of the best places to study.
So that's purely my personal opinion based on many factors: for example it has produced many professors who are authors of many of our books not only in law but also in other fields like medicine, it has sveral A-rated scientists and many academicians have received accolades for excellence in their disciplines (see also their prospectus).
Another thing I like about the university is that its situated in a quiet and serene small town, surrounded by the evrgreen trees in summmer.
I have been to cape town and stellenbosch and both places are breathtaking but I just dont like the hustle and bustle of cape town, esp the CBD. Ive also been to the UCT main campus and I tell u that place is "awesome" (literally)- its like UCT is built on the Table Mountains and Im not even trying to be melodramatic.
So at the end of the day it all boils down to what u like as a person, if ur an adventurous person who prefers city life, choose UCT, but if ur an introverted bloke like me who likes his peace & quiet, go for Stellenbosch!

Hi Anthony,

Wow, thank you very much (again) for your response, and your helpful description of both UCT and Stellenbosch...
I must say I'm more the citylife-loving type of guy (even if some peace and quiet can be particularly adequate from time to time)...

One last question: what about the student life in both universities? I guess it must be very active at UCT's, but I've also read somewhere that even Stellenbosch is a very active place for students (mainly because of the number of students there): would you say the same, from what you have seen...?

Hi again,
Ya, the student life is great, especially at UCT. You'll find people rom different parts of the world, different races etc.
If you need more info, just e-mail me at wilson264@gmail.com

Cheers for now

Hey everybody,

Does anybody know the deadline to apply for an llm at UCT? I can't find it on their website...

Would be great to hear some experiences of foreign students who studied over there...

Thanks.

Anthony: thanks again ;) I may write you in the future if I have some precise questions...

I just found the application deadline for an LLM at UCT: go here http://www.uct.ac.za/apply/applications/forms/ and download the part 1 of "directions for applicants", and there it is, at page 3: for postgraduate studies for international students at the law faculty: oct. 31! ;)