Hi!
I think u guys that are on the waitlist should be hopefull since before 15th of april, the ones admitted have to confirm their spot and pay a non-refoundable deposit of CH 500. Maybe a few will pass the chance since it's a short time for a big decision. I will def keep my spot though since it's a dream for me to attend this program and i am super excited about it.

I dont know if i have any pointers, but my previous studies have focused completely on PIL and especially IHL, which my final thesis also covered. Other than that, I have been doing volunteer work for the Red Cross for two years, dealing with legal matters. My letter of motivation focused on these things and i know my letters of recommendation were very positive and going in depth about my skills of IHL and IHRL. I wish u good luck and hopefully see u in september.

For the ones that are admitted, do u know anything about scholarships and housing?

@ leena i hope you do make it.
@ nicole i totally understand when you say its a dream. thank you so much for your input. it helps

Hi :)
I've recently received an admission from the Geneva Academy.

poppet what about LSE? are you declining the funded offer from LSE?

Hi,
I have also been admitted to the LL.M. programme for 2011/12 and am very excited!!

I have just created a Facebook group so we can exchange infos about the flat-hunt etc. and get to know each other a little bit before we all meet in September. I hope you will join me! The group is called ADH Geneva LL.M. 2011/12 (https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_207837482573196#!/home.php?sk=group_207837482573196)

Sorry for people who didn't get in and fingers crossed to the ones on the waiting list!

@poppet

Hi :)
Like you, I've received an admission from the LSE. I am really curious about your preference in ADH. Why do you prefer ADH, whileas lse MA in human rights is also competitive and famous for its performance ?

hi!
..i got accepted as well.. :)
..i am wondering though what the reputation of the ADH is like?..is it really one of the best unis in human rights?..and about living in geneve in general - is it really enjoyable as a student?..any experiences?...i have also applied for london (queen mary, UCL)..but haven't received a reply yet..and have to decide reg. geneve til april 21.. :/

@legallyartist Hi, congrats on your acceptance. :) I'll do my best to answer your questions. Warning: This is really long!

I don't know which program in social policy you're referring to at LSE. Do you mean the MPhil, or the MSc in Social Policy and Development, or the one in Planning? Or do you mean the MSc in Development and NGOs, that is run through the department of Social Policy? Whatever the case, each of these degree programs are fundamentally different from the LLM at ADH and your decision should ultimately be based on what kind of future career you are interested in because they lead in different directions, so I'll try to explain my understanding of how they are different:

I think one of the primary differences between the two programs stems from the fact that the MSc in Human Rights and the masters programs in Social Policy at LSE are interdisciplinary programs and the LLM at ADH is not. ADH is exclusively focused on human rights and humanitarian law and all the other LEGAL concepts in those fields (like international refugee law, international criminal law, etc.) But you will not study subjects at ADH that really focus on other factors which AFFECT the practical application of human rights and humanitarian law, such as political science, economics, complex emergencies, the role of NGOs, etc. The LLM really is a master of laws program which focuses on the sources, content, and application of international humanitarian and human rights law. So the intensive study of the law in this domain can be really beneficial if you are interested in being a Legal Officer with the UN or a jurist or a practicing lawyer.

In contrast, the programs at LSE tend to be interdisciplinary and try to combine the study of several subjects which have complex effects when put together. (Like the kind I mentioned above - the role of NGOs, issues in gender and health policies, international development, etc.) There are also certain expectations of quantitative abilities with LSE masters, and those skills are VERY coveted in the fields of international development and social policy. Currently there is a lot of talk in the field that quantitative skills haven't played a big enough role in human rights policy, monitoring & evaluation, etc., and demands are increasing for this kind of knowledge. (And there are more job opportunities for people who possess it.) So this kind of degree is particularly useful if you are interested in being a Human Rights Officer with the UN for example, as opposed to a Legal Officer, because even though both might deal with human rights, the job requirements are different. It's also useful if you want to work in international NGOs or a wide range of positions because it touches on more than one subject.

You can always apply interdisciplinary knowledge to a law degree of course, but if you are mostly interested in law it would be VERY wise to look at the kinds of positions you are interested in, because many of them will ask for a higher level degree in international law, and an MSc won't necessarily cut it. Conversely, many jobs which combine human rights and development will prefer the MSc and have no use for the LLM.

So basically the difference is that the program at ADH caters almost exclusively to law itself, and the MSc programs at LSE (in the general human rights-ish fields, such as social policy) tend to focus on a collection of subjects which both affect human rights law and are affected BY human rights law. In most cases, whether you pursue an LLM or a MSc will depend on whether you are focused on being a jurist, or whether you are more interested in interdisciplinary subjects.

So to answer your question, because I have degrees in law and international development and have field experience in both, I was leaning towards the program at ADH only because the masters thesis I want to write is on a subject which is pretty exclusively focused on legal analysis. Since it is so heavily focused on Law I would like the specialized support from ADH. But I also know that the interdisciplinary program at LSE will be much more useful if I want to work with NGOs in the future, and I won't lose anything by going to LSE. So that's my own logic on why ADH is my #1 choice - because my thesis requires legal analysis more than anything else.

You said:

As I have commented in the reply above, me and most of Koreans don't know about the ADH's performances and its reputations in global level. Instead LSE is quite well known and prefered to korean.

And since it is really hard to afford high cost of studying in Geneva, I am really considering deferring the ADH.....and go LSE this year.. Would this choice be wise or at least make sence?

So, any wait-listers hear anything?

not yet :(

poppet@

Thank you so much!
its really kind of you to reply and explain all the matters that I was worring about.
I think your reply is the information that i was looking for.
It was really difficult for me to decide, esp through a personally difficult hardship. It was never easy to decide....
At last, I decided to go swiss mainly because of the financial matter. I obtained a schorlarship for swiss but not for the LSE.

Thank you so so so much poppet. It was really helpful to me. If you need any help, let me know. :)

I just called Geneva because I received no response from yesterday. They said we should hear from them by next week.

I hope this information is helpful for those waiting to hear back!

Any news for waitlisted?
And question for those admitted - any luck with accommodation? It seems that is really hard to find anything in Geneva, and we dont have registration number yet.

called them again and they said that they won't know for until maybe next week but they still aren't sure. i am really hoping i find out soon. adh is still my first choice!

I've been notified that I haven't received admission. I'm not too surprised, given that they mentioned that they took into account both gender and geographic location, and as a female from North America I knew immediately that my chances were low in that case...

The email I received from them said that the program was full and that they "cannot proceed to offer attendance to applicants on our waiting list" which grammatically suggest that NONE of the waitlisted candidates were admitted, but I realize that is probably not the case.

It's too bad, I was just composing an email to Paola Gaeta last night explaining that I'd just won two prestigious fellowships, hoping that would help my chances. I should have pressed send!

Good luck to other waitlisted candidates and to all those who will be attending, especially in the hunt for housing! I know it won't be easy.

I am sorry to hear this Poppet, I was hoping you will get in. Best of luck in London, if you choose to go there. Accommodation in Geneva is a nightmare; I hope I will find something before September.

hello i just wanted some feedback from those who got into the academy last year as i am applying again this year.

if you could tell me how the experience was at the academy?

Hey,

I'm also very interested in hearing about your time at the Academy, and any pointers on what the Admissions office is looking for in an applicant?

Hey Ladybug, no idea, but I intend to apply for the llm next year, in order to start in september 2012, or close there. Are you planning it too? Have you already sent your application? By now I'm just gathering all the required papers but it's a total mess!

Hi I got into adh. Was wondering if anyone else has heard back. Also would love to hear some feedback from those who went there last year