Hi guys,

I'm ready to send my application to Essex for the International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and International Human Rights Law Masters, but I'm in a bit of a doubt concerning the Motivation letter. Is the University profile very strict? For those who have already been approved at Essex, is it okay to talk about your personal interests (like music, reading etc) in the motivation letter? What is acceptable in the Motivation Letter?
I'm asking this because in Brazil it isn't usual to send motivation letters, so I'm really not sure what's acceptable to include or if it depends on the institution you're applying for.

You only have about 500 words to introduce yourself, explain your motivations and why you would be suitable for this programme. Ask yourself how many of those words would you want to spend on describing things about you which might not be entirely relevant to the things I have mentioned above.

You might not be able to fill 1-2 pages unless you use really large font :)

Hey,
For writing my motivation letter I just focussed on making a strong case for why I was a good candidate for the program, in terms of showing a concrete aptitude for human rights. I guess it worked (since I got an offer).

In terms of your talking about your other interests (music etc), I have never been a fan of that approach of writing motivation letters. But several people are. From what I have observed that approach would work better for American schools and in a general LLM. I have my doubts about its usefulness in such a niche course. (Just my opinion)
Also try not to repeat things verbatim from your CV, or make bland statements of fact that can easily be seen from your transcript. I think the Motivation Letter is to let you talk more about the intangibles of your work and aptitude.

Hope this helps! Good luck with the application. :)

Thanks guys, the tips really helped me!!

By the way, for those who have already did the application, what should I upload concerning "Give any details relevant to the course of study you are applying for"??

P.S: twfwyngby, the John Bloggs and his oboe example made me laugh like crazy for like half an hour

I think they are referring to your personal statement. It is quite vague and when I asked the folks at admissions they responded that they were asking for a personal statement which covers why you want to do an LLM, how it will help you in your future plans and any relevant work experience you may have.

For the record I would kill to have a flatmate who could play a musical instrument. Though he would have to be good at it.

ernakulam_1, were you accepted already? to Which course?

I applied to the HR LLM and waiting for a response. What are you planning to apply to?

I'm applying to the International Human Rights and the International Humanitarian and Human Rights Masters

BTW when did you apply? Do you know how long more or less they take to give you an answer?

They reply pretty quickly, I got accepted in less than 2 weeks after applying, but that was December, so maybe its time of year dependent.

In terms of statement - its only 500 words, I would stick to what you have done so far in terms of human rights work, and how its related to the course and what you want to do.

First of all, thanks for the tips, they were really helpful, but once again I would like some feedback, specially from the people from the alumni.
I received offers for both LLMs (IHRL and IHL), but I'm not quite sure which one to accept.
Currently I'm bending towards the IHRL because, as I saw from the structure of both courses, it seems that the only differences between them are the compulsory modules (IHL has Humanitarian Law as a compulsory, while the IHRL has it as an optional) and the number of optional modules (IHL has like half the options of the IHRL course). This way, if I take the Humanitarian Law module at the IHRL course, I would have the same disciplines that are compulsory to the IHL, plus, I would have much more optional modules than I would have if I was at IHL programme.
Does this reasoning make sense or there are more differences between the LLMs?
Once again, thank you guys!

Hi Carlos,

First, congratulations on your offers. I am in the LLM now, so unless anything changes next year, this should be helpful:

1) You get a few weeks in the beginning of the academic year when you can finalize your decision. This is great since you will first be introduced to the program and professors, and then have more information about which branch you prefer.

2) The IHL branch means your dissertation will have to be somehow related to situations of conflict. This may include refugees and internally displaced persons, international criminal or public international law, laws of armed conflict, , peacekeeping, transitional justice, derogations in states of emergency etc. It is a very broad restriction.

3) All of the modules are available to both IHRL and IHL students, but as you say the IHL branch makes the law of armed conflict module compulsory for the first term + a choice between four IHL-related modules compulsory the second term. So, choosing the IHRL branch gives the freedom to pick two of the five extra modules without further restrictions.

4) There is absolutely no difference between the two branches in terms of socializing, department events or administrative deadlines.

I hope this helps.

Thanks elucsuperc, that was really helpful.

So we actually have the option to change the course decision, that's great!