Hi!

I have received an offer of acceptance from the University of Essex in their LLM program of International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. I am pretty confused if I should accept the offer or apply next year for the course from the Geneva Academy. I have heard good reviews about both the institutions but I am not sure how promising Essex is with regard to placements and UN internships.

Any current student at Essex or Alumni or anyone else with any comments, kindly guide me through! Thanks :)

Hey,

I think the choice will be based on what your main focus is. If it is Human Rights (in general) then I would rather recommend Essex; if it is IHL or Human Rights specifically focused on armed conflicts, then definitely the Academy.

P.S.: I am a Geneva Academy alumnus

[Edited by NapZ on May 18, 2017]

The Geneva Academy still focuses on IHL; it is a mix of IHL and HR but with a most important focus on IHL. HR is secondary (but still relatively considerable). I do not know what is the mix ratio for Essex.

A lot of people from the Academy go to the ICRC; and the Academy offers internships with the UNHCR, ICRC, and a pretty wide variety of NGOs. Not sure what Essex offers in this regard. The Academy definitely benefits from its location.

I don't know what is in Essex in this regard, so you would have to check. I doubt there is a wrong choice to make in your case. The Academy MIGHT offer more professional opportunities for you though. Again however, make sure to check what Essex offers regarding internships and professional opportunities.

Don't hesitate to ask any further question :)

[Edited by NapZ on May 21, 2017]

This is what I meant indeed.

The Academy definitely benefits from the location indeed.

You would have an advantage being already in Geneva to, let's say find an internship, but you could also try and find an internship there after your studies if necessary (you would have to check the visa conditions etc though), even if obviously it would be harder since you would have to do all the visa paperwork etc (Geneva loves paperwork).

On the other hand, you have the Amnesty International HQ located in London, not very far from Essex. I do not know the London scene when it comes to NGOs, but I would not be surprised if you had a couple ones where you could try to intern (or find a job?).

If you want to study the broader perspectives of both IHL and HR without specifically studying the law of armed conflicts (so IHL) in greater details, then I would recommend you to consider Essex. Again, while the Academy also focuses on HR to an extent, the main focus is definitely IHL (so the law of armed conflicts) and goes into great length exploring its deeper legal implications.

Compare the websites when it comes to the courses you can take (for Essex - if full-time: http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/Details.aspx?prog=11470 and http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/OptionList.aspx?mcid=PG00637&yr=1&cn=03&sy=17&pid=11470 ; for the Academy: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/masters/ll-m/programme/course-catalogue and https://www.geneva-academy.ch/masters/ll-m/programme/course-catalogue/2#courses). Essex tells you the number of total courses you can have, unlike the Academy. I would ask the Academy more details in this regard (how many core courses, how many optional courses you can take). Try and check if the courses you would be interested in - both for Essex and the Academy - are offered each semester or not, and if you could take the ones you would like to take (to avoid bad surprises - for example if two courses you want to have are offered only during one semester and both at the same time, in such a way that you could not take both).

After that, I assume you would have better leads concerning your choice. Reading from your last reply, it kind of seems like maybe Essex would be best for you (when only taking into account your personal interest). But I would still recommend doing what I just told you above to have an idea as clear as possible.

This is what I meant indeed.

The Academy definitely benefits from the location indeed.

You would have an advantage being already in Geneva to, let's say find an internship, but you could also try and find an internship there after your studies if necessary (you would have to check the visa conditions etc though), even if obviously it would be harder since you would have to do all the visa paperwork etc (Geneva loves paperwork).

On the other hand, you have the Amnesty International HQ located in London, not very far from Essex. I do not know the London scene when it comes to NGOs, but I would not be surprised if you had a couple ones where you could try to intern (or find a job?).

If you want to study the broader perspectives of both IHL and HR without specifically studying the law of armed conflicts (so IHL) in greater details, then I would recommend you to consider Essex. Again, while the Academy also focuses on HR to an extent, the main focus is definitely IHL (so the law of armed conflicts) and goes into great length exploring its deeper legal implications.

Compare the websites when it comes to the courses you can take (for Essex - if full-time: http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/Details.aspx?prog=11470 and http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/OptionList.aspx?mcid=PG00637&yr=1&cn=03&sy=17&pid=11470 ; for the Academy: https://www.geneva-academy.ch/masters/ll-m/programme/course-catalogue and https://www.geneva-academy.ch/masters/ll-m/programme/course-catalogue/2#courses). Essex tells you the number of total courses you can have, unlike the Academy. I would ask the Academy more details in this regard (how many core courses, how many optional courses you can take). Try and check if the courses you would be interested in - both for Essex and the Academy - are offered each semester or not, and if you could take the ones you would like to take (to avoid bad surprises - for example if two courses you want to have are offered only during one semester and both at the same time, in such a way that you could not take both).

After that, I assume you would have better leads concerning your choice. Reading from your last reply, it kind of seems like maybe Essex would be best for you (when only taking into account your personal interest). But I would still recommend doing what I just told you above to have an idea as clear as possible.

Most welcome! Please let me know what you decide in the end :)

Most welcome! Please let me know what you decide in the end :)