I am an LLM student at the University of Aberdeen. While I have enjoyed the academic program overall, there have been a few things that have really bothered me about the University. If I had known these things before coming here, I think I would have done a few things differently. With that in mind, I thought I would post my gripes here for prospective students to learn from my experiences.

1. Accommodation: The accommodation at the University is quite expensive for what it is. In addition, the people who control accommodation are the most disorganised bunch of buffons I have ever had the misfortune of dealing with. For example, this summer an "edict from on high" came down that all grad students had to move residences mid-way through the summer. No reason was given. No official word or notice was given--it all passed by word of mouth!!! People had to go to the office in person to find out about the move, and even then the administration would not provide details regarding the new location until THE DAY OF THE MOVE! The excuse was that they did not want people moving early--one wonders how this information would allow people to move without keys, but I do not attempt to analyse how these people think... All in all, if you can avoid having to be in residence at Aberdeen, take my advice and jump at the chance. The administration is the most disorganised and unsympathetic I have ever had to deal with, and the less time speant with them the better for your own mental sanity!!

2. Academics: I enjoyed my LLM program in terms of the classes available. I really have no complaints about how the classes were taught or the standards used. I wish there were actually more classes, as I felt the course load was a bit light (...and I took only the "hard" classes). What I do take issue with, however, is the dissertation program over the summer. While a dissertation plan was required prior to commencement, I received no meaningful feedback in creation of this plan or in its evaluation. I also received no assistance with the dissertation itself. In short, I felt that I was left high and dry. I was informed by administration that the dissertation was arranged this way because previously there had been concern that professors gave too much assistance to students on their projects. While I admit that this is certainly an issue that should be addressed, there must be a happy medium between providing too much assistance and providing none!!! I paid a lot of money to come here as a foreign student, and I really feel that I did not get my money's worth regarding supervision on my dissertation.

I hope my experience can be of some assistance to people considering Aberdeen in the future.

Cheers,

zixx777

I was at Abredeen between 1996-2000, I had many of the same problems. It is great to see that in 10 years they have not changed. Best of luck you will need it.

Great feedback! I was considering the University of Aberdeen myself... for several other reasons I'd had already ruled it out before, but your post certainly points out very important topics. When I was still considering taking up Aberdeen's offer, I looked into University accommodation and did find it extremely expensive... it's almost as expensive as a flat in London. About the dissertation thing, I really had no idea it played out that way. Very sad, especially if you're an overseas student paying almost 10,000 quid for the programme.

Thanks to God and my intuition and also other persons, who said that Aberdeen is very small town, I have chosen to go to Glasgow. I hope I made a right choice.

Is the accomodation really so bad ? (Do they have internet connection :D ? ) I've heard also from other cities (especially the bigger ones) that the student accomodations are often problematic (dirty, little, very expensive).

That they do not support students with their dissertation is an ambivalent point i think. What about the program itself ? Is Aberdeen a good academic environment to study law ? (because i thought that it should be one of the better law schools in the UK).

There is internet connection--the whole campus and student village is a wireless hotspot. The connection does go down occasionally, but it is not too bad.

I think we will have to "agree to disagree" on the importance of the issue of the lack of disseration supervision. The program is split into 3 modules: 2 course modules and a module where you write your dissertation. That means that a failure to assist you with your dissertation effectively (in my opinion) amounts to ripping you off of 1/3 of your tuition fees. I came here to improve my skills and gain legal knowledge. I feel strongly that the University did not live up to its obligations with regard to dissertation supervision. If you do not care about guidence/supervision when you are writing your dissertation, then I wish you all the best. I wonder, however, if you will be saying the same thing when it comes time to start writing your dissertation....

As I stated above, I had no issues with the classes or the marking. I thought they were both informative and balanced.

Regards,

zixx777

LLM dissertation supervision is notoriously poor at many universities, and not unique to Aberdeen.

If you want to get the most out of your degree, pursue taught courses and only take the dissertation option if you are looking towards a publication or have plans for research (that's the advice I was given by a UCL/Oxford prof). If the dissertation option is unavoidable, approach a supervisor very early on in your studies.

zixx777, two course modules seems a little on the slim side for an LLM - usually it's 3 or 4 taught courses plus a dissertation.

2 course modules of 2 courses each (plus a research methods class).

As stated in my previous post, the dissertation option is not optional--you do 2 course modules and the dissertation. As for approaching a supervisor early, that is good advice--I approached mine 2 months before the the dissertation plan was due and received no meaningful feedback. Once the plan was done, I also received no meaningful feedback. Once I started writing, I received no feedback. Remind me, why did I pay to do a module with no prospect for feedback/improvement of my skills? I just think I did not get what was paid for regarding supervision of my dissertation.

Regards,

zixx777

I completed my dissertation over summer and must disagree with this. The university make it quite clear that acamdemics are available to discuss plans dissertation plans and supervision will be minimal. I found the discussions when submitting the dissertation plan very useful. Myself and my supervisor discussed which direction to take with dissertation and what I felt key sources would be when carrying out the research and whether these were appropriate. If you didn't take anything from these discussions I'd suggest that you didn't put the leg work into preparing for them. Personally I think this method does strike the balance between no supervision and too much supervision. Once you have agreed the right direction actually completing the dissertation almost becomes a trivial exercise.

As for accomodation these aren't hidden costs and as Aberdeen is an oil town the price of everything is significantly inflated over the rest of Scotland. If you accepted a place without this knowledge I would again suggest that you haven't put the legwork into researching the university and Aberdeen itself.

I am glad to hear that you had such a great time at Aberdeen. Your experiences are not mine. Maybe my experiences are not the norm, but based on the people I have talked to within my program, I would suggest your experience is the one which does not satisfy the normal criteria.

As for putting in "leg work" on my dissertation plan, I can tell you that I had the plan submitted well before it was due. I also attempted to talk with various members of faculty about it while it was being completed and I was turned down ("only on the pre-scheduled discussion days could it be discussed, and only for 10 minutes per dissertation"). When I did get to see someone, the only feedback I got was "good job". That is not particularly helpful, and I was ushered out of the meeting in far less then 10 minutes. My friends also tell me their meetings ranged in duration from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Even if it had lasted a full 10 minutes by someone who had actually read the plan before the meeting (that's a big "if"), I'll wager that you must be an extremely fast talker to get anything meaningful out of a 10 minute appointment. All I have to say is: good for you.

As for putting the "leg work" into my accommodation plans, I did all the online searching one could do to see what was on offer at Aberdeen. Unfortunately, the online pictures do not give you a good idea about the size of the rooms, or the location of them. The University my not hide costs, but it sure does not disclose them all either. Aberdeen is an oil and gas town, but I am paying a lot of money to be at this University. The fact that the University does not offer any discounts to students for accommodation relative to the regular housing market smacks of opportunism to me. We are here to study, not to be ripped off. That is my point: The University is simply out to make a profit. If it were a normal business I would applaud them. Seeing as how it is a University, my hand gestures in response involve raising two fingers on each hand--I'll leave it to your imagination which two.

Seriously, I am glad you had a good time at Aberdeen. I wish I had such fond memories--especially after paying all the money I have to get them.

Very little contact for an LLM dissertation is normal in the UK.

Although 10 mins is on the slim side!

Some of us would have been happy with 10 minutes. As I said above, the average time range was between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. The feeling seems to have been to put us through as fast as possible. This is what makes me feel annoyed and ripped off--there was not even an attempt to give us real guidance. It was just an assembly line, where the meeting with a supervisor was little more then a rubber stamp to a plan I do not think they even looked at or considered.

Very little contact for an LLM dissertation is normal in the UK. I agree. At least a good 30 minutes would show some concern and interest.

Although 10 mins is on the slim side!

I´m very interested in applying to the LLM in Oil and Gas Law for the January term, and I found this thread quite informative.

The thing that most stood out for me is the topic of coursework, since I was surprised to see there are only 2 courses per module. I read on the uni´s website that this amounts to only 6 hours of classes a week! (although they suggested that one spends 30-35 hours studying individually).

I would like to ask what you thought of the coursework?
Was it too light, as zixx777 said?
Do the lectures consist of just the professor talking, or are they based on discussions and presentations on the students´part?
How much free time did you have during the week?

I´d really appreciate knowing your experiences! :)

accommodation - the accommodation service that we now (2012 as per my experience) is probably a little different with you have had over the last couple of years ago. I could reaffirm that their services are well-organized. FYI, there are some courts/houses in Hillhead campus which are meant to be repaired because they have been there for ages and some part of the buildings have cracked too, windows can't be properly-shut, bathrooms have showering problems, etc. All these destructions are fomally informed by an official letter addressing to each tenants 2 months prior to be relocated into the new flats. In case some people have loads of stuffs to be moved, the posters are ready to help you out.

online advert is somehow misleading not only in the housing business but also other fields. Things are normally very attractive on the internet; however, these may totally different when it comes to practice. To me, this is a common practice of business matter where most people can actually face. I once had the same experience with the hotel room. I made the reservation simply on the basis of information/pictures available on the hotel's website. Regretfuly, once I arrived at the hotel, it was just completely the opposite one. So, probably this kind of practice can be addressed by those who are interested in commercial law or consumer protection law. :-)

Still around accommodation. Yes, in Aberdeen it is more or less the same price as in some other parts of the UK (perhaps London) because of oil/gas development in the city. Housing is generally way too expensive. Consequently, most students prefer sharing flat/house in privately managed courts/houses which are near by the university. If you have 2-3 friends in doin so, I can assure that you certainly will save a lot of money. Bear in mind that accommodation for post-grad (international students) normally given on discount basis, ranging from 40-50%. However, this kind of discount is valid if you pay the your rent fee about 50% or more from the total cost of a year contract. It should be done as soon as you get you CAS. If you apply after starting your course which means you have signed the contract (e-contract), then such discount becomes inapplicable to you.

Courses - each semester if take 2 modules. One module has 30 credits which is a quite heavy if you try to split it up. It is different with MBA students for instance. Although each semester they have 4 modules but each module has only 15 credits. Literarily speaking, 2 modules demand a lot of time for reading (self-study) as the there are only 2-3 lecturers/seminars in a week. For the first semester, you do the two modules along with Research Methods class.

Dissertation - the supervision system in Aberdeen is somehow not fair because during the period of writing you are normally not assisted. Although, some professors are still committed (independently) supervising their students, but law school policy does not permit professors to give a full-range of supervision. The school believes that Dissertation is simply an independent piece of work of each individual student. In one hand, I agree that post-grad students are meant to be independent, yet students still need some sort of assistance (at least 2-3 times) during the whole period of writing on the other. As personally believe that by having assistanship from the professor, the student will be most likely be able to produce a quality work. Moreover, the professor will also be able to note the development of the student during the course work period. Otherwise, students are considered as "money-mechine" at the end of the day. Ultimately, the master dissertation (taught) here is normally not defended by the student in front of the committee, so supposedly some students may be given their work to other professional dissertation producer (commercial basis), and once the work is done. the student simply submit it. After all, nobody checks either the work is done by some or the student him/herself. Thi is completely different what I have in my country where your first degree, second, and or PhD thesis all must be examined by the examiners before the final submission.

I have heard that some other uni in the UK normally give assistance to the students during the period of dissertation project but I am not convinced enough. I am not so sure. In Aberdeen, when you do your plan of the dissertation, you are supervised by your supervisor although the time is relatively short. Each student may have 5-15 minutes for discussing their work with the professor. Hence, the supervision for dissertation plan is normally 2-3 times. As for my experience, I had twice because my first plan was nearly 90% approved. I had to meet again my supervisor with a revised-version.

Despite of the fact that the law school imposes its policy in such a strict way, most professors are always pleased to talk with or students can communicate via email. At this point, it really depends on the availability of the professor during the summer as most of them are on research project or lecturing in other univ/countries. So they travel a lot. Most possible way is the communication via email.

hope this enlighthens some people.

Cheers

"Thi is completely different what I have in my country where your first degree, second, and or PhD thesis all must be examined by the examiners before the final submission."

meant: the students normally have the so-called "viva-voz" in front of the examiners/committess before the dissertation (either first, secod of PhD work) is submitted. At this point, the examiners/committees will certainly know whether or not the work is being undertaken by the student him/herself or someone else. I think this applies only for Master by Research and PhD students in the UK, USA, etc.

Thank you so much for all this information, it's really helpful for me to understand how the programme works a bit better and to make an informed decision.

I'm surprised that they leave you alone so much of the time, with your studies and your dissertation. Does that mean you technically don't even have to be on campus during the dissertation module, because no one checks on you? :s
Did you find this teaching system to be effective despite being so "hands-off" or not?

Also, this brings me to ask about the bottom line:
Did you feel this Master's was worth it? (was it a good investment?)
Did you learn new skills, make contacts, and most importantly, get a JOB afterwards?

Thanks in advance!
P.S: In my country (Venezuela), theses are also supervised and judged by a panel of examiners before approval.

Hi Alexa89,

please be noted that I am still undertaking the LLM. I have not graduated yet.

During the period of dissertation work you are not obliged to be on campus, but you still have to inform the law school once in a week. This is simply the policy of the UKBA imposed upon the university in order to track its students during the summer time. At this respect, if you are non-EU student, you may ask for off-campus leave in order to work from home or your own country.

Effectiveness of the learning process is pretty much subjective and it really depends on each individual student. If you spend time properly for reading the materials recommended on handouts, then you basically can end up the course with an insightful understanding of the course. However, it does not always the same with some students where they actually need instructions or orientations consequently in order to digest the material integrally.

Generally speaking, I have learnt something but that much. The professors are superb, law library is a great resource center and study apart from the university new massive library which has nearly 2000 seats (ranging from silent room, group work room, etc). Law library is relatively small and sometimes too crowded; hence, most students prefer studying in the main library.

In terms of making contacts either among students or professors, you always have a chance to do so. In fact during the semester, the student association has always something to gather people and professor where you can make friends and discussing stufffs in a more casual way. On the weekend, some professors do normally join the students for having a beer, if they are not on duty or research activities, etc.

Employment issue - as what I have heard from some friends who just graudated recently, they find it easier to get a job right after from the course. And, technically speaking the university Career Center (either independently or jointly with the law school) regularly organizes presentation from oil/gas or other relevant companies or oganizations that you may want to consider joining after the end of your course.

Cheers,
ps: FYI, the new library with its new system has made Aberdeen as only Scottish uni (perhaps other uni has the same system but this is what i have heard and known so far)has online resources (books, journals, articles) which can be accessed both on-campus and off-campus. it should not be a problem if you intend to work on your dissertation while being in your country or somewhere else.

I'm surprised that they leave you alone so much of the time, with your studies and your dissertation. Does that mean you technically don't even have to be on campus during the dissertation module, because no one checks on you? :s
Did you find this teaching system to be effective despite being so "hands-off" or not?

Also, this brings me to ask about the bottom line: Did you feel this Master's was worth it? (was it a good investment?)

Did you learn new skills, make contacts, and most importantly, get a JOB afterwards?

Thanks for replying again law-law. I just feel I need to gather as much information as possible before taking this step, so it´s very helpful to see what students in the programme think.