The Definitive 2011 Cambridge Thread


Good Gosh

cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..

cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..
quote

cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..


This is an incredibly naive comment. The fact that a school is renowned for something does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of its teaching in that subject. A university's reputation is built far more on the quality of its scholarship than on the quality of its teaching.

What's Crawford like as a professor? Does he put the same time into his lectures to students as he does into his new papers and books? Is he available to meet outside of class with students who have questions about his lectures? How many lectures does he give to LL.M. students? (Even where a professor is listed as "teaching" a class, it may mean that he or she is only giving two or three lectures out of the sixteen for a particular course.) Note that I'm not impugning Crawford's bona fides as a teacher specifically. I'm not taking any class that he's teaching, nor have I discussed his teaching with others. I'm just saying that until and unless you know the answers to these sorts of questions, it's incredibly naive to say that the quality of teaching will be fine because professors with Crawford's reputation are involved with the course.

Even if Crawford is spectacular, some of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had as a student have been in Cambridge international law LL.M. classes. My colleagues who spend more time than I do at the weekly Lauterpacht lectures in international law have told me that the quality of those lectures has been extremely mixed. Seriously. Do your homework before assuming that "It'll be good because it's Cambridge." If you're admitted, come to Cambridge if possible and actually sit in on the classes in which you're interested. Write to the professors with questions about their classes, and see if they respond and how engaged they are. Ask the law faculty to put you in touch with current students, then ask the students to comment honestly on their classes.

Your comment is particularly naive because you have had friends who are Cambridge students who have TOLD you the same thing as I am about the quality of the education being mixed, and sometimes poor - even if in a different subfield of law. And rather than taking their comments seriously, you choose to ignore them because they aren't consistent with your "Cambridge has to be good" worldview.

<blockquote>cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..</blockquote>

This is an incredibly naive comment. The fact that a school is renowned for something does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of its teaching in that subject. A university's reputation is built far more on the quality of its scholarship than on the quality of its teaching.

What's Crawford like as a professor? Does he put the same time into his lectures to students as he does into his new papers and books? Is he available to meet outside of class with students who have questions about his lectures? How many lectures does he give to LL.M. students? (Even where a professor is listed as "teaching" a class, it may mean that he or she is only giving two or three lectures out of the sixteen for a particular course.) Note that I'm not impugning Crawford's bona fides as a teacher specifically. I'm not taking any class that he's teaching, nor have I discussed his teaching with others. I'm just saying that until and unless you know the answers to these sorts of questions, it's incredibly naive to say that the quality of teaching will be fine because professors with Crawford's reputation are involved with the course.

Even if Crawford is spectacular, some of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had as a student have been in Cambridge international law LL.M. classes. My colleagues who spend more time than I do at the weekly Lauterpacht lectures in international law have told me that the quality of those lectures has been extremely mixed. Seriously. Do your homework before assuming that "It'll be good because it's Cambridge." If you're admitted, come to Cambridge if possible and actually sit in on the classes in which you're interested. Write to the professors with questions about their classes, and see if they respond and how engaged they are. Ask the law faculty to put you in touch with current students, then ask the students to comment honestly on their classes.

Your comment is particularly naive because you have had friends who are Cambridge students who have TOLD you the same thing as I am about the quality of the education being mixed, and sometimes poor - even if in a different subfield of law. And rather than taking their comments seriously, you choose to ignore them because they aren't consistent with your "Cambridge has to be good" worldview.
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How about international commercial litigation, comparative and restitution? Thanks!

How about international commercial litigation, comparative and restitution? Thanks!
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Good Gosh

cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..


This is an incredibly naive comment. The fact that a school is renowned for something does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of its teaching in that subject. A university's reputation is built far more on the quality of its scholarship than on the quality of its teaching.

What's Crawford like as a professor? Does he put the same time into his lectures to students as he does into his new papers and books? Is he available to meet outside of class with students who have questions about his lectures? How many lectures does he give to LL.M. students? (Even where a professor is listed as "teaching" a class, it may mean that he or she is only giving two or three lectures out of the sixteen for a particular course.) Note that I'm not impugning Crawford's bona fides as a teacher specifically. I'm not taking any class that he's teaching, nor have I discussed his teaching with others. I'm just saying that until and unless you know the answers to these sorts of questions, it's incredibly naive to say that the quality of teaching will be fine because professors with Crawford's reputation are involved with the course.

Even if Crawford is spectacular, some of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had as a student have been in Cambridge international law LL.M. classes. My colleagues who spend more time than I do at the weekly Lauterpacht lectures in international law have told me that the quality of those lectures has been extremely mixed. Seriously. Do your homework before assuming that "It'll be good because it's Cambridge." If you're admitted, come to Cambridge if possible and actually sit in on the classes in which you're interested. Write to the professors with questions about their classes, and see if they respond and how engaged they are. Ask the law faculty to put you in touch with current students, then ask the students to comment honestly on their classes.

Your comment is particularly naive because you have had friends who are Cambridge students who have TOLD you the same thing as I am about the quality of the education being mixed, and sometimes poor - even if in a different subfield of law. And rather than taking their comments seriously, you choose to ignore them because they aren't consistent with your "Cambridge has to be good" worldview.


oooh such big words! here's some advice: 1) take a deep breath and dial back the presumptuous accusations. Far from 'being naive' or relying on 'friends' for advice, I speak from experience with regards to the comments I have made. I read law as an undergraduate at Cambridge and have been lectured by Crawford in normal classes as well as the dissertation seminars he teaches for the undergraduate course 'Select Issues in International Law'. other international law lecturers i have had include zac douglas, alex mills, roger o'keefe, and those are just the australian ones. for the record i thought they were all great. i presume i don't have to go on to prove my bona fides? so when i said that i thought the international law lecturers at cam were fab, i did so based on my personal experiences. you may disagree or not, but that does not make me 'naive'.

also if you'd notice i didn't provide a ringing endorsement for IP that was because i couldn't personally vouch for it. so just chill out pal..

<blockquote><blockquote>cambridge is renown for international law, especially james crawford, so i would not worry about that. my friends doing IP as undergrads said the course was nothing to write home about, but perhaps they just don't like IP..</blockquote>

This is an incredibly naive comment. The fact that a school is renowned for something does not necessarily have anything to do with the quality of its teaching in that subject. A university's reputation is built far more on the quality of its scholarship than on the quality of its teaching.

What's Crawford like as a professor? Does he put the same time into his lectures to students as he does into his new papers and books? Is he available to meet outside of class with students who have questions about his lectures? How many lectures does he give to LL.M. students? (Even where a professor is listed as "teaching" a class, it may mean that he or she is only giving two or three lectures out of the sixteen for a particular course.) Note that I'm not impugning Crawford's bona fides as a teacher specifically. I'm not taking any class that he's teaching, nor have I discussed his teaching with others. I'm just saying that until and unless you know the answers to these sorts of questions, it's incredibly naive to say that the quality of teaching will be fine because professors with Crawford's reputation are involved with the course.

Even if Crawford is spectacular, some of the most disappointing experiences I have ever had as a student have been in Cambridge international law LL.M. classes. My colleagues who spend more time than I do at the weekly Lauterpacht lectures in international law have told me that the quality of those lectures has been extremely mixed. Seriously. Do your homework before assuming that "It'll be good because it's Cambridge." If you're admitted, come to Cambridge if possible and actually sit in on the classes in which you're interested. Write to the professors with questions about their classes, and see if they respond and how engaged they are. Ask the law faculty to put you in touch with current students, then ask the students to comment honestly on their classes.

Your comment is particularly naive because you have had friends who are Cambridge students who have TOLD you the same thing as I am about the quality of the education being mixed, and sometimes poor - even if in a different subfield of law. And rather than taking their comments seriously, you choose to ignore them because they aren't consistent with your "Cambridge has to be good" worldview.</blockquote>

oooh such big words! here's some advice: 1) take a deep breath and dial back the presumptuous accusations. Far from 'being naive' or relying on 'friends' for advice, I speak from experience with regards to the comments I have made. I read law as an undergraduate at Cambridge and have been lectured by Crawford in normal classes as well as the dissertation seminars he teaches for the undergraduate course 'Select Issues in International Law'. other international law lecturers i have had include zac douglas, alex mills, roger o'keefe, and those are just the australian ones. for the record i thought they were all great. i presume i don't have to go on to prove my bona fides? so when i said that i thought the international law lecturers at cam were fab, i did so based on my personal experiences. you may disagree or not, but that does not make me 'naive'.

also if you'd notice i didn't provide a ringing endorsement for IP that was because i couldn't personally vouch for it. so just chill out pal..
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Ah, thanks for the explanation. Your first post sounded as though you were a prospective student. Most people who have personal experience of a school tend to mention it in support of their opinion. Since you just mentioned reputation and friends' experiences, I assumed wrongly that you were a prospective. (Edit again: looks like the reading comprehension error was mine. I see that you did post directly above saying that you'd been an undergrad at Cam, and I somehow completely missed that those two posts came from the same person. My apologies.)

I'm glad that you've had such a great experience. I have one of the Australian lecturers you name, and I think he is the best lecturer I have at Cambridge, so we're at least somewhat on the same page. That said, unfortunately I have found the quality of this person's lectures to be exceptional rather than standard (as I would have expected).

Ah, thanks for the explanation. Your first post sounded as though you were a prospective student. Most people who have personal experience of a school tend to mention it in support of their opinion. Since you just mentioned reputation and friends' experiences, I assumed wrongly that you were a prospective. (Edit again: looks like the reading comprehension error was mine. I see that you did post directly above saying that you'd been an undergrad at Cam, and I somehow completely missed that those two posts came from the same person. My apologies.)

I'm glad that you've had such a great experience. I have one of the Australian lecturers you name, and I think he is the best lecturer I have at Cambridge, so we're at least somewhat on the same page. That said, unfortunately I have found the quality of this person's lectures to be exceptional rather than standard (as I would have expected).
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Good Gosh

no worries at all. how are you liking reading for the llm at cam? i always thought it was a bit of a shame how the llm and non-llm lawyers don't really integrate at all...would have been cool to have gotten to know some of them..

no worries at all. how are you liking reading for the llm at cam? i always thought it was a bit of a shame how the llm and non-llm lawyers don't really integrate at all...would have been cool to have gotten to know some of them..
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law lad

...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.

...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.
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JsDupont

That's good news! But where did you see that?

That's good news! But where did you see that?
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Skiia

...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.


I am curious about where you read that; I checked the App tracker and the only TochB I could find was admitted last year ^^'

<blockquote>...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.</blockquote>

I am curious about where you read that; I checked the App tracker and the only TochB I could find was admitted last year ^^'
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Elizabeta

...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.


I am curious about where you read that; I checked the App tracker and the only TochB I could find was admitted last year ^^'



http://www.llm-guide.com/apptracker


I found that he was not admitted last year any will reapply this year...

I hope offers will come some time soon:)

<blockquote><blockquote>...It looks like Cambridge have started to make offers!

"University of Cambridge
01-19-11
TochB
Admitted"

Congratulations TochB!

Law lad.</blockquote>

I am curious about where you read that; I checked the App tracker and the only TochB I could find was admitted last year ^^'</blockquote>


http://www.llm-guide.com/apptracker


I found that he was not admitted last year any will reapply this year...

I hope offers will come some time soon:)
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law lad

Perhaps I am mistaken then.

I saw that he was admitted on the Uk's main page:

http://www.llm-guide.com/uk-ireland

Scroll to AppTracker near the bottom of the page, and it says he is admitted 4th down on the list.

Law lad.

Perhaps I am mistaken then.

I saw that he was admitted on the Uk's main page:

http://www.llm-guide.com/uk-ireland

Scroll to AppTracker near the bottom of the page, and it says he is admitted 4th down on the list.

Law lad.
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Alain

You need to go to the Cambridge AppTracker to see all details:

http://www.llm-guide.com/university/86/university-of-cambridge/apptracker

Looks like he was admitted last year, but just updated his information today.

You need to go to the Cambridge AppTracker to see all details:

http://www.llm-guide.com/university/86/university-of-cambridge/apptracker

Looks like he was admitted last year, but just updated his information today.
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Alain

You can also see that no one has been admitted this year yet.

You can also see that no one has been admitted this year yet.
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Glennie

Alain, I thought the same as you, but TochB posted last year saying they had been unsuccessful and planned to reapply. It's all very mysterious.

In any case, all of this speculation is going to drive us crazy. Whenever TochB received their offer it's great news for them. If it was made last year, then we don't need to torture ourselves by asking why we haven't also received offers. And if it was made this year, there's hope that some more offers may be made shortly.

Alain, I thought the same as you, but TochB posted last year saying they had been unsuccessful and planned to reapply. It's all very mysterious.

In any case, all of this speculation is going to drive us crazy. Whenever TochB received their offer it's great news for them. If it was made last year, then we don't need to torture ourselves by asking why we haven't also received offers. And if it was made this year, there's hope that some more offers may be made shortly.
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Dutchman

Guys, chill out. I know from last year's experience that it's pretty exciting to check whether anyone gets offers, colleges or any letters. BUT there's really no point in going crazy about that stuff. They send out letters for months to come, so even if you're not in the first wave: don't panic.
They seem to be rather slow this year - I got my offer just before Christmans 2009. But even for the 2010/11 class, offers continued to be sent out till April. This year, judging from the late offer emails, it might even be later.

One thing that I would pay attention to in your place, however, is the choice of College (you'll probably still be able to change it via email to Ms Wade). Furthermore, you should reply to any college emails (once they're out, which will take quite a while) as quickly as possible, because this will improve your chances of securing accomodation.
Best of luck to all of you!

Guys, chill out. I know from last year's experience that it's pretty exciting to check whether anyone gets offers, colleges or any letters. BUT there's really no point in going crazy about that stuff. They send out letters for months to come, so even if you're not in the first wave: don't panic.
They seem to be rather slow this year - I got my offer just before Christmans 2009. But even for the 2010/11 class, offers continued to be sent out till April. This year, judging from the late offer emails, it might even be later.

One thing that I would pay attention to in your place, however, is the choice of College (you'll probably still be able to change it via email to Ms Wade). Furthermore, you should reply to any college emails (once they're out, which will take quite a while) as quickly as possible, because this will improve your chances of securing accomodation.
Best of luck to all of you!
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JsDupont

I didn't even know there was an AppTracker lol

I didn't even know there was an AppTracker lol
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MikeLJ

Hmm...this thread seems to have died down...any news anybody??

Hmm...this thread seems to have died down...any news anybody??
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Glennie

No news of the kind you're looking for.

But I was rummaging through the few bits and pieces that I managed to salvage from the Queensland floods yesterday and discovered that the Cambridge shirt a friend bought for me while she was doing the LLM survived. I'm taking that as a good sign...

No news of the kind you're looking for.

But I was rummaging through the few bits and pieces that I managed to salvage from the Queensland floods yesterday and discovered that the Cambridge shirt a friend bought for me while she was doing the LLM survived. I'm taking that as a good sign...
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OK_Compute...

Best of luck. I think it is a good sign, but I hope you have some good detergent. I lived through a flood myself---as anyone who has done so knows, you never quite forget the stench of a flood.

Best of luck. I think it is a good sign, but I hope you have some good detergent. I lived through a flood myself---as anyone who has done so knows, you never quite forget the stench of a flood.
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Glennie

Thanks! The shirt was well above the water line, but will still be getting a good few washes before I touch it again. The thing I can't believe is the way that the mud seems to be alive! Every time I think I've got the last of it out of something, more of it oozes out as soon as I turn my back.

Ah well. I do believe that a few months back I was hoping something would distract me from waiting for news from Cambridge... I brought this on myself, it would seem! :)

Thanks! The shirt was well above the water line, but will still be getting a good few washes before I touch it again. The thing I can't believe is the way that the mud seems to be alive! Every time I think I've got the last of it out of something, more of it oozes out as soon as I turn my back.

Ah well. I do believe that a few months back I was hoping something would distract me from waiting for news from Cambridge... I brought this on myself, it would seem! :)
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