Fitsum Tiche

After serving as an instructor for three years in Ethiopia, I have always been looking for a study programme that integrates both legal and economic thinking. In my quest for the relevant programme, the Netherlands – being seat of numerous international courts and tribunals and rightly referred to as the ‘legal capital of the world’, not to mention Dutch Universities’ reputation for high-quality programmes and state-of-the-art international research infrastructures – was in the forefront. In the mean time, the University of Groningen was recommended to me by one of its LLM alumni. Deciding to come to Groningen, leaving two other admission offers with full scholarships, was not, however, an easy task. It was not until I arrived here and started attending courses and saw the overall atmosphere that I realized that I had made the perfect choice.

Groningen has certainly excelled in its International Economic and Business Law programme. The deliberate choice of compulsory courses in the curriculum covers core areas of international economic and business law. Yet, the wide range of optional courses gives students the option to make tailor made decisions and emphasize on particular aspect of this broad area of law. In all the courses economics and law do always interact and give a different way of approaching international business law issues. The professors are not only passionate and excellent in their subjects but also very friendly to interact and work with. There is also a lot to be grasped from the truly international class atmosphere with students coming from different countries and walks of life. The incredible support and guidance from the International Office, coupled with a vibrant student city and the very cheerful Dutch people, makes one feel at home. All of this is what RUG’s international rankings, impressive though they are, don’t quite demonstrate -- but what, I believe, everyone who has come to know Groningen would agree on.

Despite the intense workload and demanding curriculum, the International Economic and Business Law programme gives a thorough and focused education in just one year. There is nothing regrettable in coming to Groningen, leaving my family and loved ones back home. I do hope that my exciting experiences will subsist in the coming years during my PhD here at the University of Groningen. Do you want to feel this exciting experience? Come and see it. Finally, I must thank the Dutch government for the generous financial grant through the Huygens Scholarship Programme.

Fitsum Tiche , Ethiopia, LLM student International Business Law