Mihaela Prakova

Once upon a time, a girl decided to follow parallel LLM programmes* at the University of Groningen. Despite the fact that at first glance the programmes were extremely different, the girl was still determined to pursue her wish. That girl was me.

Regarding the organization of the Global Criminal Law LLM programme, it was rigid and really intensive, especially because the two master degrees I pursued at that time had no overlapping courses. Nevertheless, the courses were well-distributed throughout the year, so that I could also focus on completing my master theses. Additionally, the extremely good organization gave me the chance to do an internship as a student assistant teaching a working group for a bachelor course at the Faculty of Law. Whenever I had questions concerning the programme or any other issue associated with it, the friendly and energetic people from the International Office were always ready to help with my concerns.

Next to my academic experience, there were ample opportunities of extracurricular activities to be part of such as joining an association like Nexus or ESN. These organizations contributed to the amazing time I had in Groningen by organizing different cultural and sports activities. Additionally, various career events, especially tailored for master students and their perspective career development, were organized by Nexus. Also, Nexus and  Career Services Law arranged events where one could have their CV and cover letter checked, or get useful tips when applying for job positions.  

The vibrant city of Groningen welcomed me and treated me nicely. With its charming canals, beautiful parks, and vivacious dynamics, the city enchanted me and made me fell in love with it and feel like home instantly. I was impressed by the ‘colourful’, friendly people living in Groningen. In particular, the students from all over the globe I had the opportunity to communicate with gave me the chance to get acquainted with a great variety of cultures.

I was lucky to find a nice and cosy room close to the city centre, yet enjoyed cycling throughout the entire city – which is the easiest way to move from one place to another. Within maximum of 20 minutes cycling I could travel from one end of Groningen to the other. Whenever I wanted to travel within the Netherlands, there was always the opportunity to make use of the ‘NS grouptickets’. I found websites (and their corresponding apps) such as www.ns.nl and www.9292.nl very useful to plan my rides.

In the end, the Global Criminal Law LLM gives you the necessary base to develop extensive academic knowledge and at the same time acquire the pragmatic skills necessary to pursue a career in both the private and public sectors. I am lucky to be able to work in a field I like and want to, and to a great extent this is thanks to the knowledge and experience I have gained throughout this programme. If anyone is considering to enroll in one of the LLM programmes at the Faculty of Law, I would highly recommend choosing to do so.

Mihaela Prakova , Bulgaria, LLM in Global Criminal Law graduate

*Mihaela also graduated from our former International Business Law LLM programme, which is no longer offered.

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