Why did you choose to study abroad and why at Bucerius specifically?
Coming from a University that is heavily oriented toward public law, and with a deep interest in international law, I was attracted to Bucerius Law School mainly because of its focus on international private law. I believe it is a fascinating area, which I had not had the opportunity to get to explore in depth. The courses offered by Bucerius as well as its well-respected reputation in the field made me interested in being a part of its exchange program.
Would you recommend the exchange program to other students from Argentina?
Definitely. Being able to take part in an exchange program is a privilege that not many Argentine students have. I encourage those who can to take the opportunity.
In what way was studying at Bucerius different than at your home law school?
Almost everything. Studying at Bucerius came with a lot of changes for me: having the same classmates in each class, sometimes spending over seven hours a day in a classroom and even having almost all of our exams on a computer were some of the “little” things that do not happen at home. In addition, attending class in English was a new experience for me.
In the grand scheme of things, the Universidad de Buenos Aires consists of around ten separate buildings spread across the city. It also has more than 350.000 students. Particularly, its law school has around 20.000 students. In this sense, attending a school where everything is built around fewer students was something that took me some time to get used to. However, this led to a more organized and structured everyday life, which I learned to enjoy.
What is the most interesting thing you learned academically and personally during your exchange term?
Academically, I developed a new interest in international private law, specifically in international commercial arbitration. In this sense, I truly enjoyed Professor Kröll’s class on the subject. I particularly learned a lot during its final exam, where we simulated a hearing in Vis moot style.
Personally, one of the things that I take the most pride in at my home University is the diversity of its students. Given that it has no admission exam and that it is public, free, and secular, the Universidad de Buenos Aires is the place where a lot of people from different socioeconomic, cultural, and regional backgrounds meet each other, often for the first time. For me, Bucerius allowed me to expand that experience. It gave me the opportunity to meet people from different cultures on an intercontinental level while maintaining a deep variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
We were an extremely heterogeneous group of students: some were visiting a foreign country for the first time, while others were halfway through their objective of visiting all the countries in the world; some were extremely fluent in English and German, while others would get to their home exhausted after attending one full class in English; some were heavily reliant on their savings or scholarships, while others traveled almost every weekend; some were enjoying a break from having to work a full time job back home, while others were eager to have their first employment opportunity after graduation.
In this sense, the different perspectives provided by such students transcended casual conversation and were often reflected inside the classroom. I also believe that the ability to continuously bring together such diverse groups of students speaks great about Bucerius.
What was your favorite experience during your exchange term?
Although I generally think of the exchange experience as a whole, there was one activity that I particularly cherished. A few days before Christmas, some of us organized a dinner at the university’s games lounge. Each of us prepared a dish from our home country and we all made presents to each other in Secret Santa style. This resulted in an extremely fun night, full of delicious food, where we all had fun playing games and dancing.
What was most surprising to you about studying abroad?
For me, German culture was the thing that surprised me the most. I was under the impression that people in Germany were not going to be as nice or “relaxed” as maybe other people in Europe with whom I had interacted. However, that could not have been further from the truth: from Bucerius staff to the people on the street, everyone was always extremely kind and willing to help.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the future exchange students at Bucerius?
Definitely check out the Airbus factory! A few of us went during the exchange term, and it was amazing. Even as someone who doesn’t understand/know a lot about aircrafts, it was worth the visit since it is not something you get to see every day.
Last, but definitely not least, don’t forget to bring an umbrella!
Juan, thanks for the interview!
