Friends, travel and growth: The allure of Fribourg Law School

University of Fribourg Institute of International Business Law

23 Jan 2020

A memorable legal study experience abroad typically has three elements: An inspiring curriculum, passionate faculty members and a vibrant student culture.

Fribourg Law School is one of the universities in Europe that offers all three

Its academic prowess is evident from its performance in world university rankings, while the breadth of expertise of its faculty members can be seen from the list of publications they have published in.

For insight into the campus community, Study International caught up with three postgraduate students to find out more about the extraordinary time they had at the law school and city.

Friends from all over the world

Priyanka Joshi did extensive research of law schools before choosing Fribourg Law School’s LLM Compliance programme. Not only was it diverse, she also found the programme to be comprehensive, interesting and versatile. Combined with industry specialists as instructors, it was exactly the programme she was looking to help upskill herself in today’s fast paced industry.

Originating from India, however, made it hard for her to envision what life would be like at Fribourg Law School.

She didn’t have much to worry. Though it was challenging at first to move away from her family and friends, Priyanka soon found herself settling down in no time. She quickly grew fond of the vibrant student life and the opportunity to learn so much from the diverse group of students and staff on campus.

It’s not hard to have a good time at this historic city for Priyanka. Her favourite thing to do is to simply unwind and bond with her friends and colleagues after a productive day of studying.

“Fribourg is a quaint little city designed for the student community. It has an international vibe and accommodates the cultural diversity of the student diaspora,” she said.

“The programme helped me make some wonderful friends from different parts of the world which most certainly is the highlight of my time in Fribourg.”

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International exposure in the heart of Europe

Micah D Wells wanted to be in the world’s capital for banking, fintech and commodity training. He knew that meant Switzerland. And for his requirement of an established and well reputed university with some of the best academics and legal professionals in the world, he found that in Fribourg Law School.

“As an American, I felt that in order to call myself an international lawyer, that I should benefit from studying and living in another culture which would increase my knowledge of other legal systems, cultures and business practices,” he said.

Micah is pursuing a suite of postgraduate programmes here: LLM Commodity Trading Law, LLM International Contracts and Arbitration and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Compliance.

In addition, he joined professional organisations, published articles in international magazines and attended several professional conferences. These experiences exposed him to new sectors and increased his knowledge as an international lawyer.

“The resources and education from the excellent professors [as well as] being in Switzerland allowed me to take advantage of the many professional organisations located in this country,” he said.

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Exploring and integrating in Switzerland

Anda Pandrea is an LLM in International Contracts and Arbitration graduate from Fribourg Law School who found studying at Fribourg a truly meaningful experience.

The 26-year-old from Romania attended highly practical classes on campus, which focused on dissecting real-life cases. She also joined moot courts, putting her oral advocacy and case presentation skills to test. Frequent trips to the Institute of Compared Law in Lausanne meant she had the opportunity to join the moot course there as well.

Anda also took French and Italian classes at the Centre de Langues at Fribourg to learn the local language and integrate better.

When she was not chasing her academic and professional goals, she was exploring Fribourg or the nearby cities such as Bern, Lausanne, Neuchatel and Geneva. City breaks to these locations – which offer a wealth of unparalleled variety in a very compact space – are convenient from Fribourg Law School as there are easy and reasonably fast transport options to get there.

Located at the foothills of the Alps and less than 20 kilometres from Lake Morat, there is also a huge range of recreational and sporting activities to enjoy close to campus.

“Fribourg is a small, safe city. What I like about it is that because it’s a student city with a big University, you always have the chance to meet other fellow students,” she said.

“Fribourg will give you the opportunity to have a great education experience and to meet new amazing people from all over the world.”

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