What Sevinj says about the Master's in European Business Law

Sevinj from Azerbaijan

About the programme and the teaching style 

How did you find out about this programme and why did you choose it? 

"I really wanted to specialise in Business Law. I'm very interested in the activities and legal organisation of companies and my scholarship with the Swedish Institute was one of the main reasons for my coming to Lund. One of my best friends is also an SI scholarship holder and he really inspired me to apply for this programme. After very little research, I already felt that this is the university and the programme that I really wanted to study. The website provides enough information to decide if you want to study this programme. It was one of the best programmes for the Business Law specialisation.

There is also a lot to say about Lund University, since it is one of the top universities in the world. It is very prestigious and has a very convenient atmosphere for students. Sweden itself is a very safe and beautiful country to study in."

What do you think about your programme so far? Does it live up to your expectations? 

"It even exceeds my expectations, I would say! I was very nervous and anxious about the fact that I will be studying European Law and European Business Law while coming from a non-EU jurisdiction. I also thought that I will have some language barriers with studying and communicating with others, but it didn't happen because the structure of the programme was really considerate to all students from both EU and non-EU jurisdictions."

What is the best thing about your programme?  

"I like its’ structure. It started with the constitutional law, and then went with the internal market where we had a broad overview of how the EU works. Then, we proceeded with the competition law, which I was the most excited about! I have just completed my course on intellectual property and we were told its relations with business law as well. I also like that the exams are not too stressful, as we are given enough time to do research, to think about what we are writing about and that we do not have boundaries on what to learn and do research on. I really like our professors, they are supportive, help us and respect everything that we think and share."

Why should prospective students choose this programme? 

"The programme is very specific, so if you are really interested in business and you want to specialise in the private sector – you are interested in its activities, you want to be the hero of the company that you are working in to organise its legal activities professionally – then it is the right choice for you! I would say that there is no need to worry about whether you are coming from an EU or non-EU jurisdiction because you will get used to the EU jurisdiction and you will get the fundamentals very effectively."

What is your favourite course and why? 

"It is very hard to select one, but my favourite course is Competition Law because this is one of the fields that I also wanted to dive into and do research on. The course is also interesting to ensure fair competition and to fight against monopolies and unfair competition. I also like the Intellectual Property course, the European trademark copyright and design course."

Have you been able to gain any practical experience during your studies so far?  

"I plan to start my internship in Germany very soon at one of the prestigious law firms that specialise in Business Law, particularly fund management and asset management. I'm very excited about it! We have had some study visits too, especially to Swedish law firms, and I was able to ask them some business-related questions and I was it was very insightful for me as well."

What do you think of the teaching style? 

"I like it! The seminars are based on group work and, in the beginning, I didn't like that as much. But when one of my professors explained that the main reason that we choose group work is that peer-to-peer work is more effective, it made sense. Peer-to-peer conversation and discussion can clarify your questions and it gives you more confidence to ask questions to a peer rather than a professor. Regarding the exams, we are free to choose topics and we have enough time to do research on our papers. You are not forced to memorise everything because it's impossible, and I believe that it's not something that lawyers should do to pass exams! Rather, we should learn to explore and do more research on a particular topic to be able to learn something efficiently."

How “international” is your programme?

"We are up to 30 students and many of them are from different jurisdictions, countries, nations and backgrounds, which is really interesting! We have students from Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Germany, Finland and Azerbaijan, so it's quite international! One of the interesting things about studying in such an international group is that you end up with very interesting discussions because everyone comes from different countries, and they have different perspectives towards some courses and some cases since every country has a different legal system."

Thoughts on being an international student at Lund and extracurricular activities  

What it is like to be an international student at Lund University? 

"It is very interesting, you can do whatever you want regarding your studies, or if you want to socialise, you can go to nations for example. There is really a lot to do, and it depends on your interests. For me, I love gaining more knowledge in law and my programme and faculty organise very productive webinars, seminars and discussions regarding the recent topics and law, which is really helpful for me! There are also a lot of student organisations and societies if you want to socialise and make friends."

Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? 

"I really like to be social and, especially during my student years, I try to be as proactive as I can because these are very valuable years for me. Alongside my studies, I am one of the student ambassadors of Lund University which is something that I'm very happy about because we have a chance to express our feelings, share our experiences and learn with prospective or newly admitted students. We answer their questions if they have any and you really meet a lot of people. We have monthly meetings which are very fun, we meet a lot of ambassadors. I am also the chairperson of the Swedish Institute’s local network in Lund and with my team, we are responsible for organising productive and useful events related to the sustainable development goals in Lund. I was also a part of ELSA (European Law Student Association) during the first academic year. ELSA is the world's biggest law student association, and I had the chance to be a part of the organising committee’s study visit to Brussels! We visited the European Parliament and the UNESCO which was really insightful and productive for me!"

Tips for prospective students and surprises about Sweden 

Do you have any advice for other students that are considering coming to Lund? 

"First of all, I think they should feel happy about this choice. I really love what I'm studying and I highly recommend to spend their time in a productive way as much as they can. Just do not be afraid of making new friends and being a part of any organisation, because you have a lot of options you can choose from. Try to be involved in different organisations and different societies as well."

What surprised you the most about Sweden? 

"Coming from an overcrowded and noisy capital city, I can say that Sweden is very quiet! Lund as a student city is very hectic but, at the same time, the city itself is very safe and quiet and you never see any conflict in the streets. You may think Lund is a small city that you can easily get bored of, but I really discovered myself here and that I'm actually not a big city person! I really like to live in a tiny city especially one like Lund that is full of nature. Its buildings really amaze me!"