Nynke Bakkenes (Netherlands), student of International Criminal Law 2009-2010
'Columbia was a fantastic experience.'
Dutch student Nynke Bakkenes’s first lesson in the International Criminal Law programme was getting used to the American style of teaching. ‘They provoke students to debate during class and expect everyone to participate. Everyone has their own microphone and when they call your name you have to contribute to the debate. This forces you to really read all the prescribed literature before each class. It wasn’t easy to debate in English at first. But I learned quickly because I had to speak English all day, in and outside class.’
‘Last year the programme had one student from America and five Dutch students. The remaining students came from Puerto Rico, Scotland, France, Germany and England. We did a lot of things together as we all followed the same course, but we didn’t live together. I shared an apartment with two Columbia law students in a university building just outside the campus.’
Bakkenes thinks the process of living and studying abroad was as important as what she learned in class. ‘Columbia was a fantastic experience,’ she said. ‘You learn to judge for yourself and it looks great on your CV.’