Three questions with former “Chinese Law Taught in English” student Kirsten Nelson-Burke who completed the programme in 2016. Previously, she obtained an LL.B. in Law at Trinity College Dublin. Currently, Kirsten, 24, is studying at the University of Hamburg.

If you could give your younger self, who is just about to start at the China-EU School of Law, a piece of advice, what would that be?

- Be patient! Some things need a little while to be figured out. In Beijing, while getting into the dorms on campus was the easiest thing I ever did in my life, opening a bank account for instance took me three days. It was freshers’ week, with long queues of students wanting to open a bank account. As an exchange student, you also need to have a Chinese phone number before you can do anything, so you need to make sure that your mobile has no SIM lock and buy a Chinese SIM card. In the end, however, everything worked out fine.

What is the China-EU School of Law’s biggest asset?

- To me, it was the multicultural experience. I felt I was immersed in a brand new culture in China where I learned so much. Chinese culture, for instance, focuses a lot on meals with your friends or family. These meals are one of the main events of the day where you really take your time to socialise and focus on each other. I did not take much time for that in Europe. In return, my fellow students also learned from me about my culture. They also had a perspective about the West before meeting me, most often without ever having left China. So I guess I sometimes made them come out of their shell a bit, as well. When I suggested dinner at 9 p.m., for instance, a Chinese friend of mine at first was rather in shock because she usually eats around 6 p.m. Thus, not only did I experience Chinese culture, my Chinese fellow students also experienced my European background, and, on top of that, I learned about their perspective on my culture – quite interesting for all of us.

What are your plans now?

- Currently, I’m in the second term of the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Programme in Law and Economics, where I can study at three European universities to obtain a double or triple degree. The first term I spent at Erasmus University Rotterdam, now I am at the University of Hamburg. I actually chose this programme for the same reasons I chose the Chinese Law Taught in English programme. Academically, there are very well established universities involved. On top of that, I get to experience living in different places. This is amazing because it broadens your horizons so much. Maybe that sounds a bit clichéd. However, I already experienced in China that through living in and learning about a new culture, I got to know myself very well. I came with no firm expectations of China, I just soaked it all in, let the country do to me whatever the country does. People often asked me when I told them that I was traveling to Beijing whether this would be tough, but with my approach, it was not. China was the least stressful time of my life.

Kirsten Burke-Nelson (in the middle) with fellow students.