Xie Lin, graduate of the China-EU School of Lawin2011, Ph.D.ofPeking University.
1.How does learning atCESLhelp and influence you?
The study at the China-EU School of Law has helped me a lot, specifically from the following aspects.
The enriched curriculum has given me high-intensity training in both professional reading and writing. Each course has a lot of reading materials and recommended materials from the college. The Chinese law courses generally take the form of written papers, plus a Chinese law graduation thesis, and an EU law graduation thesis, so the training in reading and writing is really profound. The EU law course is taught in English with lectures in the morning class, group discussions in the afternoon, literature in the evening, review on the weekend, and a test in about two weeks. This rhythm is still very familiar. After graduation, I was engaged in anti-dumping work, and the knowledge I learned in EU law was very suitable for my work. The arrangement of the two degrees of the college has given us more choices regarding the direction of our careers.
In addition to the course study, the college provided a tutor for each student . My tutor is Professor Li Shuguang. The knowledge taught by the instructor is more than the classroom learning, and since I followed my tutorin 2011, this teaching has not been interrupted. I also often participated in activities such as salons organised by Teacher Li. Every time I listened to the teacher, I was inspired. The teacher was always very tolerant towards the students. We never heard him negatively criticise others. The students do have problems and are often enlightened by other approaches.I remember when I was studying for a master's degree, I discussed a thesis topic with the teacher. The teacher did not directly reject me. Instead, he gave me an example: "For example, everyone is talking about what to eat now, and you can’t discuss whether you want to eat or not.You can think about the problem of eating Hunan food or Lu Cai or other dishes.” Each tutor has his own style, and the common is the teaching and mentoring of the students, and this kind of teaching or care isnot limited to students who demand their guidance.
The teachers at CESL are particularly good and classrooms are generally packed. The teaching was not only very exciting at the time, but it is also very interesting to review now. I recently reviewed the bankruptcy law class during which teacher Li spoke about central Europe. The important meaning of theproverb “the master is leading the door and practicing by the individual” is that: when the master has passed the essence of his life research onto the students, the degree of knowledge accumulation of the students determines how much he can absorb. This also reminds me of such a plot in "The Condor Heroes". Guo Fu, Yang Guo and Wu's two brothers and four people have stolen Huang Rong's teaching of the dog's stick to the law. Only Yang has learned it. Because Yang has already had the basis of the tricks taught by Hong Qigong. The classmates are more fortunate than Yang Guo’s experience in the past. They don’t have to steal education. The masters taught lifelong lessons to the students in the classroom. However, to really understand the teachers' classes, you still have to work hard before and after class. Even if you don't understand it at the time, you can keep a record and leave it for later review.
Moreover, Chinese and European students may become the preferred readers of some books, and this kind of reading is also the way the author teaches on-site. For example, professor Wang Jun’s Chinese Company Law. Of course, the excellence of the teachers is not only reflected in the teaching, but also in the multi-faceted help offered to the students. For example, one of my class reports was affirmed by Professor Zhu Weiyi, and he recommended it be published in Beijing Arbitration. In addition, Mr. Liu Fei, teacher Fang Liufang, Zheng Yongliu, Liu Zhihui, Liu Jingwei, Zeng Tao, Wu Hongyao, Xue Gangling, Ma Wanli, Hao Qian, Qi Hong, Susan and other teachers also cultivate and care for their students through their own methods. In addition, theadministrative teachers such as Ma Anna, Li Xiaolu, Zeng Binbin, and Guan Ying have always been patiently helping us solve various problems. And we are still treated very well after graduation. When I was applying for a doctorate, Teacher Anna went to great trouble to help. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers.
When talking about learninginCESL, we must talk about the students that work together.CESL has its own fixed classrooms. Students have classes together every day. There are many opportunities for exchanges and there is a good learning atmosphere. You see familiar faces in the libraries and classrooms. Time flies, and the master's degree has been nearly five years. Everyone has their own inspirational aura and has achieved great results in various fields. I am also grateful for the same. At the same time, CESLers will continue to carry forward the spirit of solidarity and mutual help within the school. If there is a question in the group, there will always be a response; if there is free time to find a place to gather, there will always be a discussionofpast and a future topics that can't be finished.
2. Why do you want reading a Ph.D.?
This question can never be answered from an angle, idealised, mainly to contribute to the social solution to the problem and promote the implementation of the rule of law. Reading a Ph.D. is the best way for me to find problems, analyse problems, and propose solutions through research and write works that are useful to society. In reality, studying for a doctoral degree can not only improve your academic level, but also provide better opportunities for your personal career. Every profession contributes to society from different angles. Colleges and universities have their own unique charm that attracted me: time is relatively free, and it is challenging to find problems, analyse them and solve them in a continuous manner.
3. Why did you choose Peking University?
Different schools provide academic research platforms, but each school has various advantages. The advantages of choosing Peking University Law School aligned my research interests.
4. What kind of person do you think is suitable for a Ph.D.? What are the abilities and qualities required to undertake a Ph.D.?
If you are interestedanddetermined, you can succeed. Students ofCESLshould be equipped with the basic abilities and qualities needed to undertake thePh.D.so should be all right. Whether to continue further study is first of all a matter of self-choice. In other words, whether in your personal circumstances, you can give up other things. For example, if you choose to do aPh.D., you may need to give up a high-paying job, or give up your job altogether, or change job. This choice needs to be considered in combination with personal interests, career arrangements, family attitudes and so on.
5. Is there any need to pay attention to the process of applying for a doctorate?
Different schools have different requirements for doctoral admissions, but generally pay more attention to research plans. Specifically, taking the doctoral application of Peking University Law School as an example, the application for doctoral students mainly has twotimesof initial test and retest.
The initial test comprises mainly a written review of the submitted materials, and the list of re-tests is determined according to the score of the submitted materials. The main factors affecting the initial test score are research results and research plans. One of the hard indicators in the initial material review is the English score. For example, a good score in the TOEFL, IELTS or Grade 6 exam is very dominant aspect. If you do not have an English score, you can sign up for the Peking University English Proficiency Test (PKU-GATE).
The retest is usually an interview, and the teachers mainly ask questions about the research plan. The research plan can be written in the same way as the paper. My first failure whenapplying was that I didn't figure out how to prepare my research plan, which made it brief during the retest. Other students held thick sets of papers and I was empty-handed. It can take several months from the time of submitting written materials to re-examination - time which can be used to finalise and further familiarise yourself with the research plan. The specific requirements for the research plan can be referred to the introduction of the doctoral enrollment materials of the School of Law of the University of International Business and Economics, and some of the parts of the research plan are included. More detailed and more specific operations can be equated with academic paper writing.A book that inspired me a lot when writing the paper was calledCritical reading and writing for postgraduatesand was recommended by Guo Wei. It is also recommended to listen to a special writing classinyour spare time.
The above is a general introduction from my personal perspective. The detailed requirements should carefully be read on the enrollment brochure for the year. Peking University is very transparent, and the initial and retest scores are generally disclosed to the public on the Peking University Law School website. Finally, the most important bit of advice I can offer is to go for it if you have an idea.
6. What is your current doctoral study and living situation?
The current learning environment can be summarised mainly as “doing library work”. The important point is to read the literature and write the thesis. In addition, I will also work as a teaching assistant and listen to some interesting lessons. My overall time schedule comprises first-year full course credits, second-year comprehensive exams, open questions, fourth-year pre-answer and defense of my idea. The form of assessment at different stages is basically the way of interviewing. In essence, it is to examine what books have been studied, and the final result is a doctoral thesis. Of course, there are certain publishing requirements for graduation. The current requirement is at least two CSSCI. Life is not much different from normal student life.
7. What do you think about working for a few years after graduation and then undertaking a Ph.D.?
I have been working for three years before I started my Ph.D. The work experience during these years helped me discover my direction of doctoral research.
Law is a very practical subject, and legal practice is closely related to legal research. I chose to study law and chose a law-related profession. Research and writing skills are indispensable in this line of work. Typical examples include how a judge has to write a judgment, a prosecutor has to write a complaint, a lawyer has to write a complaint, or a defense, a company consultant may also have to write articles and so on. Therefore, if you like research and writing, any legal profession can enable you to continue this passion. Work-based research has its advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage is that a specific professional role will prompt you to continue further in a particular direction, reach out to the most cutting-edge practices, and stimulate thinking.Restrint is also related to professional roles: the time available for research is limited, and some studies take a lot of time. Whether you are doing a Ph.D. or working, the identity tag can't constraint your personal interests, because you can squeeze some time to do what you like.
After graduating, whether to first start your Ph.D. or to go working, is your own personal decision - and also a matter of luck regarding the opportunities. If you want to undertake a Ph.D. but you have to work first, then you can at least choose the job that is most conducive to the Ph.D. Some teams are very supportive to their employeestoundertakefurther education.
8. What other suggestions do you have for a junior in studying or career-wise?
The study at CESL is intense, but it is also highly recommended to actively participate in some group activities as much as possible, and to communicate with teachers and classmates. Because future work and life will be even more intense.
