Law school is hard. This is no secret. What people may not appreciate is how challenging law school may be for a certain group that gives our law school its celebrated diverse and worldly nature - namely, our international students. In examining the international law student experience at GW Law, it's important to note that, while there are many issues that international students have in common, there is no "one experience" that defines a student any more than that one student defines their country of origin. Their insights as practitioners from outside the American system of law and government is intriguing, deep, and quite frankly entertaining - insights that we tried to capture in this article.

International students are more prevalent at GW Law than other law schools. For example, according to Georgetown University Law Center's admissions website, the incoming class of 2009 was 590 students, with 8% designated as international students - roughly 47 people. George Mason University Law School does not release information about students' domicile, though the school's ABA profile notes that 14 students self-reported as having a foreign nationality.

In contrast, GW Law welcomed J.D. candidates from seven foreign countries and a great deal more through the International Graduate Programs Office. The school received a total of 567 applications from 89 countries for LL.M or S.J.D studies. The entering class has 110 LL.M candidates and one S.J.D. candidate from non-U.S. law schools. These students hail from 48 countries with the greatest number being from China, India, Japan, Korea, Brazil, and Taiwan. Additionally, in the fall of 2008, four international exchange students enrolled at GW Law to study as part of the GW-Augsburg exchange program or the exchange program through the North American Consortium on Legal Education. International students are required to take a course called Fundamentals of U.S. Law, a survey course on the U.S. legal system.

International students at GW represent a wide range of careers - judges, prosecutors, corporate counsel, attorneys, students, human rights activists, and government officials. In fact, international law students are difficult to characterize as a whole, as noted by Susan Karamanian, the Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies."Generalizing is difficult as our international LL.M. students are diverse although they share the fact that they are already trained as lawyers in their respective home countries. Some of our students obtained their first degree in law from a school in an English-speaking country.  Some have lived in the United States before or have traveled extensively here.  Yet we have others who are in the States for the first time and had previously studied law in a civil system, and usually in a foreign language."

As far as recruiting international students goes, Dean Karamanian says that the school actually does not spend a lot of time or energy at recruiting fairs or other events, opting to host conferences and alumni events abroad in order to raise GW Law's international profile. "Our faculty members go abroad quite often to speak at conferences, argue cases, or teach, and they are regularly spreading the news around the world through this and their scholarship about our programs." She goes on to say, "For example, each year we usually will have at least one event in India, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China.  These events, while not directly aimed at recruiting, get out the word.  A number of our students come to us through referrals from faculty abroad or our alumni who know that their students and colleagues will have a first-rate experience at GW Law.  This year I have scheduled trips to India, Brazil, UK, and Germany, and there inevitably will be a few Asian trips and at least one trip to the Middle East."

The main challenge that many international students face is the language barrier. Valerie Dupont, an LL.M student from Belgium knows this first hand. She came to GW Law in order to study in the environmental law program, which was exactly what she was looking for in a legal studies program, especially in Washington, D.C. "Having to study in English is one of the first challenge I faced," she says. "Reading in English just take much more time than in my mother tongue, understanding the professor can be sometimes tricky and I took quite a long time to overcome my embarrassment to speak with an accent in class."

Once students face the challenges associated with learning in another language, they sometimes encounter difficulties with the substance of their studies. Dean Karamanian explains: "For many students, particularly those in the latter category, getting a grasp on the case method and the application of legal principles to new facts poses interesting challenges.  Legal education in some civil systems can be quite theoretical so the intensive focus on facts, and the analysis of the law by using subtle changes in facts through hypothetical scenarios, can be a bit unsettling.  But after a month it seems the students adjust and this is not surprising, of course, as they have already gone through rigorous legal education back home."

Alexander Tadion, an LL.M student from Geneva, Switzerland, says that the biggest challenge for him was getting used to the rhythm of law school. Tadion studied in Aix en Provence and Tuebingen, and had never faced a curved grading system before coming to GW Law. He says that "I had never had to study that consistently for every single class in my last 5 years of university. Law School in France and Germany is really different. Professors don't ask questions during class and students never have to prepare or read anything before the lectures." He also said that the substance of class is difficult because this is his first time studying in a common law system. "Having a mandatory class in American Law has helped a lot but at the beginning of the semester it was really hard for me to understand everything that was said in other classes as I didn't fully know the basic elements of the American system. It's really hard to follow a National Security and Foreign Policy class when you don't know the powers of Congress or the President for example."

Dupont agreed, saying that the biggest challenge for her was not reading or speaking English but rather learning while using the American case method of study. "I was really not used to read so many cases and to try to understand what the law from it. In a civil system, we learn the law out of statutes and then we read some cases to see how it is applied in practice." She also says that she had to get used to an entirely different style of teaching. "I've never been used to get ready for classes and participate. What I felt my situation was distinct from American student is that I don't have the same background in American law than they do. Sometimes things that are supposed to be acquired or common sense, are not especially for me."

Dean Karamanian teaches Fundamentals of U.S. Law and sees the differences between U.S. and international students in action while in the classroom. "Class discussions are the liveliest when we cover race and gender discrimination and freedom of speech. Flag burning, in particular, always generates a strong reaction. Five years ago, one student shouted out, 'Blasphemy!' when I mentioned flag burning. I enjoyed reminding the student that blasphemy doesn't appear in the US Constitution. Also, I've noticed over the years that some students from the former Soviet Union have a very interesting take on presidential authority, which we cover in discussing the Steel Seizure case."

Yet while international students may have a different perspective on political or legal issues as a result from a different educational or personal experience, many of them have come to GW Law for reasons that are almost identical to those of U.S. students. Tadion chose GW Law for the strength of its LL.M program and professors as well as the reputation of the law school. He says, "It was always a dream of mine to finish my studies in the United States as it offers the best infrastructures and most well-known universities in the world. As a student specialized in International Law, I couldn't think of any better places to be than Washington DC. The city hosts some of the most prestigious international organizations in the world and truly is the capital of international relations." He adds, "Also I thought it would be quite amazing to come back to Europe and be able to say that I was studying only 3 blocks away from the IMF, the World Bank and the White House."

Dupont says that U.S. students can learn a lot from international students here at GW Law, particularly if they are interested in a foreign system of law. She also says that, "even if we know a lot about our laws, we can be really confused about the law here, especially when we are confronted to concept we have never heard before." More importantly, Dupont says that it is important for other students to know that "we are here because we are eager to learn more about the American system, to understand it as well as  to understand the American culture and its way of doing things."

Tadion says that even though international students may have a different perspective, "we are not so different from American students." Many students speak multiple languages and often have "a broader vision" of what they learn that comes from a different legal and educational system. "We all study hard to pass and we all have to decline invitations to party because we have a memo to finish at the library on a Thursday night."

For those students who may not yet be friends with an international LL.M, Dean Karamanian had some advice: "I would encourage all US students to take the time to get to know our international students. The good news is that this interaction is already happening, for example, through social and other events such as language discussion groups, organized by various student groups.  The friendships made in law school tend to last.  Having foreign lawyers as close friends will help professionally, particularly given the increased trans-boundary flow of commerce, people, and services.  And these friendships usually lead to a more fulfilling life."

Based on his experience at GW Law, Tadion agrees. "I don't know if there's anything specific I'd like non-international students to know about us because I feel like I've been welcome with open arms by everyone I've talked to so far. I would tell them to ask us about our own legal system or the different opportunities that happen abroad if they ever want to study somewhere else and work outside of the US. Also meeting people from around the world is a great experience. We learn from each other and at the end of the year I'll be proud to say that I won't have to pay for a hotel room in half the countries in the world!"