======= Date Modified 25 16 2010 20:16:30 =======
Hi all. I'm about 8mths away from completing my LL.M. at a Canadian uni, and am now looking at PhD options to do beginning 2011 (for which I'd need to apply now of course).

QTN 1: What are people's thoughts on the debate between JSDs(or SJDs) and PhDs? Initially I was very interested in pursuing a doctorate at Ivy League unis, as most of the profs who teach in my LL.B. alma mater have them.. But as I did more and more research I found myself wondering if I really wanted a JSD. I was wondering, if I end up not going into academia for a career, and I applied to some other unrelated corporate job eg. a VP position at an ad agency, would non-law people even care or acknowledge my JSD?

QTN 2: I'm halfway through the processes of elimination now. Certain schools don't sound like what I'm interested in at all programme structure-wise (eg. Harvard is a wonderful fantasy of a great city and the brand name, but in reality I'm not for the large enrollment nor the protracted way they have structured the programme), while others sound brilliant but are in a somewhat unsuitable location (eg. Duke, Emory, Wisconsin-Madison). I'm at a loss to what I should prioritise, especially since this time round it's going to be 2-3yrs in residence. Comments, anyone?


*A brief background to my experiences:
I'm a non-Chinese Singaporean, did my LL.B. at NUS (that's the only place to get real law degrees in the region! LOL) which is one of the best in Asia. I'm well-travelled and LOVE to travel-- I'm a wanderlust who cannot stay put in one place long w/o traipsing about about exploring other countries or just having a break on beaches. Suffice to say, I am also a very 'tropical' girl. I had of course travelled to cold countries and lived in the US before, but those weren't too bad because it was mainly transient. When I came here to Canada, I had no idea it was THIS cold (in Winter, averaging minus 20C every day!) and that the city is just SO WRONG for me-- in short, I had chosen the wrong coast, beguiled by the brand name of the school.

Don't get me wrong. On many fronts, I think I made the right choice in terms of the school. The size is just right, the funding is great, the resources are plenty (faculty-student ratio is excellent, at least compared to 'superstar law schools' like NUS) and the academic culture is great. I love this school.
But in many ways I faced various problems that I could never have lifted from their prospective students' brochure. And the thing is, I could probably put up with them if it was just one or two problems... but ALL of them together??? I was never more depressed in my life at one point.

[Continued...]

1. Not only is this place frigid weatherwise,
2. it's such a small city with nothing to do (for a 'big city'/skyscrapers person like me, especially since I engaged in various wholesome activities and led a very exciting life in Singapore) except for the numerous shady pubs/drinking establishments and the occasional film,
3. the J.D. students are largely spoilt rich white kids who've never met a non-Chinese/non-Indian Asian before (when you make conversation with them, they stare at you as though they believe you're not worthy of speaking to them, it's just awful) OR Asians who try too hard to be white *rolls eyes*,
4. it's virtually impossible to meet intelligent white-collar older people outside of the university setting (then again, even in the university setting it's hard to meet non-obnoxious/ mature people!) to be friends with,
5. my landlady is a wierd old bigot whose bizzare living habits and ranting at Muslims 3 times a day when she watches the (very partial) news on TV drive me nuts, 6. the frozen food culture is simply appalling (compared to the food haven that Singapore is, at least!)...
Oh and of course, my boyfriend of 2yrs cheated on me while I was here, and we broke up :(

Let's just say that by Christmas, I was a total depressive wreck and all alone... so it left an indelible impact on my life. If I could turn back time knowing all these, I would have simply done my LL.M. in a sunny US state, or at least have done greater research beneath the surface of glossy brochures to find a place that wasn't so, well, sucky.

This goes out to other people out there considering postgrad studies o/seas as well... DO YOUR RESEARCH, AND DO IT WELL! Your tolerance level for such things pertaining to your quality of life may be different from mine... You may be someone from a developing country content to share a 2-BR apartment with 20 other housemates or something crazy like that, or you're the quiet sort who doesn't need much of a social life, or you're the extroverted sort who revels in nightlife or whatever-- whatever your thing is, make sure you go into it with full knowledge so you don't regret!

[PART 2]

Oh BTW just to clarify, I'm looking for a PhD programme that's not too expensive or at least has ample scholarship and teaching assistantship opportunities, somewhere that doesn't go to MINUS temperatures often, somewhere cosmopolitan and not insular.

My current choices are as follows, if anyone who has done their postgrad in these schools would care to comment:
1. U of Chicago (great city, and good programme structure)
2. Australia National Uni (already have a supervisor who can offer lots of guidance/work)
3. Duke (great prog. and faculty-student ratio)
4. UC Berkely (great city)
5. Georgetown (DC!)
6. Uni Melbourne (has a specific scholarship for my field of interest)
7. University of British Columbia (I love Vancouver!)
8. Cambridge (well, it's Cambridge duh..:P)

I'd appreciate any advice, thanks!

======= Date Modified 26 Jan 2010 05:24:45 =======
Hi Elleee

I don't have much time, and also am in a different field to yours, so can't offer much I'm afraid. But I can give you one piece of advice, born of hard experience - while ANU is a fabulous uni, Canberra is the most awful place. As you've probably found out, ANU is ranked as Australia's best uni, and the law school is really good. But if you're a big city person, don't, for whatever reason, come to Canberra. It's tiny - population of only 300,000. It's a really, really, white monoculture, except for all the horrible rednecks who also live in Canberra, and because the city is so small, there's no escaping them. There is virtually no culture in Canberra, apart from museums etc, which are fine for a visit, but that's it.

People come here to work or study, because of the ANU and the good government jobs, but most leave as soon as they can because the quality of life is so low. It's a very transient population. It also gets really cold - down to minus degrees for months on end. Not for someone who needs a big city with a decent climate - try Sydney or Melbourne instead. OK, rant over. Good luck!

Hi Sue, thanks!

Actually, I heard that too...from a number of sources, both partial and otherwise. My ex (or bf or whatever we are now, who knows!) did his undergrad there and said it was the worst place ever. He's an Aussie from Melbourne and loves it to bits, although he tells me I might like it more at ANU than in Melbourne because knowing me, I'd find Melbourne is a lot 'unsafer' and it's also got a vibrant nightlife culture (which I care not to be a part of and in fact would rather not have in my face)...

I guess the transience of Berra would be similar to where I am now, and in many ways the brand name of ANU would be just as enticing a prospect as how it was for me coming here ... only this time round I need to make a decision that doesn't just concern me but also my partner and our trying to work things out.

Thanks for your input, it was wonderful! :)