Case Study Studying Abroad

It is a common phenomenon recently that more university students in China go abroad for further education, especially to the US or the UK. Law school students are no exception. Once getting admitted to law schools, students start to plan their future. Though going abroad to polish oneself is the most controversial topics for law school students in China, they should study abroad, on the premise that they have received offers from the optimal universities and could afford the tuition and living expenses. Not only can it enrich life experience, but can also strengthen professional knowledge and benefit career prospect. The main purpose of studying abroad is to forge oneself into a more competitive “gold,” instead of gilding on a piece of “iron.”

Chinese legal system basically inherited the frame and specific legal provisions from continental law system, especially from Germany and Japan. Since the reform and opening-up, new department laws, like Contract Law and Intellectual Property Law, have been absorbed from common law system (see He Qinhua…). In modern society, the most dynamic branches of law are related to business, where common law maintains the leading role since colonial period. Now America, the largest economy, has set up many rules and patterns for business. For better practice in work, Chinese students ought to study these legal thoughts straight from the origin. In contrast, staying put will limit visions and confine minds to a small zone. On the other hand, LSAT and other English exams are highly required for students to study law abroad. LSAT stresses logical thinking ability and English reading ability, which are indispensible to a lawyer. In sharp contrast, graduates in China mainly pay attention to interpreting and reciting articles of law, rather than analyzing cases and really “think,” due partly to the Chinese education

More job choices will be available for students who really work hard to accumulate legal knowledge and internship experience when studying abroad. Some opponents complain that superfluous overseas returnees have been destroying the balance of supply-demand relationship in domestic market and fail to present more excellent performance than students without overseas educational background. But generally speaking, students at least achieve fluency and accuracy to handle professional work in English, which gives them an edge over other candidates in interviews back in China. Whether staying overseas or returning to China, outstanding professional ability, plus international internship and insight, will guarantee job-hunters more competitiveness. Furthermore, whether choosing to become a lawyer or doing non-litigation job, business area demands specific legal knowledge and excellent English ability because English is most widely used in this dynamic field. Overseas returnees have much more superiority than their fellows. Society always calls for sharpest individuals as driving forces to social advance. Having gone through those hardships and struggling of studying abroad, most of these students will turn into precious “gold” that can shoulder greater duty in