BEYOND BOOKS | An LL.M. Experience at USC

By Siegfred Mison, 2006 LL.M. Candidate

In my student career, I have attended a public school, a military academy, a Jesuit educational institution, and the University of Southern California. I also have some experience in teaching, as I have been a guest lecturer in several seminars and a professor of law for quite some time. As I finish up my LL.M. program at USC Law, I believe I have learned far more than what I expected.

LL.M. student Siegfred Mison is from Manila, Philippines.

I do not dispute the notion that education is learned from books and teachers. After all, the entire learning process has to be systematically accomplished. Teaching is an art; learning is a process. The LL.M. program at USC does not necessarily conform to these notions. I say it positively since USC Law provides an education beyond books. Aside from a flexible curriculum, the program creates opportunities for students to interact with teachers whose credentials are worth emulating. Google the names of Charles Whitebread and Edward McCaffery to find out how impressive USC professors are. They know what to teach and how to teach it! But, the experience only begins with the teachers.

The education also revolves around the students themselves. Due to the diverse background of the students, both from the J.D. and LL.M. programs, any student will practically have resource speakers from America and the rest of the world. Most LL.M. students are professionals whose various legal educations and work experiences can give others valuable insight into how things are done in the real world. A student just has to interact with others, formally or otherwise, to find out things from our multicultural world that you don’t learn from law school. Thus far, I have learned so much about the laws in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and of course, America by just talking, eating and studying with my classmates.

The school itself is located in one of the big cities of the United States, which adds a special dimension to the learning process. The cosmopolitan atmosphere that Los Angeles has to offer allows international students to see the world. Where else can one visit Chinatown, Japantown, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, Thaitown and other cultural hubs in one city? Students can learn a lot about other countries by just taking the time to see the sights, eat different foods, and talk to people from all walks of life. Of course, the city also reflects a good cross-section of American society. USC has sponsored sporting events, concerts, parties and other activities where LL.M. students are exposed to the culture of the United States.

My LL.M. experience has given me a totally different perspective on education. In a world full of different legal systems, one can only know so much in school. There are simply things that are learned outside the four walls of the classroom, beyond the pages of textbooks.