Students Tell Us ...

LaToya Edwards (2007 participant from Duke Law School)

The Hong Kong Institute will forever be one of my favorite law school experiences. Sharing a classroom with professors and students from all over the world is a truly unique opportunity. I learned more about the values and intricacies of other cultures than I could have possibly expected, and every day was filled with stories, insights, and comparisons. I consider myself much more of a "global citizen" than I was before and I am thankful for the memories that we shared.

Joshua Haber (2007 participant from Duke Law School)

My time at Duke's Summer Institute in Hong Kong exposed me to truly unique places, ideas, and people. Hong Kong is a rich, vibrant city, offering exciting east-meets-west entertainment. The courses, taught by world-renowned scholars, were stimulating and challenging, and small enough to provide the opportunity to develop relationships with the professors over a short amount of time. Through students on the program hailed from all over the world, we quickly developed into a community of friends and colleagues who explored Hong Kong's nightlife and discussed the content of our course materials together. Quite simply, the experience perfectly rounded out my first year of law school.

Sameer Sibal (2007 participant from West Bengal National University in India)

The Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law was a phenomenal experience. The courses were fantastic and I gained tremendously from the way they were structured and taught by the faculty. Above all, the program gave me the chance to interact with an eclectic group of interesting students. I hope other students from my university can take advantage of this wonderful educational opportunity.

Lotte Soegaard (2007 participant from the University of Copenhagen)

The Hong Kong summer program was a great experience for me. It is the perfect way to spend the summer because while you are taking classes, you get to meet new friends from all over the world and to experience a lovely city. The program and the classes were well organized. Students stayed at the Robert Black College, next to the University, where classes were taught by great professors from both America and eastern countries. In the afternoons and evenings, we had time to go out and eat lovely dinners at a variety of different restaurants, to experience the night life, and to see some of the many sights in Hong Kong. Some of us even went to China and Macau on the weekends. The summer program is also the perfect opportunity to test your English, if English is not your first language. I absolutely recommend the Duke-HKU summer program to everyone.

Naura Keiser (2007 participant from Duke Law School)

My time in Hong Kong this past summer was an invaluable addition to my educational experience. The Hong Kong summer program gave students and professors from around the world the opportunity to come together against the backdrop of a dynamic, cosmopolitan city. I took courses that were intellectually stimulating, and that really spoke to my interests in international and comparative law. I found the format of the program to be well-balanced, in that participants were able to complete six credits in a relatively short period of time, yet had ample time to explore all that Hong Kong has to offer. Finally, I would especially recommend this program to J.D. students who are interested in international law and who are still exploring their options for the summer following their first year of law school.

Elizabeth Stuart (2007 participant from Duke Law School)

Being given the opportunity to study abroad in one of the most culturally diverse and stimulating cities in the world, with an array of teachers and professors from all over the globe, has been one of the most educationally gratifying experiences I've had at Duke so far. The Hong Kong Institute is a truly unique experience to explore international legal topics in an unparalleled international setting. On a personal level, I have fabulous memories of being situated in the heart of Hong Kong, living on a beautiful campus, and traveling throughout the city and beyond with new international friends and old law school friends. I had high hopes when I left for Asia, and happily, my experience at the Hong Kong Institute exceeded all of those expectations.

David Zelkind (2007 participant from Duke Law School)

Attending Duke's Asia-America Institute in Transnational Law colored my law school experience in such a unique, memorable way. Combine living in Hong Kong with its 24-hour-a-day buzz and rich diversity of cultural offerings; dwelling on the campus of one of the world's foremost international academic institutions, perched atop the sparkling city with magnificent vistas of Hong Kong's distinctive blend of breathtaking natural landscape and avant-garde urban architecture; and then add educational offerings that are just as robust and internationally-flavored as the city that lies below; and there you have it, an opportunity not to be missed. Sure, I learned a great deal in my classes (the likes of which would be hard to find in a typical law school catalogue), but the most important learning took place while I was not even trying -- breathing in that special city with old colleagues and new friends who each lent a distinct perspective on the entire undertaking. I urge anyone to take advantage of all this Institute has to offer.