I was given the chance to go to Cornell Unversity Law School as exchange student from August to December 2009. I chose two courses there, namely Public International Law and Labor Law. Public International Law provided me with the US perspective on international law, which I was unfamiliar to in the past. In the Labor Law class, I was often asked to answer questions by the professor,　which encouraged me to preview the casebook carefully and to think over any question I met. Like most law schools in the US, Cornell law school adopts the Socratic method as its teaching method. A class is typically composed of questions put forward both by the professor and the students. Some questions have definite answers, while the majority of questions are open-ended, which inspire students to think deeply and to find a reasonable explanation　for their own. In my opinion, this method is very effective and can be borrowed by law schools in China. I often attended lectures with topics about China, too. From those lectures, I noticed that there are many western scholars who are interested in Chinese law and culture and have done deep research in this field. Communication in the academic field is thus necessary in order to promote the development of Chinese legal system. Besides taking courses and attending lectures, I was writing my graduation thesis in Beida when I was there. Cornell University library has abundant resources, which made it quite easy for me to get materials related to my thesis.

　　　　　　

I also joined in many interesting extracurricula activities, such as winery tour, Fall ball, etc. Through these experiences, I got to know Ithaca, a beautiful area where Cornell University is located, and many international students from all over the world. Sometimes I had the feeling that I was in the United Nations, because in Cornell law school, it is quite easy to meet students from various countries. From conversations with them, I could sense that different nations have different cultures, but there is always something in common.

I traveled a lot during the past few month. When Fall break came, I went to New York City, Boston and Washington D.C.. After final exams, I traveled to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. I had a lot of fun during these trips. At the same time, I experienced diverse styles and cultures of different cities. I also began to understand why people call the US as “melting pot”. All kinds of human races can be found there. In fact, there still exists social discrimination against minority, but more and more Americans are fighting for the realization of equality of all human races.

Four months passed quickly, and I am sure that what I have experienced during the past months is far beyond my expectation. This experience as exchange student is doomed to be an unforgettable memory for me.