It is with utmost appreciation that I write this blog on completing my Masters degree with the help of the Vikram Reddy Memorial Scholarship Award, without which this would not be possible.
I chose the University of Aberdeen because of my wonderful undergraduate experience and the stellar teaching and support from the Professors and Law School. I chose to complete my LLM in Public International Law due to my specialisations in my fourth year which I enjoyed and the extra-curriculars I participated in during this time, such as in the student division of Lawyers Without Borders. All of these contributed to my wish to turn my passion and studies into a career which could only be realised with further studies in this Masters programme. The scholarship aided me in being able to achieve this dream.
Despite the challenges of a switch to complete online learning in the second semester, I have achieved merits in all of my course subjects and excelled particularly in World Trade Organisation: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, achieving an A grade.
To complement my studies I have authored several blog posts for the University Of Aberdeen School Of Law Blog. In addition, I have written two pieces for the International Viewpoint on World Trade Organisation law and a piece on the effect of BREXIT on British lawyers. I also have an article on the use of armed drones as a means and method of warfare under peer review by the Aberdeen Student Law Review.
The scholarship was fundamental to my success in my LLM because of the additional resources needed to study fully online. With library resources less accessible and scarce books having to be quarantined, it was necessary to buy a lot of the course material myself for my own perusal to complete course readings on time. In addition, the costs of further study were only an attainable reality due to the scholarship, as due to the pandemic some of my part time work was put on hold and a catering company I worked for lost its contract for a venue. The scholarship permitted me to study in these difficult times.
I have enjoyed my LLM and am eternally grateful for being awarded the Vikram Reddy Memorial Scholarship which has permitted me to succeed in my course and explore multiple extracurricular avenues, publishing articles on several online platforms.
Annika Murison, LLM Public International Law
