End of Michaelmas Term!!

By pinkcauldrons in LLM at LSE- 2007-2008. on Dec 08, 2007

Hello there, all fellow LLM students and LLM applicants. Nearly three months of LSE are nearing their end, and its time to look back and ask some familiar questions. Was it what I expected? Do I like it? Is my huge investment in this one year, actually going to be worth it?

Questions that haunted us throughout the application process, and which will probably stay with us until we graduate! Having opted to do this LLM straight out of an undergraduate degree in law (in India), I find the depth of the study in these classes to be quite overwhelming. The reading lists are humungous, and woe betide one who hasnt prepared at least a little, for every class. LSE is a lot of hard work. It is, also, a lot of fun. You can be shut up in your room all day, swotting, or you could do a good balance of both, seeing what London is all about, as well as keeping up to date with your studies. The latter is what I sincerely strive to do, not always with too much success.

There are definite advantages of being at the heart of this fabulous city. I managed a cheap last minute ticket to a beautiful ballet at the royal opera house, yesterday, and only needed to walk for 5 minutes to reach my destination! However, the heart of the city is expensive. Transport and food are ridiculously expensive, here, and it can get very stressful if you are on a shoe-string budget.

That said, the quality of the teaching at the school remains at a very high level. Expect no hand-holding or spoon-feeding. Professors are easily approachable, but if you havent done your bit of reading, you will quickly find yourself in a spot. It is extremely competitive and can be very daunting in the first month, but it does get better with time.

This place depends very much, on how much you put into it. Most professors here are experts in their fields, and there is a lot of opportunity for informal academic banter, provided that you yourself have a good grip over that particular area of law. In fact, I might have got a lot more out of this LLM if I had say, 3 or 4 years of work experience in my specialist area.

It took me a while to get used to the system of teaching out here, which pre-empts that the student already has some level of mastery of the law. A strong foundation in the basics are absolutely necessary, and I will have to put in extra reading time in the holidays if I want to remain in this crazy academic marathon.

The pace is hectic, the place is stunning, and time really does fly away, faster than you can imagine. Is it worth the money? With one-third of the LLM nearing its end, I can say, yes, most probably. It remains to be seen how strong the LSE name is at the workplace, however, and that can be answered only once I graduate.

Comments

pinkcauldr..., Sep 05, 2009 13:09

Hello. You seem to have a comprehensive CV which will definitely help in admission. Make sure your Statment of Purpose is good. Go ahead and apply well within the application deadlines, and then just pray and keep your fingers crossed!

sim_vs, May 14, 2009 11:38

hey,

I am a final year student of law from india. I am interested in LLM IPR/Corp law(2nd choice). I just want to focus on applying to Ox, Camb, LSE, UCL, n KCL. I have an aggregate of arnd 65% till now...I have interned also in various Indian Companies, have one published article and have 4 diplomas including in IPR and corp laws. What else should i do to better my chances of getting thru these colleges? Also it would be really helpful if you could tell me if i stand any chance of getting thru any of these..

pinkcauldr..., Jan 05, 2009 16:29

Hi Timotheou.
A basic qualification for an LLM is that you have also done your undergraduate degree in Law. The natural academic path for you would be a masters in economics. However, it is not guaranteed that this will land you a good, business oriented job. Only study if you want the masters as an end in itself.

alextim, Nov 24, 2008 11:16

Hello all,

I have graduated from H.E.C in Lausanne Switzerland, which provides an economics degree. After working a year and a half in Thomson Reuters in a more finance orientated job I find myself more interested in pursuing a business career rather than a Finance career. One way to do that I felt was to follow a Law Masters.
I was wondering if you could assist in telling me if I would be qualified to follow the courses at Lse or other London Universities having finished an economics Bachelor in Switzerland with a 4.6/6.
Any information would be a great help to me.
I would prefer to be contacted on my personal email:alexandros.timotheou@hotmail.com

I would be most grateful to anyone that could provide some info upon this subject.

Regards,

Timotheou Alexandros

pinkcauldr..., Aug 17, 2008 18:15

another thing..do some scouting around to see if the faculty who teach your subject are good. It really helps to have not only the top person but a good teacher in your subject of interest. anyway the program will give you a few sample classes before you finally have to decide on the subjects, so use that time well, and attend every sample class that even remotely interests you.

pinkcauldr..., Aug 17, 2008 18:10

Just take what interests you most and if it happens to be tailored, (specialist) then fine. If it doesnt, thats also fine. The important thing is to learn what you came there to learn and hopefully get good grades. Employers look for excellence in your chosen field. It doesnt matter a lot whether that field is M&A or IP...

tagotra, Aug 05, 2008 16:40

Hi pinkcauldrons

Thanks a lot for the reply. The list of subjects offered at King's is given on the following link:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/gradstudy/llm/prog/specllm/

Also please tell me should I go for a specialist LL.M. or a tailored one?
In tailored, we can choose any subject from any combination. I'm confused... coz a general / tailored LL.M. shouldn't sound vague. But the subjects which I want to take are not being offered together.

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply and help :)

pinkcauldr..., Aug 03, 2008 12:44

Hi Sahil. There is no need to feel devastated just because LSE rejected you. Whether a university accepts you or not, is not a measure of your competence as a lawyer. Kings is also a good college. I'm not the best person to ask about which subjects would work for litigation. I took arbitration at LSE and enjoyed it thoroughly. I also took Trademarks, and was very happy with it. I dont know about the range of subjects offered at KCL. Perhaps you would be interested in Human rights if you are more inclined towards litigation? Whatever you do, dont take subjects just for the heck of it, especially if you are fundamentally not interested in them and you took it just because it would sound good on your CV. You'll work much better with subjects that interest you, and honestly, Indian employers dont care to much that you took one subject over the other. They just look for committed, intelligent people who can justify why they did an LLM. Send me the Kings link to their course range so I can have a look. Ultimately, do what YOU know you will enjoy.

Hi Madhavi,
All your questions have already been answered on various posts on this site, and the blogs too. Just do a search for relevant posts and read the blogs. You will get all the information you need.

msn, Jul 31, 2008 22:11

hey all,
I am currently in my penultimate year india pursuing my LLB course. I am keen on getting through OXBRIDGE. Just wanted to know about job prospects post LLM in Uk.
Also, how different are they from US? Does work experience count while applying for an LLM? Also, in terms of course fees and living expenses (bare minimum) how expensive is the course from OXBRIDGE?

tagotra, Jul 30, 2008 15:34

Hi pinkcauldrons

I'm from India. I had an aggregate of 62% and a first class in the final year too (Pune University). I was rejected by LSE... dont know why. I feel devastated. I've taken King's (KCL). Pls tell me what subjects can be good for me if i'm only interested in Litigation (no corporate for me). Though i've taken Copyrights, Trademarks, International commercial Arbitration and Comparative constitutional Law, i'm not too convinced. Pls reply on my email tagotra@yahoo.com if possible.

I'll be glad to receive your reply and suggestions.

Thanks
Sahil Tagotra

pinkcauldr..., Jun 26, 2008 12:52

Hi Helena,
I'm sorry i have no idea about which is better out of bristol, nottingham and leeds. All the best for your LLM

Helena85, Jun 04, 2008 22:17

Hello pinkcauldrons ,
I read your article ...it was really great to hear that so much hard work will turn out to be really ... very rewarding.
I am an undergraduate student who has recently applied for the LLM in International Law in the following universities: University of Bristol ,Unv of Nottingham and Unv Leeds.
Which do you think is most prestigious in the field of law between this three ? I was currently made an offer at Leeds and I am very near in taking a response from Bristol and Nottingham as well this soon .
Thank You.
P.S You have launched strong foundations for your future career , Good Luck

akansha tyagi, Jan 27, 2008 18:20

nice experience, helps me to understand LSE better and life of students there.

mrindia, Jan 08, 2008 22:36

Hey Pink Cauldrons...

Glad to hear that you are having a great time in LSE.... how about informing the prospective applicants about important activities that goes on in LSE like thursdays after 8:00pm? ;)

bombayrocker2, Jan 01, 2008 20:19

hey!
thanks for your reply.
ur reply has made me think about certain things.
firstly, if chances of getting placed with some firm are negligible in uk..why should we go to uk instead of us for an llm degree?
secondly, after coming back to india, without any work ex., does it make any difference to your job profile or pay package?
thirdly, if u are doing ur llm frm abroad, its bound to be expensive.how do u recover ur money u have spent?
thanks for ur patience!
take care. :)

pinkcauldr..., Jan 01, 2008 13:41

Hi. Voluntary work means work with an ngo. I think placement here, is next to impossible. LLM graduates are treated on the same footing as UK LLb graduates and there is a two year waiting period before you can start on a training contract, assuming you get one. For Indians I feel it makes a lot more sense to go back and work in India.

bombayrocker1, Dec 24, 2007 21:15

hey there!
thanks so much for the quick reply!
i guess u need to get manage a 60% above thru out ur 5 years...and with good internships and articles u have a good chance of making it to lse..! ( the sad part is that i hate mooting!..n ya..i didnt quite understand the term ' voluntary work' ...?
what abt the placement scenario ?
easy to get a training contract?
one of friend;s cousin did his llm frm lse last year got a job at A & O last year with an amazing salary!
is he jt one of them or is it the general scenario there?
sorry to put u up with too many questions again!
thanks again!
take care! cheers ! :o)

pinkcauldr..., Dec 23, 2007 20:46

hi bombayrocker!
LSE expected an overall above 60% for me. The extra condition was that I get a first class in my final year. I think this was because I was only an upper second class at the end of my third year. HIgh marks are very important, but I feel they also look for a well rounded student. What really helps is if you have done relevant stuff in your specialist area, maybe an IP moot, internships, articles etc. They look for evidence of a consistent interest in your area, and of course the SOP must match those interests. I got in with an overall above 60% in addition to internships, moot court competitions and voluntary work.

bombayrocker, Dec 23, 2007 18:25

Hey pinkcauldrons...
it was indeed a pleasure to read ur blog...it was a very interesting and a well laid out article.
I m a second year student of government law college,bombay .... was there at the london school of economics for a summer session in corporate law and ipr this year... and i jt fell in love with lse and london..! was a wonderful experience and will cherish it forever...
and cuz o this experience i m really keen on doing my llm frm lse... jt like u even i want to go for my llm straight after my undergraduate degree in law...
i know marks, work ex, letters of reco.are all imp..but what i dont know is what is the level of marks u need to get...? is the final year only imp . in getting u a nod for llm? what kind of work experience do u need? what else is important to make the cut ?
i'll b really grateful if you could guide me thru all this... i'll really appreciate it...
thanks a ton...:)...jai hind.

pinkcauldr..., Dec 14, 2007 22:45

Hi Charles. I think 65% should be fine. Their condition was above 60%, for me. I applied to Cambridge but did not get in. I dont know what subjects you are interested in, what kind of preliminary reading do you want to do?

charles, Dec 11, 2007 10:56

Hi..I am a law graduate from India, graduated this year. I plan to take the LL.M next year after working for a year. Will 65% in the final year of LL.B suffice for admission, since a first class in the UK is 70% and not 60%. Did you apply to OXBRIDGE?Could you suggest some preliminary reading? Hope to hear from you. Thanks. Charles