Getting started

First week of classes – pretty busy. A lot of assignments. Many colleagues already stressed. In any case, it is being a rewarding experience. The professors, specially the ones that apply the Socratic method are very good and stimulating. I have the impression I am learning a lot – and we have just got started… Pretty different in comparison with the tradition of civil law countries: here, the professors try to enhance the students´ participation in class, and their behavior towards students is very sympathetic.

Add/drop period – first week also means “add/drop period”. You have one week to go to classes that you have already registered into and to other classes that you could be interested in. Then you may “drop” or “add” another course. Since we are allowed to take between 12 and 15 credits, many people want to take as much credits as they can. Most of the times, it is a mistake. 12-13 credits may be a lot of work. But 14-15 credits can make you work in a 24/7 basis. So if you want to enjoy the LLM and the city, be realistic!

Work in the US – the workshops with the Office of Career Services start from Day 1. Facts & myths about the job search for LLMs: a) Facts – it is hard to land a job here. Few US students pursue LLMs (except in some areas like Tax), and law firms are primarily interested in JDs. b) Myths – Nonetheless, they say it is not impossible to land a job here, but it depends on a lot of factors, like: i) previous professional experience in your home country; ii) sit for the NY Bar Exam; iii) try to search for a job in other States, not only NY; iv) contacts and networking. I will write something about networking in the following weeks.

LSAC – NYU strongly recommends you to use LSAC. I did not. Many friends of mine who were admitted at NYU did not either. Sincerely speaking, I do not think using it increases/ reduces your chances.

Scholarships – Nikola, there are 2 options: the Hauser scholarship (grants you full tuition) and, for the students admitted at the International Tax Program (ITP), there is also the Wallace scholarship (partial tuition). You apply for the Hauser scholarship at the time you submit you application. The application for the Wallace one occurs after admission. The criteria for awarding them is merit/ need-based. But I think nationality is also important: for instance, there are few Serbians around, and in the ITP there has never been a Serbian, so it make you a good candidate for the scholarships (perhaps better in comparison with countries that typically have more applicants, like Germany or France). It is worth giving it a try…And no, by being a non-EU citizen you are not in a worst position in comparison with the EU citizens. Here, we are all F1 visa holders, and we are all in the same situation…

Comments

Levani, Aug 24, 2009 22:03

Hey, I was wondering how much does working expereince matters for admission in NYU? For Instance Columbia Law School web site directly says that they rarely accept students who are still on their final year of BA as they want an applicant who has already finished BA and has earned sufficiently good working experience.

ISAAC KINTU, Jan 15, 2009 01:33

I need some advice. I have an LLB degree, but its a pass degree, iam down in spirit because i fear no law school will admit me for an LLM, any information about any flexibe universities that can admit me. thanks

Lit, Sep 20, 2006 16:40

What were your results like, honestly? Secondly, is it a big culture shock in terms of getting used to how the American way of teaching and writing assignements is, compared to your home country. Lastly, please elaborate on what you mean by credits, have a feeling it is different to how I understand it. Basically I want to know how many courses do you have to take in any one academic year? Ph and how is life in New York, are you getting a good chance to enjoy the city or are you stuck in your books? Is NYU a nice looking campus?

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