Answers

By ivan2006 in NYU - Class of 2007 on Sep 23, 2006

Hi everybody,I had no specific subject for this entry, but the comments made by Lit provided me a way out, since I will be able to tell you something about NYU after 3 weeks of “real study”. I will answer to his/her queries:

What were your results like, honestly?

I am sorry, but I will have to ask what you mean by that. If you mean grades, I just had my Introduction to US Law exam, and the grades are in a pass/ fail basis. But I have a good feeling about some courses I am taking. I can do good in some of them. I will know that in January…

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?

Yes, it is, although I knew it would be that way. I was not used to study in advance for classes, and here I definitely need to do that. First, because it is necessary to fully enjoy classes; second, because many professors ask you questions in class and it is better to be prepared for that. What´s more, the assignments are usually extensive, and require a lot of homework. I usually have to read the textbooks, then I have to crack the Internal Revenue Code and its Regulations. Lot of work to figure out something. I will get back to this later.

Lastly, please elaborate on what you mean by credits, have a feeling it is different to how I understand it.

Ok. Credits stand for “credit hours”. For instance, a course of 4 credits means that you have 2 two-hour long classes in a week. 4 hours. 4-credit courses are usually those considered essential. Most of the courses are 3-credit or 2-credit. 2 credit courses have only 1 class (two-hour long) in a week. I am taking no 3-credit courses this term, but I have been told that they have 2 classes in a week (1,5h long).

Basically I want to know how many courses do you have to take in any one academic year?

I am taking 14 credits. It is usually regarded here as a heavy workload, but I knew what I was doing. Ordinary workload is 12-13 credits per term. Regarding how many courses you may take, you can make your own estimation by looking the courses offered by NYU on http://its.law.nyu.edu/cms/public/schedules/ Advice: it is often better to take one 4-credit course than two 2-credit ones (at the end of the day, you will have to study more for the 2-credit ones).

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?

I usually take 1,5 days off every week (Friday afternoon and Saturday), and I usually use this time to walk around Manhattan or go to museums (specially on Friday afternoons, in which admission in some museums, like the MoMA, is free). I went once to the theatre, twice to the US Open, once to a Mets´ match… Not bad. I guess I could enjoy it more, and I could enjoy more if I studied less. You know, it is always a matter of what you want to achieve by pursuing an LLM. I decided to take a lot of courses (14 credits), but I knew what I was doing. Hope I do not regret it, though.

Is NYU a nice looking campus?

It is not a typical campus, since it is embodied in the city. I mean, NYU schools are all around Washington Square, in the Greenwich Village, and you really feel a student atmosphere in the whole neighborhood. However, you are in the City, and this has advantages and drawbacks: 1) Advantages – the neighborhood is great, you are 5 minutes away from SoHo, TriBeCa, Little Italy, West Village… Best clubs and restaurants in town. Bohemian environment. Quiet during the weekends, though. Actually, people that study in Columbia always complain about the amount of money they spend when they come to party in downtown and they have to take a cab to uptown… 2) Disadvantages – know that you will not have the typical movie-like image of big fields, old buildings, ivy, etc. Conclusion: the decision is up to you. Personally speaking, I love the Village.

Comments

gyan, Aug 02, 2008 15:23

no any institute is so renouned for llm as allahabad university.

Nic, Dec 07, 2006 02:19

Hi Ivan
So how easy is it to get a job with an LLM from NYU. I have a JD already from a US law school but wanna do an LLM in International law. Do u need to be in the to 10% or 30% or whatever in order to get a job in lets say NY? Do firms come and actively recruit LLMs or u need to send out apps? thks, Nic

Lit, Oct 20, 2006 10:27

Thanks Ivan, sorry for the ratrher belated response, sometimes practising doesn't allow you any of your enjoyable vices, such as visiting this site. I really appreciate your answer and I think it is quite honest. Though I must say you certainly do not have the typical LLM applicant. One statement that you made which is so true and which everyone who asks the question I asked should bear in mind, is that your grades are your grades, you cannot change them, may as well apply and see what happens.

Thank you very much Ivan.

How are you coping with the workload by the way? Do you find the standard muvh higher than that of your home country?

All the best man, cheers!

ivan2006, Oct 04, 2006 07:49

Hi Lit, I am afraid my grades may not be translated into As, Bs or Cs, since I come from a civil law jurisdiction that applies a 1-10 grading system... However, I can tell you I was top 20% in my law school (working full-time at a Big 4 company and studying at the same time), and I had some relevant work experience at a Law firm further to the completion of law school, plus a masters and doctorate degree... I would not dare to say how smart I am, but I guess I am not dumb... However, I am pretty sure my profile does not correspond to the typical LLM student profile. Piece of advice: your grades are what they are - you cannot change them. Maybe you need some extraordinary grades to get to Harvard, Yale or Stanford - I donÂ´t know. But I guess many people with less impressive grades (but with interesting profiles) make it to other top 10 schools. Piece of advice: focus on making a good essay, try to obtain great recommendation letters, get a high TOEFL score and prepare carefully your application materials. The admission process is not only about grades, although good grades certainly matter a lot.

Lit, Sep 26, 2006 14:01

Hey Ivan, thanks for your response. What I meant by your results are indeed your grades, prior to your acceptance into NYU, what were your grades, in A,B,Cs preferably, though I have recently, thanks to this board, been able to understand the American system of a GPA. The usual question: how smart are you that you made it into NYU? It's all from an innate fear that one is not quite smart enough to make it to a Top 10 Law school. Quite silly, really, of course I'm smart enough! (just joking). Your comments are much appreciated.