Hey all!

I am starting this thread in order to get in touch with other brazilians that are already preparing themselves (and their documents) for next year´s LLMs (2016/2017).

Since most universities will start receiving applications in August / September, I have just started to pack all my documents (transcripts / LORs / Essays / Statements) to send to LSAC.

The idea is thus to share experience and discuss our applications and future admissions.

Please feel free to share your thoughts!

Cheers!

Hi,

I am - have you based your application on the instructions placed by the university for the 2015 application?

Thanks!

Hey fellas,

I am doing the same, Bruno...
Just started to get all the necessary stuff done in order to send it to LSAC. Have already sent their way two letters of recommendation and my transcripts should be ready in two or three weeks.

@anna.martini

Application processes do not change much year after year... It is actually hard to see considerable modifications in what they are requiring from LLM applicants. Follow their past leads and you will be just fine!

What kind of concentration are you guys planning on applying to?

Hope to hear from you all soon!

Good luck on your goals!

I´ve already sent to LSAC my transcripts (first law degree and master´s degree) and now I am starting to think about the essays.

I am still waiting for the LORs. Last week I asked my recommenders to write them... They told me that until the end of June they´ll send them to LSAC.

As far as I know, the application processes are quite similar every year, with no major changes...

I am planning to apply for general LLM´s in all the top law schools (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Virginia, Stanford, Upenn, Berkeley, Duke, NYU, etc...). I will choose my destiny based on school´s admissions and scholarships.

My last TOEFL test is now expired, so I´ll take another one next month.

Let´s keep in touch through this topic!

Those are quite great shots, Bruno! Any of those would be a blast.

Let's do it as you said! Keep me in the loop, guys!

Hey guys,

I am about to start this process, and I would appreciate all the help and inputs.

What should I being doing first? Do I have time to get everything read before August/September?

Does anyone of you have a list of each one of the steps we have to take in order do be ready to apply for the schools? Would you share with me?

Is anyone here in this board from Sao Paulo Capital that has attended Faculdade de Direito de Sao Bernardo do Campo?

Thank you all, and I hope to hear from you soon.

@Sonia: já que você é brasileira também, vou tomar a liberdade de escrever em português:
1) Você já tem o TOEFL? Qual a pontuação?
2) Quais são as escolas que você quer aplicar? Entra em cada uma delas e veja o que cada uma exige ( diploma e histórico escolar traduzidos) Já tem um curso de preferência? Suas notas são acima de 8? Quantos anos de experiência profissional vc tem?
3)Faça uma conta no LSAC. O LSAC faz a certificação dos seus documentos e encaminha para as Universidades.
4) Cartas de Recomendação. A maior parte das Universidades pede 2, algumas pedem 3.
5) Personal Statement. Cada universidade tem um tipo de personal statement. NYU pede 500 palavras, Northwestern e Harvard pedem que você responda duas perguntas. Varia muito. Cada Universidade valoriza um tipo de aluno (qual é o seu perfil: acadêmica, advogada, serviço público)Eu passei uns 2 meses escrevendo, editando, revisando.
6) Entrar nos formulários das Universidades e preencher o application. Dependendo da Universidade demora um tempinho.

Eu comecei com um ano de antecedência e só consegui aplicar por volta de dezembro/janeiro. Dizem que suas chances aumentam se você conseguir aplicar em setembro, mas o importante mesmo é você conseguir ter o melhor aplication possível na data de aplicar.

|mais importante do que a sua Universidade, são as suas notas durante o curso e/ou experiência profissional. Espero ter ajudado! Boa sorte!

Obrigada pelas suas respostas. Elas me ajudaram muito a começar a entender este processo todo.

E claro que eu esteou nervosa porque parece ser bastante meticuloso o processo e não quero errar, me atropelar e perder chances de conseguir se admitida em uma da universidades.

Eu ja moro nos Estados Unidos e espero que isto me ajude um pouco na hora to TOEFL e etc.

Nao lembro mais das minhas notas da faculdade, mas eu era aluna de notas medias. E claro que eu tinha notas altas, mas não em todas as matérias. Eu tenho experiencia profissional e espero que ajuda no processo como um todo.

Como voce se preparou pra prova do TOEFL? Como foi pra conseguir as cartas de recomendacoes? Eu to formanda a 11 anos e ja perdi o contato com os meu os meus professores e eles não vão se lembrar de mim, depois de todos estes anos e com tantos rostinhos que ja passarem por eles. Como e este processo?

Como deve ser o meu personal statement?

Como conseguir bolsa de estudo. Me parece que a maioria do aplicastes conseguem uma ajuda da faculdade. Como e isto? Que horas no processo a gente fica sabendo destas scholarships e quando a gente solicita uma?

Me conta um pouco do seu processo pra me inspirar e pra me ajudar.

Ficarei muito grata.

Obrigada,

Sonia

Hello,

My name is Ricardo and I am beginning the application process.

I am in doubt about sending the transcripts to LSAC:

- First of all, I have degrees in Business Administration and Law; Shall send the transcripts from both degrees or just the Law one?

- Secondly, the Universities will not send the transcripts directly to LSAC and, on the other hand, I cannot send them directly. How to solve that issue?

Regards,

Ricardo

I would love to learn about this issue too.

The schools are no prepared of this type of request, and are not going to work for us. It seems so complex to ask to the schools to provide de transcripts, the ranking information, and on top of that do the translations, and after this mailed it in a sealed envelope.

Am I missing something in here? Please, help us to understand the step by step of this process. Thanks

I have a Bachelor Degree both in Journalism and Law. I also have Lato Sentu Graduate Studies (Pós Graduação).

I sent all of them to LSAC (Academic Transcripts + Diploma + Ranking Statement) regarding my 3 Diplomas. They will evaluate all of them ( and regard them as average, above average or outstanding). Brazilian Universities often don't have ranking statements and you have to ask them to write a Statement saying that they don't have rankings. Either way you might still have to ask the University to inform their "Grading Scheme" (0-10 Grading Scheme), which is not Similar To American Grading Scheme (A-F ). If you hire a certified translator, they will probably do that for you.

We are the one's who have to provide tre translations of all the documents.

Hi guys,

I found some answers for my doubts:

I need to have the transcripts issued by the Unis and send them all together in a sealed envelope with the Uni stamp.

But I have another doubt, I have a degree in Business, but began the program in one University, concluding around 30% of the credits and graduated from another one with the remaining 70% of the total credits. Do I need to have both Uni transcripts or just the one from the Uni that I finished the studies?

@ricsan74

No you don't... You will have all your grades issued by the University you attended last... The school where you have graduated....

Hi everyone,

I need some help to understand a issue that I am facing right now. My law school can't issue the original Diploma. They only can issue a copy of it, since I got the original one when I graduated. Is the copy of my diploma enough to submit to the schools? Since the school doesn't have anymore the original one, the only one they can put inside a sealed envelope is the copy of my diploma along with my transcripts. Is that ok?

They also don't rank the students, so my question is: Is a simple letter explained that enough to sent to the schools/LSAC?

Any opinion on that? I appreciate anyone's input.

Why do I have to get all my documents from school in a sealed envelope? The company that is going to translate each one of them has to open the envelope in order to do the translation. So, my questions is: Who is going to put in a envelope and sealed it again? What is the purpose of the sealing? I am new to this, and I didn't understand this step well yet. :(

Who can help me? Thanks in advance.

Why do I have to get all my documents from school in a sealed envelope? The company that is going to translate each one of them has to open the envelope in order to do the translation. So, my questions is: Who is going to put in a envelope and sealed it again? What is the purpose of the sealing? I am new to this, and I didn't understand this step well yet. :(

Who can help me? Thanks in advance.

Hello,

I´m also a candidate for LLM.

Guys, my main issue is the transcript. Has anyone faced any problem with it, like denying from your Brazilian University?

I´m asking this because in the LSAC website says we can´t mail the transcript - and what I understood is that we can´t mail even if it sealed in the proper form: sealed institution envelope.

" Transcripts issued to you or sent to LSAC by you will not be processed."

I really don´t know if my college will send this by Correios, we know how much bureaucracy exists here.

And the worst thing is: my University is in strike right now. =(

Another topic: the payment. Has anyone that already applied last year knows how to pay the LSAC and each college fee? Because I´m facing so many problems to pay TOEFL IBT.

[[[THEIR ANSWER][[[MY SECOND EMAIL]]]]


Thanks a lot for the feedback.



About this translation - which is also necessary for the transcripts - it needs to be done by my recommender and it must be in the same format?



And the transcripts mailed by my Law School: needs also to be translated by them [the Law School] [considering that I´m not allowed to mail it].



About the other components - personal statement, writing sample, cv and financial assistance/schoolarship - they must be mail t]


Hello,



Thank you for your email. The letters of recommendation are not required to be written in English, however if they are not, a literal English translation would be required.



Letters of recommendation may now be submitted by the recommender either electronically or by postal mail. Once you list a recommender in your account, you will be able to choose either the View to Print button or the Email button. If you choose the Email option, an email will be sent to your recommenders requesting them to complete and upload an electronic letter for you. You can view information on submitting letters of recommendation by clicking the Future LLM Students link at the top of the page and on the right side of the screen under Pursuing your LLM, click The LLM Application Process and then click Letters of Recommendation.



Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions or concerns. Be sure that you include your full name and your LLM account number in your correspondence.



Best regards,



[[[MY SECOND EMAIL]]]


Thanks a lot for the feedback.



About this translation - which is also necessary for the transcripts - it needs to be done by my recommender and it must be in the same format?



And the transcripts mailed by my Law School: needs also to be translated by them [the Law School] [considering that I´m not allowed to mail it].



About the other components - personal statement, writing sample, cv and financial assistance/schoolarship - they must be mail too? I´m asking this because I didn´t find in the LLM account an area to submitted this documents electronically.





Regards and thanks in advance,


[[[[THEIR ANSWER]]]]


Hello,



Anyone, including yourself, may do the English translations. Yes, the translations should follow the same format as the original document. The translation should almost mirror the original document, if they were both held side-by-side.



You are welcome to ask the school to provide you with a copy of your documents that will be sent to LSAC, and these can be used for the translations.



Your personal statement and CV should not be sent to LSAC, these items can be attached to your applications, as you are completing them. You may be able to add your writing sample to the application also, I am not completely sure about this, since I dont have access to your applications. Please check directly with the schools you wish to apply, for information about financial aid, scholarship opportunities, and about your writing sample.

Man,

That's too much worry for simple questions... And I dare to say you could have found all the answers for these questions all over the forum... But here it goes.

If you provide sealed transcripts (with a proper signature on the seal) within your original pieces - could be in separate envelopes - LSAC will process it.

Regarding the TOEFL iBT, my advice would be you create a paypal account and make the payment through its system.

The LSAC package payment is also quite simple... It is pretty much provide your card and other necessary information, hit a button and wait for them to process it...

Good luck, man! Hope it goes well!

This might be a stupid question but how did you describe your letters of recommendation?

And have you sent all of them in just one envelope? I mean, different envelopes inside a single mail package.