Hi everybody, i am looking forward to apply to HLS, Yale, Stanford, Columbia and UCL and LSE in London at`LLM next year (2006-2007 class).
But i have a problem with English, my TOEFL scores was 530 in 1999 , and i havent practiced English since that time. I think if i will study hard with the aim to score much more i can do 560-570.
The question is: Is there a chance to be admitted to those universities with no more than 600 (i will have TOEFL in October) and is it possible that they will accept me with condition to take English courses at their university OR TOEFL scores must be no less than 600 to get into these univ.

Most law schools - not only the v.i.p. ones, want you to have more than 250 in the computer based test and at least 5 in the test of written english, columbia wants 260. But you can be certain about the fact, that most of the applicants seeking admission have significantly higher scores. The persons I know who did apply in the past or are planning to apply have around 280. But there are lots of training possibilities (books, cd-roms), so you should use them. They really can drive you forward.

Good Luck!

Yps,Thanx for reply, but i know a lot of examples when university suggest u to take Pre-sessional course of english and then u are accepted,, what u think?

I guess this does not apply to Ivy-League universities. They have plenty of applicants who fulfill their TOEFL requirements. If you intend to take a pre-sessional course anyway, why don't you start to prepare the TOEFL now? There is still enough time before you have to hand in the results for 2006.

Kulanski, thx for reply. I have already started to refresh my language skills and try to make some TOEFL tests, but i have only 2 months to be prepared for TOEFL, because i have to send my TOEFL scores to Yale and Harvard before December (deadline_) i think that i can score 570-580, but not 600....This is the big problem for me , on the other hand i have strong background etc.

If you have a strong background, you should just give it a try. The top US law schools also look at national and ethnical diversity. So if you are from a country, which ist not that much represented among the applicants yet, you may have chance to be accepted. By they way, the TOEFL changed its grading system a couple of years ago. You cannot reach 680 points anymore, but only around 300. Good luck!

Hi guys, AM I ABLE to be admitted to Harvard with 580 scores in PBT, but with strong background....who can tell me exactly ,

forget it

keep your application fee for other business

Thanx, Pra608 for optimizm.:)
Can anybody advise me which top-law school can accept me with 570 in TOEFL? Thank u for reply

HI study4u,
please can you show us what do you mean by strong background ? Thx

Hi.

My input as to this matter is the following:

If your Toefl score meets the minimum requirement of the University you want to apply to, then go ahead and apply! It certainly is a plus if your score is very high, but this not what will get you into these schools.

On the other hand, I think your chances are pretty weak (but not inexistent) if your score lies below the minimum required by the Law School you are applying to.

Katalyst and Dr. Jekyll, first of all I want to thank u for your replies. I will try to show u why I am pretty sure that I have strong background:
1)I am PHd in law 2) I used to practice law teaching in state university 3) I began my career in 2000 as a legal advisor in district court, then court of appeals, supreme court and currently working as the state prosecutor in Prosecutors Office. 4) My country almost is not represented in these top law schools
But I understand that it is not enough to be admitted to HLS, Yale, Stanford or UCL(London). Second important point is TOEFL. It is a pity but it seems to me that I can score only 570-580 in TOEFL. So I have this credentials and must find some way to get into ivy-league. For example I have noticed that Berkeley require only 570, HLS and Yale 600, Stanford and Columbia 620Who knows what I need to do, is it possible that they accept me with this scores but with condition to take extra summer English courses. Wait for replies. Regards.

Hi.
Your background indeed sounds pretty interesting. As to the TOEFL, why do you refer to the paper-based test? Do you have the possibility to take the computer-based exam? I actually think that the computer-based exam could be a bit more accessible. Your English does not seem bad to me, so the computer-based test with its short essay might be worth a try.
Even if you don't meet the TOEFL requirements (within reasonable limits), I would still apply to all those universities. Sure, it won't be positive, but in the end a lot depends on the person that reads your application. They won't throw away your application just because your score is not too good.
An excellent background (including good grades at Law School - you haven't mentioned those) can most probably compensate for a low TOEFL score.
Start training for the TOEFL, order the CD so you can give the test exams on it a shot (for the computer-based test), take the TOEFL and then you'll see more precisely what your situation is.
DocJ

Hi, Dr. Jekyll, I am glad to hear you again. The problem is that there is no CPT in our country at all. And what do u think ,do I need to be familiar with computer based TOEFL(in case if I will pass it in another country), is there a huge difference between PBT and CBT. Regards.

I don't know the PBT, but I am quite sure that there is a difference between the CBT and the PBT. I thought that the CBT was quite easy to use, and some of my friends who had to take the TOEFL twice took the CBT the second time and preferred that one.

Oh and by the way, I also had to go to a different country to take the CBT..

Hi, Dr.Jekyll. So it means that i am not alone who have to go abroad to take CBT,:) By the way today i bought some books which explains how to pass CBT, so i have started to study with the aim to score much higher than i expect.Thx for your reply. Regards.

Dear study4u
Hello.
Not to change the subject, may I ask you why you are planning to go to LL.M.? It seems like phD in law is enough for any professional. Regards.

tartefraise:

There are many people that pursue an LLM degree after having obtained a PhD or while pursuing a PhD.

Obviously the purpose of a PhD is different than the purpose of a LLM, so it makes perfect sense to do both.

DocJ

With all do respect I believe you should start studying more to the TOEFL and asking less about if these schools are going to admit you. Two months is more than enough for preparing to the TOEFL and score at least 600.

I believe 600 in the PBT is the less you can get to get in. Also, I took the PBT and know that the CBT increases the difficulty of the questions if you answer all the questions correctly. If you notice that the questions are becoming easier you are doing bad in the test.

Guys,

Is 270 on the CBT enough for Harvard LLM? Do I need to have 5 or 6 on the essay? Thanks in advance.