Hello all... this is my first post, but I have been reading the discussion board since January. (You all seem like such lovely people!) I'm an American with a JD from a top 3 program waiting to hear on Cambridge... I've been told they're not even going to get to my application until mid-March... I don't know if that means anything though.

Anyway, I wanted to come out of the darkness to comment on the whole conversation about US LLM programs. Whoever said that the LLM is 1/3 of a JD is exactly correct. I love my friends from the program, but the JDs all kind of took the LLM program as one big joke because they never go to class and don't have any required courses so they end up taking a bunch of mini-courses without exams on things that have to do with their national law.

I find the whole Harvard/Yale discussion pretty funny too. Quite honestly HYS are massively overrated. Some of the stupidest people I have ever met, I met in law school and the amount of actual skills learned is nearly zero. I have friends who are finishing up their JDs at Temple, Boston College and other "2d tier" American schools and they have certainly gotten a better education than I have. The "Big Three" are just drunk on their reputations... the substance is missing.

I dearly hope Cambridge might actually teach me something.

Do any of you happen to know how Cambridge might weigh BA grades versus JD grades? I *think* I have the equivalent of a "starred first" from undergrad (top 5 US uni), but my JD grades are more like a 2:1 (I think... I can't find a good conversion table)... and I can't figure out if I should just throw in the towel because they're just not going to take me with those marks.

L

Thanks... that's what I thought, but I just wanted to make sure.

Maybe I'm naive, but isn't it sad that education all comes down to "branding?"

S

True true.

Excel,

I'm in a similar situation (top 10 law school, though). Did you also apply to Oxford? Are you applying for an LLM, and if so, why not a PhD?

Hey lustitia...since m new to the board...m a lil late in conveying my congratulations!!!...but nonetheless better late than never...:) CONGRATS on your offer and am hoping an offer from Oxford isnt far behind..

D

Hi Jagsmehn,

I haven't heard of ''creation of bogus and fake accounts referring to Yale LLM decisions''. Could you please further elaborate on this for me and those not having any idea regarding the issue?

Thanks a lot

Well, if you think it's better to discuss it, who are we to refuse?

In the Yale threads, you can call those accounts "fake" because they were arguably created by the same person, for the purpose of planting the fecund seeds of misinformation. The goal was probably personal amusement, a highly noble pursuit.

In this (grossly distended) thread, I'm not quite as sure how this fellow's account could be "fake", mostly in that he (or she) hasn't made a single claim, assertion or representation of any kind. So he's either asking fake questions or offering fake congratulations, which is an odd sort of thing to accuse someone of. Or do you suspect that his sinister plot has yet to unfold?

Jag

I read the posts you are referring to which, for Dice and those in a similar situation, can be found on the American forum and refer to people trying to spook people into thinking offers are out by creating new accounts and saying "I've just had an offer from Harvard and Yale with full scholarships, please help me to decide which one" or similar.

I think it is just a problem we have with the internet and the ability for people to create themself a second life which is far removed from reality. Yesterday I watched a debate show on the BBC which refered to the fact that facebook and other social networking sites allow people to do the same and no sooner had I logged on I realised that there is a person in the Cambridge LLM 09/10 group who hasn't even had an offer for it and I don't think has applied! Unfortunately there is little that we can do but trust those who you believe to be honest and genuine and just acknowledge those who you consider to be dishonest. Even if your suspect came out and said, no I really am blah blah blah, how could you ever get rid of that nagging doubt...

Hey everyone...the only reason I havent replied is because I logged out and didnt log in again till today and secondly I really havent claimed anything as of yet...and jags I am bound to say this..." Whats in the name"?? and also dude you analyse too much...maybe am new to this forum and so dont know what all this thing about fake profiles and spreading rumours is...but rest assured I come with no such intentions :)

T

you analyse too much...

an atmosphere where everything is moving that way

Y

...Isn't it the case ?

Speculation is what makes this board useful, isn't it?

"heart within heart, you all are quite anxious, and that is the reason you get irritated by my posts because I get you all out of that uneasy slumber...Isn't it the case ?"

Not really.

As someone who's been through this process already, the anatomical anomaly that is my heart's heart isn't particularly anxious. (My heart's gout is acting up, and its knees ache in cold weather, but its heart is doing just fine.)

I get irritated by your posts for entirely different reasons.

I urge everyone who has received an offer for the Cambridge LLM 2009/2010 to join the dedicated Facebook group link: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=75890311368&ref=ts