Hi there! :-)

I am applying as an international student for the LLM in London. I have been through most university websites and noticed that a 2.1 is needed under its entrance requirements. I have done my LLB from the University of London External Program. I however have not got a first or second class degree. I am a practicing High Court Advocate for almost four years. I have had a considerable amount of experience in the legal field.

I was wondering which universities shall I apply to in London, that may consider my application.

Thanks... :)

Where u'r from??

i imagine you have a third, which would make it very difficult to be accepted at any of the university of london llm's i'm afraid. if you feel that you have mitigating circumstances, or that your work experience makes up for your academic grades, try emailing individual admissions officers and asking whether or not you should apply.

good luck!

Whether you have lower second class honours or third class honours, you'd be wasting your time applying to Kings, LSE and UCL. You might have a chance at SOAS and maybe Queen Mary but it will still be difficult.

If you have a third class degree then you won't get accepted onto a University of London course, irrespective of your experience. It's not that you're particularly bad, it's just they will have so many high quality applicants. Why take a chance on someone who is a long way from meeting their requirements when they have thousands of applications that comfortably meet them?

If you're really desperate to study an LLM look at a lesser-known institution. That in itself will raise questions about the value of studying for an LLM.

I think all comments are right. But is still could be possible to get into one of this unis in years where not thousands of applicants are applying. At the moment it seems to be a real mess...

Hi.

The previous posts mightve discouraged you a little bit and youre probably thinking you shouldnt apply at all. Well, I dont think thats the best way to go. Although I must agree with the others when they say a third class is a setback (and a major one when it comes to UK universities), I believe its not reason enough to totally refrain you from applying.

Its obvious that if your grades to add up to a first or second class, youll be in a weaker position in comparison with other applicants. But it doesnt necessarily mean you cant pull it off. Of course youd be straying to far from the road if you decide to apply to Oxbridge (Ive got a 2.1 and theyve sent me home with a rejection), but you might have a shot at LSE, UCL and KCL. And Like Panthro wrote on his post, youve got better chances at Queen Mary and SOAS.

It aint going to be easy. Youll need to prove that youve got what it takes to get an offer and like I said before youll be at end of the queue, so youre going to have to make up for that if you want to overtake other applicants.

Anyway, I dont necessarily think its a waste of time applying, but youve got to find something in your background that stands out from the rest if you want to stave off rejections. If everything youve got is a third class, plus some working experience, I wouldnt go as far as saying its a waste of time, but youd probably be better off in the US rather than in the UK.

Whatever you end up doing, I wish you nothing but luck.

Regards,

My intention was never to discourage but to be realistic. If you feel it won't take you long to write an application and produce a strong personal statement then go ahead and apply because you lose nothing (other than £40 if you're applying to LSE). However, the chances are slim that you'd be offered a place so it's perhaps best to rein in your expectations.

Of course I don't know your grades, you may have just missed out on a 2:1 in which case you might stand a reasonable chance if you really push your experience and why an LLM is important to you. But I think you would find it very difficult to locate anyone who got into the three colleges I mentioned with a third class honours degree over the past few years.

Maybe return to the external programme. It doesn't have the same requirements and it's still a UoL degree.

it is fair to say that with a third your chances are slim. another option, however, is to go do an llm at leiden university in the netherlands. a former classmate of mine, with a very low 2:2 in philosophy, is reading for an llm there at the moment. seeing as you are a law graduate, i imagine that if doing an llm for the sake of intellectual growth or professional development is important to you, then perhaps you ought to consider that option...all the best of luck in any case!

I see two other possibilities:

First, if you are a practising High Court Advocate, maybe your first degree is a first or a 2:1? You could try applying based on that. I don't know if it would work but it's an option worth considering.

Second, there are a lot of universities in or near London apart from those mentioned above - I can think of at least half a dozen others and I am sure there are more. If you just want to be in London and don't care what university, just do some research and find all those other unis (I don't want to name any since I work for a uni so it could be misinterpreted but they should be very easy to find).

Panthro, Im not saying you were trying to discourage him/her. Sorry if Ive lead you to think that. I am only saying even if you didnt mean to sound as if you were discouraging him/her, the undeniable reality youve brought into the discussion on your post mightve had some discouraging effect on our fellow applicant.

Now, as for the main subject of this thread, Im with Panthro. If youve missed out a 2.1 just by a small percentage, your chances are somewhat increased. I dont know whether you have a good reason for not getting at least a 2.1, but you could try showing the recruiters any hindrances youve bumped into along your undergraduate programme that mightve had an impact on your final marks. If youre able to bring along some evidence as well, youll certainly gain some extra points.

Add a well-written personal statement and strong references and you might get yourself an offer from one of the UoL colleges once again, especially if youre also considering Queen Mary and SOAS.

I wouldnt go as far as saying its a waste of time, but youd probably be better off in the US rather than in the UK.

,

Hi Mab.

I might not have made myself very clear before, sorry.

The reason I say hed probably be better off in the US is because I think US universities (even first tier ones) arent so shut down when it comes to working experience.

From what Ive seen so far in relation to applications and how recruiters tend to assess it, UK universities focus their analysis on marks and academic performance and little importance is given to working experience as a barrister or solicitor. US universities, on the other hand, are more open-minded and academic performance (although important) isnt everything and sometimes you can even make up for a slip or two along the way if youve got a solid working experience to back you up.

I havent really looked into US universities that much lately and last year when I first started to think about the possibility of applying for LLMs round the world I only flipped through some US universities websites (like Harvard, Chicago, NYU, Michigan, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley). As I recall neither mention what sort of undergraduate notes or classes a prospective applicant mustve achieved, whereas Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL, KCL, QM, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Nottingham (and the list goes on) clearly state whether a first or upper second class is required.

Regards,

Hi Mab.

I might not have made myself very clear before, sorry.

The reason I say hed probably be better off in the US is because I think US universities (even first tier ones) arent so shut down when it comes to working experience.

From what Ive seen so far in relation to applications and how recruiters tend to assess it, UK universities focus their analysis on marks and academic performance and little importance is given to working experience as a barrister or solicitor. US universities, on the other hand, are more open-minded and academic performance (although important) isnt everything and sometimes you can even make up for a slip or two along the way if youve got a solid working experience to back you up.

I havent really looked into US universities that much lately and last year when I first started to think about the possibility of applying for LLMs round the world I only flipped through some US universities websites (like Harvard, Chicago, NYU, Michigan, Yale, Columbia, Berkeley). As I recall neither mention what sort of undergraduate notes or classes a prospective applicant mustve achieved, whereas Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL, KCL, QM, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Nottingham (and the list goes on) clearly state whether a first or upper second class is required.

Regards,

Hi there! :-)

I am applying as an international student for the LLM in London. I have been through most university websites and noticed that a 2.1 is needed under its entrance requirements. I have done my LLB from the University of London External Program. I however have not got a first or second class degree. I am a practicing High Court Advocate for almost four years. I have had a considerable amount of experience in the legal field.

I was wondering which universities shall I apply to in London, that may consider my application.

Thanks... :)

2.1 = upper second class degree

see here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification