Hi everyone





I was wondering if I could get thoughts on my admission prospects at a top US school for an LLM (NYU, Harvard, Columbia, possibly also Northwestern and Georgetown).





I'm an Australian lawyer with approximately eight years of experience working in the legal industry (6 years from working at law firms and for the state government as an undergrad / pre admission) and 2 years post admission experience as a lawyer working in commercial litigation. I have also worked in Tribunals and Courts as an associate (akin to a judicial clerk). I didn't graduate with the best of marks but have a distinction WAM and an Honours degree (not a first) from UNSW (one of the top 5 universities in Australia). By way of volunteer experience and extra circulars, I didn't have much time during my undergrad as I was working a lot but have volunteered in various capacities at community legal centres and participate in a few mentorship programs as a mentor, mainly for women of colour in the legal profession. I will hopefully be receiving four letters of recommendation; from two of my law school professors who taught in subjects focused on human rights and justice (subjects in which I received a high distinction or upper distinction grade), from a federal court judge and from the head of the Tribunal where I worked.





I intend to use the LLM as a pathway into public interest law and move away from commercial. My program of study would be focused on forced migration, transitional justice and de-radicalisation, all of which are informed by my personal background as a former refugee.





I would be most interested in getting into either of Harvard, Columbia or NYU but am quite concerned that university marks are not great but hope that my lived experience and work experience will be influential in my application.





Thanks in advance!!

[Edited by susr on Oct 22, 2021]

You won't get into Harvard or Columbia but maybe into NYU if competition for the 22/23 batch is not too big. In your position, I would rather consider a low T14 uni like Georgetown, Northwestern or even Berkeley (which has not only  admited top notch candidates in the last few years).

I agree that Harvard is a long shot, but I think you have a great chance of Columbia and NYU.
source - I am an Australian grad of NYU who was admitted to Columbia (and everywhere else I applied, mostly with scholarships - but not Harvard haha). Emphasising your personal story as a refugee with an interest in public interest will be a great asset

Thank you both!! I figured Harvard would not really be feasible, mainly because I would not be able to go in any event without a scholarship. Will give them all a go, including some of the lower T14 unis. 

Cheers

I think you have a good chance at Columbia and NYU considering your work experience, just make sure to emphasise how you are committed to a public interest law career. I have good academic performance for my law degree but with much less work experience than you, and still got into Columbia (though I used my previous non-legal work experience as examples to show my commitment in public interest law). I also knew another friend who used to be in commercial litigations, but then wanted to switch to public international law career, and also got into Columbia. 

Anyway, I think you have a good shot at Columbia and NYU. Good luck with the rest of the application!