I got accepted into the professional track. Does anyone know what are the odds of me being accepted in the traditional track? and if I do get admitted in both tracks what would be the best option as a recently graduated student ?

I'm applying this year so don't really know the difference/impact between the two to one's career. Also don't know your preference in terms of flying back to the US from your home country (assuming you are an International student), because I think the biggest difference is that Professional Track will take more than one year since it is going to only be in the summer time.

I have been practising for 10+ years and for me the traditional track is the way to go since I would have time off to decompress and really enjoy my time in Berkeley. Professional track really doesn't make sense to me as there isn't really a summer break to be had in my home country - as it is perhaps in the US hence the program.

I would also make the assumption that since Berkeley is very generous in accepting people into their Professional program, its probably not that successful in terms of getting people to commit.

And so my advise to you as a fresh grad is to go with the traditional track since its easier on the costs and time since presumably you are not working at the moment so why waste the time in between the summers doing nothing.

Thanks for replying. I must agree, thats good advice. The problem is I don't know whether I will be accepted in the traditional track now that they accepted me in the professional one. If I do get admitted to the traditional track I guess it will be my preferred choice.
Thanks again.

Thanks for replying. I must agree, thats good advice. The problem is I don't know whether I will be accepted in the traditional track now that they accepted me in the professional one. If I do get admitted to the traditional track I guess it will be my preferred choice.
Thanks again.

Hi I am alumnus of the Professional Track and I can give you some insights.

The admission process is pretty much the same. Yes, in the Professional Track are taken a it more into account previous working experiences but if you are a recent law graduate with a great background you have chances of admission as well.

This meas that admission to one program does not influence the admission to the other.
I was admitted to both but I met people admitted to the Professional and not the Traditional and people admitted to the Traditional but not the Professional.

What I know for sure is that there are two committees evaluating the applications, one for the Professional (where applications are evaluated upon submission and decisions are comunicated straight away) one for the Traditional (with applications evaluated after the deadline and admissions comunicated starting from March each year).

If you want to know something more about the difference between the two programs you can browse the forum, searching for my posts.

E.G. like this: http://www.llm-guide.com/board/131875/1

Good luck!

Thanks for replying. The link you provided is very very helpful as well as your reply. And I hope you dont mind I would like to take this opportunity to ask you about your personal experience. How did you find the learning experience in the professional track, and since its too intense do you have tips and advice on how to manage time for studying and taking notes and everything.
Another Q is whether or not students are allowed to stay in the states between the two summers, studying other courses in Boalt or any other school and not go back to their home countries.

Thank you again for your help

You are welcome.

An LLM (doesn't matter if Professional, Traditional, Berkeley, not Berkeley) besides a challenging academic experience gives you a lot, maybe even more, under a personal point of view. For most people the whole life experience you have worths the expensive fees you pay. If you catch the chance it will open your mind and give you an extraordinary life lesson, even if you do the LLM being over your 30s.
You will have the chance to make friends and establish close relationship with people from all over the world.

Talking about the academic learning experience, above all in the Professional Track, (going to class, taking notes, manage your time between studying and leasure time) is something that you will learn once there and will be though at the beginning. Above all if you come from a civil law country, where the teaching and learning method is completely different. Stay focus, don't be afraid of making questions and partecipate in class if you didn't get something, ect. Study together with your classmates will be helpfull (also socially).
The first month of two will be very hard and exausting.

As for you last question, the Professional Track is meant above all for lawyers who have professional or familly commitments back home so it is not structered for you to stay in the US between summers. You have to obtain a VISA for the first summer which expires the day after the last exam in August (you have 60 days to leave the country) and you must obtain a new VISA for the second summer.
Given that, it is not impossible to stay for fall and/or spring.

For example, UC Berkeley has short program you can apply to at UC Berkeley Extension:

http://extension.berkeley.edu/publicViewHome.do?method=load

If you get accepted there you will have to change the status of your VISA once already in Berkeley from J1 (the one you get for short academic programs lasting less then 6 months as are deemed the summer semesters of the Professional Track) to B1 the VISA required for academic courses which last more then 6 months, because you will be staying the 3/4 months of the first summer of the Professional Track plus 3, 6 or more months depending on how many courses you will be attending at the Berkeley Extension.

Maybe you can also find someone giving you an intership but it is gonna very very very very hard, almost impossibile, and you will need a working VISA, to obtain which it is gonna be harder then changing from one student VISA to another student VISA.

Thanks for replying. Unfortunately I dont think the Professional track is a better fit for me, I still am favouring the traditional one. The Visa work and everything in between in my opinion is not worth it, and a bit risky. Plus I just discovered that my Scholarship doesnt approve of the professional track. My educational Advisor told me to wait for the traditional track, if accepted I may go to Berkeley. If not, I have to look at other schools that I have applied to and hope for the best.

Thanks for your help