Hi everyone,
This is my first post. I'm planning on applying next year or the year after that one to an LLM either in Harvard, Stanford, NYU, Columbia, Duke and Vanderbilt's Law Schools (that last one as a plan B). I just cannot stop wondering if I will meet the minimum criteria to at least be considered. My credentials are the following:
I graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors (a 4.0 GPA) from a B-learning type (part-time) university. I was the top grade from the whole crop. I can say that under the Honduran university system, the school is pretty much well-rated.
While studying, I had to work to pay for college. I started working at call centers as a customer representative/medical interpreter and then at an international airport as an information agent for a local tourists' insurance program. Two years ago (one year before graduating), I got a job as a paralegal for one of the partners at Honduras' top ranked law firm. At the same time I got my job at the firm, for the first year I also had to work for my university, since I won a place in an internship-scholarship program, for which I had to work in the “Prospection Department”, as an ambassador of the college in local high schools, promoting the school and growing up enrollment numbers. At the end of that first year, I went full-time at the firm. I'm still working there and a promotion to associate is in sight (conclusion: two-year legal experience).
Although I do not have any works published in reputable journals or websites, the firm's job has let me work on some questionnaires/research programs such as the Geothermal Transparency Guide program, for which my work has been recognized (I could list others).
While in school, I competed at two moot court competitions, although I did not win any of those (not that I didn't do well, just that external circumstance played a role. I also was part of the college's Student's Association of the Faculty of Law and of the Student's Tutorships program, for which I worked helping other law students, including special-needed ones.
I have done some extracurricular work, mostly helping a local pro-arbitration association as full-member for two years now. We organize further training programs and we have some important cooperation agreements with national institutions.
I know English, Spanish (mother tongue) and Italian (I know it's probably irrelevant). Although my TOEFL scores have already expired, last time I made it I got a 95 without studying. I think I can get a better score if I prepare myself.
About my motivation, I do want to continue growing at the firm (become a partner) and probably in the long term build my own legal empire haha but, I think the biggest one would be that by acquiring US LLM knowledge I would better serve our clients in Honduras, since many of those come from a Common Law system tradition. I'm also really interested in academia. (I know this has to be better explained)
So, what are your thoughts? Do I have any chance? I would really love going to Harvard.
Thanks in advance.
[Edited by leonelcontreras on Feb 04, 2020]
