Hey ppl,

I got into Duke, Illinois with a scholarship for 15,000 USD and NUS in S'pore which also lets me visit China(EUCPL) after 3 months of studying(Int'l Business Law)
I am extremely confused and don't know which course to take up. My specialization is Corporate Law and I'm lookin for a secure job at the end of it, while I can save up as much money and make it easier for on my dad's pocket. Duke costs 57 k, while NUS bout 20 SGD and Illinois 30 k with the scholarship.
Please help....

hey let me give u my opinion on the same :
Its kinda difficult to compare or decide b/w 2 schools in the US and one in Sinagpore b/c apart from the huge fee difference, the LLMs are diff in course structure/faculty and even the job prospects...
Firstly lemme leave NUS aside and concentrate on Duke and Illinois...See on the basis of the rankings and also the general reputation, obviously Duke is way ahead than Illinois..So definitely job prospects in the US (i.e. if u are keen to work there itself after ur LLM) is better if u r a grad from Duke than Illinois.. But if u are planning to come back to india, then i guess its not such a huge diff and since u getting a schol from illinois too, u could opt for it... so basically u need to decide as to what u want to do after ur LLM - stay back or come home....then u can decide...I have a friend who got thru' both George washington and columbia last year... She got a full schol from GW but nothing from Columbia but she still opted for columbia cause job prospects after her LLM were 10 times better than GWU with the schol...so there....

Now coming to a school in the US vs. NUS, then obviously the fee diff is crazy...but then, faculty in NUS wont be global plus the NUS LLM's value will be a li'l lower than a Duke LLM..Plus job prospects for u will be restricted to singa, china and india....

Mot imp.even if u do come back to india immediately but later on if u want to make a shift to london or the US, then the Duke LLM will have a greater value...

Also, if u are lucky to get a job in the US, then i shld tell u that the best pay master in the world is a US law firm...London/Australia and singa dont even come close...For an entry level associate, the US pays approx. 60-70 lakhs which is crazy money....So thats why i guess their LLMs too cost so much :-))

Anyway, hope this post helps u..all the best....

@ sunflower,

thanks a ton for this info.. it's very valuable.. can u tell me what the job scene is in singapore.. do international students get jobs easily or is a a struggle.. frankly this is so confusing.. some ppl say that the job scenario in the us is kinda tight now for the llm's and I would be better off goin to nus.. while some others say nothin like goin to duke which has a very global reputation.. and again illinois would be easier on the pocket if i am lookin at settling down elsewhere..
I don't want to come back to my home counrty if I study in the us coz i would want to earn back the money..
I just need to go to a place where i can get job security..

well i really appreciate all the info u've given me.. if tere's anything more pls let me know...
thanks a ton..
good luck with everything..

Reagrds,

rshivkar

i dont know about the job scene in singa but it being a small country compared to the US, obviously there will be a limited no. of firms where one can apply to and also, i guess singa firms take a limited no. of foreign legal advisors....
as for the US, well, more law firms and if u cant get thru' then can apply to england too...
BUT ONE THING IS _ work experience does count a lot wherever u go...Not that freshers dont have a chance..Know quite a few freshies who have gotten jobs easily in the US....Whatever, it is - one can never be sure about jobs...markets/ economy keep changing from day to day so wats good rite now can be bad next year and vice versa so no one can give u that certainty...Its always good to have a back up plan- like wat if u are forced to come back to ur home country???...
also, if after NUS u dont get a job in singa/china, then u will have to come back to ur homecountry
w/ur duke degree, if not US, then u can try england or even singapore itself....

end of the day - job security for a LLM is never certain...trust me...Its always limited but then, that hasnt detered ppl from pursuing it..BUT IF coming back to home country is gonna be a real prob for u then i think u shld really think about doing an LLM or not at this stage...

Do ya have work ex?? if not then think thru' the pros and cons and decide properly....u can always do an LLM after 1-2 yrs of work ex...actually most of us have done that..

watever it is, pl dont go anywhere thinking that a job is certain, even if some one leads u to believe it...

@sunflower,

I don't have work ex.. i am a fresh graduate.. I guess i will be zeroing out on NUS.. taking the costs and the fact tat i get education from 2 top schools in s'pore and china.. moreover it's a much lesser risk considering i can always come back to my home country and get a job, but if i do go to the us.. i can't afford to not get a job as a burden of paying back the loan wud come into play. I guess if I really still want to study in the us.. i could always do a Phd..
moreover i have heard excellent things bout the nus education and faculty..
Again, thanks for all the info and ur time..

also would u be goin to NUS this year?

Regards

How is the nus program for NYU?Anybody studied there?

How is the nus program for NYU?Anybody studied there?

Hey everyone..i got admission for the Corporate & Financial Services program...Can anyone shed some light on the future job prospects for a successful student from NUS to find a job in Singapore itself and also what the pay scene is like?
Thanks.