hey guys,
i am not very eager to create a "national" post but i was curious about the kind of grades one needs from a german university to get into prestigious law schools like harvard, columbia, berkeley, ucla...

the staatsexamen (state exam) grades are just about everything in this country so i was wondering if that reflects in the selection policy of those law schools... does anyone here have some figures or representative examples of what german grades successful applicants had?

Hi!
I've just been admitted to UCLA and I am "proud like Oscar" (German saying).
The sum of my exam scores is slightly above 17, so there certainly are applicants with considerably more points. But I guess my Personal Statement and my LoR were crucial - I have "migration background" and therefore an unusual vita. I also mentioned in my statement that I am familiar with the campus and even had a tour - thus I showed real interest in the program.
Furthermore I have worked at a top US-law firm for almost two years after my First State Exam. My former boss wrote me a LoR and I assume that it was as impressive as my "Arbeitszeugnis".
Regards,
Milinio

thanks for the information! that doesn´t sound too encouraging though... your exam scores probably put you in the upper 15% of an average class besides you have all these extras with international background, law firm and LoR. may i ask which german university you attended? do you know about any german classmates yet, how many they are and what their grades were?

i am thankful for any comment :)

I don't know about any other germans, I guess most people go for an LL.M. straight after the first exam.
One of my class-mates from Hamburg has been admitted to one of the first tier NY law schools after his first state exam, having 7.x points. But he already had spent one year at a US law school during his studies. I assume that a total score of 15 points will be enough for most law school with the expected exceptions like HLS, YLS, Standford. On the other hand I am sure that a total score of more than 20 points will not do it if your resumee and your cv do not reveal that you have an interesting personality.
I forgot to mention that I recently joined a magic circle law firm in Frankfurt, which I of course also mentioned in my statement. I guess it impressed the admission council too. That will also be a reason for me asking for a deferral - can't go this year.