Hi,

I would like to do my LLM at Harvard next year but I have some doubts. My grades are good, but are not excelent (I am not in the 10% superior of my class by little). However, I have been full time professor of law for 3 years. I have taught in two universities, to the national academy of judges, in a lot of conferences, I have been the winner of Jessup in my country, have published like 15 articles at law reviews and I want a scholarly carrer. I have always heard that if you are not ranked in the 10% superior of your class you better not even try to Harvard. Do you think my grades will be an obstacle?

hello to everyone! i have lots of doubts as well...it is virtually impossible for me to access any other sources of information on legal study abroad, so i am urging you to help this poor tormented soul -if all else fails, i am considering a career as a drama queen ;) - here are the facts: i have just graduated at the top 3% of my class; and during the time of my studies, i worked at a few corporate law firms, as a research assistant for one of my professors (democracy issues, mainly), and at the court of appeals. during my free time, i've volunteered at human rights and education ngo's, and was involved in my university's legal aid clinic and in the studen council -i hope my language deficiencies do not make this sound too pretentious...- is this good enough for harvard?

thanks for your help,

monica

p.s. ohh, another piece of information that might be usegul: i am from guatemala

Hi. Both of you have very very impressive credentials. As far as class rank and grades are concerned, they are important, but to my mind, a lack of good grades or class rank can usually be offset by exceptional work experience as well. Remember two things about Harvard: first, they look for diversity in their class - in terms of geographical region as well as range of experience; second, Harvard looks for winners- people likely to succeed in the future so that Harvard may cite them as alumnus. Do remember though, more than anything its your essays and recommendations that that swing your applications. Both should reflect the above two factors in abundance, In your essays, you must highlight your strengths in terms of what your accomplishments are, as well as your peculiar experience which would add to the diverse blend at Harvard.

This might help. I graduated in the top 5% of my law school class (in america), was on Law Review, published two articles in journals at top-ten law reviews, had very impressive working credentials and I did not get in to HLS. However, I did have some things going against me. The law school I went to was not highly ranked, I have only been working for one year, and I am american. I hope this helps.

Sorry, just to clarify - the articles I published were in journals at top-ten schools, not in their law reviews.

I am also having lots of doubts!! please help me out here...

my school is one of the best in my country (not bragging; a fact:)) ). My GPA is 2.7 and that puts me within %25 of the class. I did 2 moot courts being Jessup Int. Law moot(won national rounds) and Willem c vis int. commercial arbitration moot. worked in corporate law firms every summer. club activites like being the president of int. trade law commission, vice president of Int. Law Students Association. And I will publish an article on international commercial arbitration this year.

I am also especially anxious about my grades.

I would like to specialize in dispute resolution, to be precise in international commercial arbitration. Please tell me I have a chance in harvard!!
Thanks a lot

Hello,

You're all very cute and I guess everyone admitted at Harvard understand the fact that you so much feel like being admitted. However, the truth is that we do not know exactly why we've been admitted rather than another one who may have had a similar if not better CV than ours...we don't belong to the Graduate Committee :)

I think that ashimsood replied very well. Your grades may matter but are not everything, far from that. I guess that if you want to enter one of the top 3, excellent grades are not enough. Show the committee that you're different from the others thanks to your CV, show them that you're more or less brainy with your personal statements and legal interests, show them that you will bring something to their Law School and explain why. Get excellent letters of recommendation from people of some weight (someone who got a SJD from harvard for instance). The same applies actually everywhere...

I don't know if it helps, but there is no right or bad answer. There is not one model of CV suitable...Harvard has some contingencies like most law schools and will also have a look at the diversity, which can be at your advantage or disadvantage depending upon the country you're from.

Dear People,

What does article in a good publication mean? How exactly do we ascertain that a publication at a particular place will stand us in good stead , as in how to ascertain the credentials of a law journal for that matter?
Suggestions in this regard will be really helpful
Cheers
Lawyer

Hey Everyone!

Since exams are close, I will be short. I saw that some of you have concerns about getting admitted to Harvard. I am graduating student of LLM Class 2005, so I have a little insight what's going on with the applications.

Your application material is evaluated as a whole. I was told that if you are outstanding in two out of the three criteria (grades, recommendations, essay) you have agood chance to get in. It is my personal opinion, so do not take it for granted, but I sense that you are basically competing with those applying from your own country, which largly boosts your chances! I sense that there is a quota for each country, and, in case the applicants fulfill the criteria, they admit a certain nr of student from each country. A major charactersitic of HLS' LLM program that it is international.

One more thing! It is a great experience, and I strongly encourage all of you to apply!!! There is nothing to lose (apart from the appl. fee...), and you will have a fantastic year that you never forget.
If you have questions, please email me at:
pperemiczki@law.harvard.edu (please do not send junks!)
Peter