I am pursuing my final year LL.B programe. I am interested in HUman rights law, can anyone guide me if Harvard is the best place to pursue my LL.M in human rights and what are the criterias to get selected to the programe.

I am not aware of Harvard being particularly known for human rights law. Schools that I am aware of with a strong reputation in international human rights/humanitarian law are Yale, Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, UVA, U of Minnesota, Michigan, American, Northwestern, UCLA. That being said, Harvard is Harvard. I am sure they have some courses in human rights law and the name opens doors. Then again, if you want a university which offers a large selection of human rights courses, you may want to check out the schools mentioned above as well.

Personally, I would focus on NYU, Columbia, Georgetown, and American, in particular, because of not only their strong reputation in international human rights law, but also because of their locations, NYC and Washington, DC. In addition to the name/prestige of the school/its human rights curriculum, location is extremely important. NYC and DC are homes to countless NGOs and non-profits that focus on human rights, humanitarian, international development work (i.e. Human Rights Watch, etc.) and international organizations like the U.N., World Bank, IMF, places where you can look for potential internships/work. That would be another knock against Harvard. I don't think of Boston, in particular, as a place with an abundance of these type of organizations.

If I wanted to follow your path, into the area of international human rights law, and I got into both Harvard and Columbia, it would be very easy for me to pick Columbia over Harvard. And I would not obsess over the fact that Harvard's JD program is ranked in US News at #2 while Columbia's is #4. Both are elite law schools with a stellar reputation all around the world. For me, Columbia's location and its reputation, in particular, in human right law, its curriculum in that area, its faculty in that area, give Columbia an edge over Harvard, in my humble opinion.

Thanks a lot Tristan. I will consider my other options broadly. I have done internships with one N.G.O ,a study center and a Human Rights Lawyer. I am doing a diploma course in human rights along side my law degree. and I am in top 10% in my class. Should i focus on anything particular that will give me an edge over other applicants.

It is hard to gauge how competitive one is. It depends on the particular year that you are applying. One year you may be more competitive, simply because that year there may be less competitive applicants in the general applicant pool, and another year you may be less competitive because the pool of applicants is filled with candidates that publish a lot, work in high positions at major organizations like the United Nations, Amnesty International, etc.

That being said, I would say that, generally speaking, I do believe it is not as difficult to get admission to an LL.M. program as it is to a school's JD program. It is simple numbers. A school will get significantly more applications from US students for its JD program than from international students for an LL.M. Sure there are less spots in most LL.M. programs than there are in respective JD programs but the numbers still favor LL.M. applicants (Some JD programs get 10,000-15,000 applications for 400 spots). Of course, some programs, in particular Harvard and Yale, are a lot more competitive than others, simply because everyone and their grandmother apply. Harvard and Yale are perceived as the gold standard so they get infinitely more applications than other very good schools, hence the competition is a bit more stiff.

Look, you seem to have done well in school, are really focused on something you love, which I think is good when applying because it shows passion in an area of law, as opposed to just studying general law or general business law, you have, I assume, good references and have some work experience in human rights. I do not see why you should not get into at least some of the programs I mentioned.

I went to a very good LL.M. program in the U.S. (will not say which one :), and no, it was not Harvard :)) and our student body was pretty diverse. It comprised of people from every corner of the world (we had students from about 40-50 countries), with very varied professional backgrounds, from judges, academics, officials from government agencies, partners/associates from law firms, people that worked for the organizations like the UN and Amnesty International, to individuals that just completed their undergraduate legal studies. Most were accomplished, whether it was in their professional life, or having good grades, but not everyone was top 1% of their class, with 100 publications to their name, running a major international organization =).

You have done relatively well, have an interesting background, and are passionate about human rights law. I would focus on writing a thoughtful application essay/statement, collect some good references from your professors/internship supervisor and, as I said, I do not see why you should not get into a good program. It may not be Harvard, but Harvard is not be all and end all. Admissions are a funny thing. It is not solely grades, but it is the often the whole enchilada, of how will this person enrich the incoming student body and the law school community, that makes or breaks a person's chances.

I would apply to as many schools as is feasible, time and money wise, and see. Schools like Harvard and Yale are probably going to be more competitive than some other good schools, just because a Harvard degree is considered the Hope Diamond of the US higher ed system, but I would apply anyway, and then apply to some of the other schools I mentioned, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Georgetown, UVA, U of Minnesota, Michigan, American, Northwestern, UCLA.