Hi. I am currently studying in (continental) Europe, getting my undergrad degree in law, so it's going to be a good long time until I can actually think of getting my LLM degree.

However, I like to plan ahead and am curious to know: what is the ideal LLM candidate for schools like Harvard, Yale, Stanford and NYU?

Specifically, I want to know if it is important for me to be on sports teams, in orchestras, etc. - or is good work experience, strong grades, and a killer personal statement good enough?

For these schools, the typical candidate has very high grades from a well-regarded school. And, the candidate has preferably shown an interest in and capability for legal research and publication. The rest of the student's background is icing.