All are encouraged to discuss on this thread about the Executive LL.M in Tax at New York University.

- Application procedures
- Admission decisions
- Getting to know the programs and the people
- Everything else concerning NYU E-LL.M.

Hi all,

I have a couple questions to which hopefully I can get some insight:

1. How many LORs should I get?
2. For the personal statement, should it be any different than applying to law school in terms of approach?

Thanks,
J

Also would like to know how selective the admissions is..

Also would like to know how selective the admissions is..

I just put in my application for the E-LLM as well. According to NYU, the E-LLM is as selective as the in person LLM, but they don't specify the weighting of the factors. I don't have any post-JD experience, but I'm a CPA with 7 years of tax experience in public accounting. I'm hoping this is sufficient if full-time employment is one of their considerations for this program.

I just put in my application for the E-LLM as well. According to NYU, the E-LLM is as selective as the in person LLM, but they don't specify the weighting of the factors. I don't have any post-JD experience, but I'm a CPA with 7 years of tax experience in public accounting. I'm hoping this is sufficient if full-time employment is one of their considerations for this program.

Cognratulations, KumarCPA, on your acceptance into the E-LL.M. program at NYU!

Thanks CSJ, I'm really excited to start, now I just need to find somebody to pay for it, LOL.

Is anyone else considering the NYU Executive LLM in Taxation? Anyone else get in? If so, where do you live and are you taking the entire program through Distance Learning or will you be going to campus for some of the courses? I am very curious about the program.

I'm surprised at how few people have weighed-
In here.

I'm looking at the e-llm, but have concerns whether it would be worth the debt, time and effort. I have no background in tax, but am looking for something that would allow me to change career paths at my company (Fortune 50 manufacturing conglomerate). I've been out of law school near 14 years and never practiced at a firm. l also have an MBA.

I find tax intersting, and I truly enjoy school, but at 50+k joy of learning really isn't enough, there needs to be some career enhancing benefit.

So what are people's thoughts: is this degree a career game changer? Will it likely provide me with the keys to the tax counsel washroom?

Thanks to all for any feedback

I'm surprised at how few people have weighed-
In here.

I'm looking at the e-llm, but have concerns whether it would be worth the debt, time and effort. I have no background in tax, but am looking for something that would allow me to change career paths at my company (Fortune 50 manufacturing conglomerate). I've been out of law school near 14 years and never practiced at a firm. l also have an MBA.

I find tax intersting, and I truly enjoy school, but at 50+k joy of learning really isn't enough, there needs to be some career enhancing benefit.

So what are people's thoughts: is this degree a career game changer? Will it likely provide me with the keys to the tax counsel washroom?

Thanks to all for any feedback

Just my two cents here. Some background on me, I have a BBA in accounting and I am a CPA, MBA, JD. I have spent the past 8 years in public accounting doing mostly tax compliance. I chose to do the LLM because I always knew tax was going to be my career path and wanted to further my credentials and knowledge in the area. I am currently a senior doing mostly international tax planning at a Big 4 firm. Given that I work full time in Houston, the NYU ELLM was the only choice for me. With respect to your questions about whether this degree is a game changer, the clear answer is no, it is not. It will not provide you with the keys to the tax counsel washroom. Simply having an LLM in tax from any program is likely not enough to qualify you for a senior level tax position. The LLMs that most firms hire, including ours, start out at the staff associate level unless they have significant tax experience. If you are already established at your company, a tax LLM may be useful for advancement if you are in the tax/treasury/finance department. You won't learn enough to call yourself a tax expert, but will be able to identify the relevant tax issues applicable to these areas. Keep in mind that the tax LLM is extremely challenging and even I struggle to understand some of the concepts despite my knowledge and experience. Check with HR and see if your company is willing to pay for the degree, mine is paying 90% of my tuition, so its definitely worth asking. If they are willing to pay, it might be worth it if you want the degree to gain knowledge and supplement your current career path. Just don't expect the degree to give you a complete change in direction with respect to your career. If you want to completely move over to the tax field, you must be willing to start at the bottom again. With 14 years of experience under your belt, it may not be worth it to start over in a new field, but that's a decision you need to make. Let me know if you have any more questions, thanks.

Hi KumarCPA,

So, you are well into the program - how is it? I suspect it is tougher than doing an in-class program. Sweet deal having your company pay for most of it! It seems that companies do consider the degree valuable--I know that admissions is just as competitive, so I would think the degree should be just as prestigious as the in-person Tax LLM. I know that's what NYU is going for.

I'm glad it's working so well for you. How did you take the exams? I understand that they have a remote proctor system. Did you have take-home exams, "in-class" exams, or both? What else can you share about the program? Do you travel to NY at all for school?

I'm surprised at how few people have weighed-
In here.

I'm looking at the e-llm, but have concerns whether it would be worth the debt, time and effort. I have no background in tax, but am looking for something that would allow me to change career paths at my company (Fortune 50 manufacturing conglomerate). I've been out of law school near 14 years and never practiced at a firm. l also have an MBA.

I find tax intersting, and I truly enjoy school, but at 50+k joy of learning really isn't enough, there needs to be some career enhancing benefit.

So what are people's thoughts: is this degree a career game changer? Will it likely provide me with the keys to the tax counsel washroom?

Thanks to all for any feedback

KumarCPA and CSJTax,

Thanks to you both for sharing your perspectives and guidance. The keys to the Tax Counsel washroom may have been bit tongue-in-cheek, but I get what you're saying. I also like the point made about switching careers before applying. I have been trying to work that angle by making introductions within my company's tax department. I've met quite a few people, making my interest known to each. We'll see how things go. I wish you both continued success.

It is pretty tough doing the online version. The main problem is that, when you have a question, you can't ask the professor and get a response immediately. You have to call, email or post the question on the course discussion board and wait for a response.

There are three methods you can use to take the exams:

1) You can fly to NY and take it at the scheduled place and time,
2) You can take the exam at a local accredited law school who will proctor the exam, or
3) You can buy the remote proctor device and take the exam wherever you are.

I was out of the country during my final exam last semester, so I chose to buy the remote proctor device. It worked pretty well, so I think I'll keep it for the remainder of the program. The convenience of taking the exam anywhere can't be beat. I only took one course last semester and it had an "in class" exam, open note open book. It was for international tax 1. I took international tax in my JD program, but the NYU program is much more detailed. They cover the overarching topics, but also go into every little exception that would apply to the largest industries, like oil and gas and banking. The exam was really challenging because they covered the detailed exceptions as well.

I haven't taken any classes in person yet, but I plan on asking my firm if I can do a rotation at the NY office for a few months and take a class there.

Hi everyone. First, thanks for providing this information about the NYU Executive LLM - very helpful. I am hoping you all might be able to provide some general application suggestions.

By way of background, I graduated from a top 15 school almost 15 years ago. I had almost a full scholarship but didn't do awesome - I ended up about top 35-40% (they don't rank students but provided approximate percentiles). I started at a Big 4 accounting firm in law school and then practiced estate planning at a large law firm for five years before going back to the accounting firm. I took about five years off to stay home with my kids and then went back exactly a year ago. I'm currently a Senior Manager and really like what I do and where I work.

I am very interested in the NYU program and like the idea of an online program. I took the CFP(R) exam in November and took the capstone and review online and I liked the flexibility. Some questions:

1. Do I have a chance of getting in?
2. Do I really need recommendations? I haven't talked to professors in years and I'd prefer not to have to get colleagues involved in the process unless I really need the help.
3. Will the fact that I work at an accounting firm and plan to stay there hurt my chances at admission?
4. How long does the admission process take? I know it's rolling admission and I'd like to apply now for Spring, but will I need to wait until summer to find out?

I appreciate any advice and insight any of you could provide. Thanks in advance.

Hi SWJ Tax,

With respect to your questions:

1. Do I have a chance of getting in?

I think you are almost certain to get in, I would be shocked if you didn't. Given your extensive tax experience and the fact that you went to ta top 15 law school, I would pretty much guarantee an acceptance. From what I hear, a Top-14 law school grad is an auto-admit, and a top 50 law school grad in the top 25% is an auto admit. And those numbers are typically for people without any experience.

2. Do I really need recommendations? I haven't talked to professors in years and I'd prefer not to have to get colleagues involved in the process unless I really need the help.

Recommendations are not required for the ELLM program. Having them can help, but they are not required to have a complete application so you are fine on that front.

3. Will the fact that I work at an accounting firm and plan to stay there hurt my chances at admission?

If anything, it might help. About 1/2 of the NYU tax LLM grads in any given year start their careers working at the Big 4 and the admissions committee knows that. Its not a detriment, its as asset. Just use your essay to tell them you want to leverage the knowledge you gain in the program to make the jump to partner and you should be golden.

4. How long does the admission process take? I know it's rolling admission and I'd like to apply now for Spring, but will I need to wait until summer to find out?

I applied around this time last year and received my acceptance within 3 weeks. I would look into whether the have a spring admissions. I'm not sure if they do or not. From what I understand, most schools don't, but I don't see why they wouldn't have one for the online program.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

KumarCPA - Thanks for the quick response - I really appreciate it. I will be working on my personal statement and hopefully submitting my application later this week. Hopefully I'll have good news and can graduate to questions on courses and instructors!

No problem, I'm up reviewing provisions right now and am looking for any excuse available to get distracted :). Good luck! I'm sure you'll get in. Once you do, it's all about getting into your firms education reimbursement program.