Hey everyone,

I am a domestic US applicant in his last year at a Tier 4 law school in the US. I am applying to various LL.M. programs in international and comparative law, including NYU, GWU, American, and Tulane (and a few others abroad [Leiden, LSE, UCL]). I rank in the top 10-15% of my class, good grades (overall GPA is 3.4/4.0, and all A's in any international law courses I have taken), several honors (Dean's List, awards, etc.), have one published article, I am on an international law journal, have had several internship experiences in both the public and private sectors, and some of which are in international law. In addition, I will be living in Phnom Penh, Cambodia this spring for my last semester and working at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in the Office of the International Co-Prosecutor. Outside of this, I have no past work experience (went to law school straight out of college). I would ideally be going straight into an LL.M. program from law school.

Do I honestly have a shot at getting into any of these programs? Do these programs really care where you went to law school (like many employers do)? Can anyone who has been admitted to these programs or graduated from these programs shed some light on this?

I believe You should give it a try, for three reasons.
1. It always depends on who else is applying; they have to make choices based on the candidates; You'll never know how you'lls stand among them.
2. You have a good extra curricular CV.
3. From what I've heard, the most relevant aspects for the decisions are the letters of recomendation and the personal statements. This makes sense because in principle the academic records are all very good...

i think you do, i think that when it comes to LLM applications, your first year ranking is important; not everyone who applies to Harvard, UCL, Oxford, Columbia, etc. attended comparable schools for their first law degree; there are many people from national or regional schools from countries all over the word that you would have never heard of, but they still make to the LLM programs in schools like the above-mentioned because they were at the top of the ther graduating classes and had impressive extra-curricular experience. I think you fit that bill.

Hey guys,
I asked the same question in another post and got quite valuable feedback from someone. But I think this is the right post for this question and I want the opinion of others on this.

How much importance do they give to class rank? I got above average from LSAC report. I have several publications. I have 5 years of work experience( will be 6 by the end June of 2010) in a top law firm, ranked by IFLR, Financial Times, Legal 500 as Tier 1 in Europe. Additionally I have one year of experience as the head of legal affairs in a governmental position. I also arranged adjunct lecturer position in a well know university in my country after LL.M. I have two years of moot court experience in law school.

All seems great so far but, my class rank is like top 40% (I know I shouldn't say "top" for this rank :)). What do you think ? Do you think NYU, CLS, HLS or other top school will just throw my application to trash ?

First, thanks all of you for the very valuable advice (and for the confidence boost!). I dropped Tulane off my application list and am only applying to 3 schools in the US now: NYU, GWU, and American, unless anyone can think of any other top ranked east coast schools that are in legal metropolitan areas that are actually open to domestic US applicants. I figure these are among the top 3 for LL.M. programs in International Law and are all located in legal/political hub cities, New York and DC.

I also decided to apply to Leiden, LSE, and UCL from another post.

Lawcocacola, I think with your work experience and achievements following law school that class rank will play a more minimal role (at least compared to me), especially since you have been out of school for a while. I am more in the opposite position where I am coming straight out of law school where class rank and GPA is more important, because it is all I really have to go on for seeking admission. They will certainly still consider your application, and I don't think they will throw your application in the trash. The personal statement, letters or recommendation, and your experiences and achievements outside law school will likely play more of a role.

Guys i need some opinion on this:
Im currently in Pakistan completing my LLB(hons) of the University of London's external system!...Im thinking about applying to GW for my LLM but im confused as to the admission process! GW seems to have two different websites and while one is the old one, the new one offers an online application system. Ive tried filling in the application details but as soon as i fill in the username and password details and click on the 'make new account' button it keeps bringing my back to the same page! i really dont know what the problem is!...any help?!

Secondly, is there any way of applying to GW for LLM by post?!

Contact the Admissions Office...

hey vert!....any email address?!

tag

teotret - oooh, that is a tricky one. When UK universities say 'rolling deadline' they really do mean it. It definitely gets harder to get in as time progresses, and the economic situation has meant that numbers of applications have increased.

You will have to think carefully about whether the projected GPA increase is very likely or not. I would maybe speak to your professors about it and see what they think of your work this semester. If you can get a strong recommendation, it may be that this counts for more than waiting on an increase in GPA and having to deal with stricter admissions criteria. Also, if your grades have shown consistent improvement throughout law school, they should presume that the improvement will continue (most people are strongest in their final year of any degree; that's just the benefit of age and experience). Also they do care about extracurricular stuff. Waiting is quite risky given these factors, but it depends mostly on how sure you are that your GPA will increase. That's something that nobody here can tell you.

One other thing I've just thought of - are you intending to specialise at all? If so, strong performances in related courses could potentially swing it for you.

Hi all -

I think something to consider when apply to LLM programs is your area of interest. For example, I know American University is one of the best LLM programs for Human Rights work. Additionally, highlighting your experience and any activities you have participated in is definitely an advantage.