I am trying to get a feel for my chances of being admitted to the Harvard LLM program.

I am a 3L at a tier 3 law school. I was first in my class after first year, and I am currently a close second. I was first in my class in torts, constitutional law, and criminal law.

When I applied to law school I drastically underestimated the significance that a law schools reputation can have on later opportunities.

I lost my cool on my LSAT, and I ended up scoring about ten points below my average on self-timed prior tests. I am confident that I would have been well within the range for the tier 1 schools if I had tested again, but I would have had to sit out for a year to do so. Even before the test, my parents had been lobbying for me to choose a school based on scholarships rather than ranking. So instead of testing again, I decided to apply to a single law school that was in a nearby city that I liked. I was offered a full tuition scholarship, so I took my parents advice and accepted.

I am not sure if it was the right decision or not. On the one hand, I have the freedom that comes with a limited debt load, and I ultimately landed a job that pays just as well, given the cost of living where I am, as what I could have expected even if I had gone to a tier 1 school. But on the other hand, I feel pigeon-holed in my career opportunities because of the school I attended. For example, I would love to be a professor, or to have more geographic mobility, or to have a future in public policy making. Although those things arent impossible, it feels to me as though having a prestigious name on my resume would make the attainment of those goals more probable, and would open a lot of doors in the long run. Plus, the feeling that I am adversely judged because I have never attended an elite school really nags at me. I feel as though my decision three years ago has circumscribed my future, and I just cant shake the loftier expectations I had for myself.

I would love to have some idea whether I would be a likely candidate for admission to the LLM program, or instead just a long-shot. Similarly, I am curious what impact a degree from the Kennedy School of Government might have on my career opportunities.

Any thoughts or advice would be great.

Hi Ben,

Don't worry so much about it! I went to a top twenty law school and graduated around the middle of the class, with a decent GPA, yet it still took me a few months to land my first job. From my (limited) experience, being in the top 10% of your class, regardless of school, will take you a long way.

I have a friend that was in a similar situation (third in class at tier three school). He went to UF for a tax LL.M. afterwards and has had no problems w/ career prospects.

I'm sure you have a great shot at the Harvard LL.M. and that will be the missing piece that you've been looking for. Good luck!

I think the American LLMs in the HLS LLM program are headed into the academe and are interested in the SJD program.

Also, is there anything straightforward that I could do between now and when I apply in the fall to significantly improve my chances of being admitted? Perhaps I should spend some time out of the country after I take the bar but before I begin work? Perhaps I could host a review session for underclassmen to demonstrate my interest in teaching?

Thanks for asking this question, im a senior undergraduate (mechanical engineering) and I am facing a similar dilemma. I have been accepted to a top tier school, second tiers schools with some money, and a full tuition to a tier three. The tier three is a nice school with a good environment and profs, and its close enough to home. I want to work in public policy and I am scared i will never achieve my goals becuase of the third tier school. But if I have a huge debt load I probably will not make it into public policy either: because of the loans to pay off, Id probably take a well paid firm job, then get attached to the salary and never get out. Any advice?

The Schools:
Indiana University -Bloomington (top tier) scholarship $8,500
American University no $
Temple no $
Seton Hall $18,000 (which is half tuition)
Quinnipiac (third tier #116) full ride