Dear all,

I am currently studying LLM at UCL (Chevening scholar) in London considering an opportunity to study LLM at Harvard or Yale in 2008-2009. I would be very happy if anybody helps me with such questions:
1. If I prefer to study at Harvard or Yale ONLY if I’m lucky to be proposed full waiver of tuition - is it advantageous for me to have UK LLM (I mean whether they will think “he already has a diploma –we must give a chance to somebody else”) and do you think it can affect the possible amount of tuition waiver; and setting aside tuition – is UK LLM disadvantegous for those who want to receive second LLM in Harvard or Yale or it is a plus?
2. Do you know the examples where students received full waiver of tuition from Harvard or Yale or those who received full waiver of tuition plus received some extra help (on the of Harvard site it is written that it’s possible - up to 20k). When I say “waiver” I do mean credit facility.
3. I can not understand this concept “means based” – everybody will write that he is very very poor (will easily forget about solid bank account and so on). How they check it? Do they really ignore merits when deciding whether I need financial aid?

Thanks,

Travis

I don't know much re 1, but I am fully positive that point 2 is possible and does happen, also in the form of tuition waiver plus something extra. With regard to point 3 it is true that admission officers do not have great abilities to investigate every single student, but I believe that the prospect of exclusion from the bar or the like serves as a good deterrent. I myself believe that the basis for financial aid is a combination of need and merit factors, but this is only my feeling.

Thanks Kasia! And what if I'm PhD student in my home country now (and of course it will be the case at the moment of applying) - do you think it is a plus or I should be silent about this?

Prior to coming to my LL.M. I thought that being a Ph.D. student is a real advantage in getting into a top school. However, looking at my colleagues, I don't think that is the case. Only few of them are Ph.D. candidates at this moment, plus there are some (not many), who have their Ph.D.s already completed (which is far better).
If I were to decide for myself once more, I would have tried to get into LL.M. being a fresh graduate. Enrolling into Ph.D. and leaving for LL.M. without completing it has a VERY serious disadvantage with regard to planning your future after LL.M. You have an obligation that turns out to be a real burden in some aspects (potential employers don't like it very much, you might find yourself interested in doing SJD at your school but do not want to earn what turns out to be a "second" Ph.D. in law, etc.). Basically, coming for LL.M. you should be as flexible as you can and ready to take whatever opportunities emerge.
What more, a year at good LL.M. can significantly change your areas of interests, points of view, etc. - what once seemed a new and brilliant idea for Ph.D. topic, now turns out to be naive and not at all insightful.
You might do some cold calculations and enroll into Ph.D. just to enhance your chances of getting into LL.M. without a real intention to complete it. But, as I said, I do not think that being a Ph.D. candidate helps much, unless you have an extremely strong academic trait, have completed your primary degree several years ago and your resume just craves for some more advanced degree, looking empty without it. Moreover, after enrolling into Ph.D. you become tempted to accept some scholarship opportunities that follow, what will make it for you even harder to withdraw if your plans change after LL.M.
But - if you can get into a nice Ph.D. program really easily, have flexible time to complete it (up to 6-7 years maybe) or even withdraw if you lose interest in the topic or academic career, and the topic of your Ph.D. shows some nice connection to the university's areas of academic strengths - well, maybe that is something to consider. However, be prepared to forget about mentioning your Ph.D. candidacy on the resume you show to your potential employers :))
Hope that helps.

Hey, I re-read your post and now it seems to me that you actually already are a Ph.D. student (well, the hour is late here...) Am I correct? Anyway, some of the remarks still apply.
If you already are enrolled as Ph.D. candidate, I'd rather say that you should mention it.

Thanks Kasia for your valuable comments - yes, I am already a PhD student. As I understand from your post if I have a strong background and extemelly high GPA (which is the case) it is better to keep silent about PhD.

I'd say that if your Ph.D. program fits your academic background and is prestigious enough (or e.g. you have a well-known supervisor who also gives you a reference letter) certainly do mention it in your application. My remarks were more applicable for a person who considers enrolling into Ph.D. just to enhance his / her chances of getting into LL.M.