HI ALL

I'm thinking about applying to a US LLM programme later this year. For those who have been accepted, I'd like to know what your previous law school LLB/JD grades were on average (A,B,etc) or what your final degree classifications were (1st, 2:1, etc) and also include where you were accepted. (hope i'm not being too invasive)

Secondly, are the odds against me if I am in the final year of the LLB when I do apply as opposed to having completed the LLB along with professional experience?

Third...I really want to do the LLM in corporation law but will I be limiting potential opportunities so soon in my career or will that work in my favour in the sense that my career will be "focused" from the outset?

Thanx in advance for your replies...

Actually, there are many factors that the admission commitee consider besides your grade. For example, TOEFL score, statement of purpose and work experience.


Moreover, each law school have different admission criterior. Some may pay attention to your grade more than toefl score, some may do oppositely. Some may pay attention to workexperience most,ect. So it depends.

However, I think the applicants with professional work experience will be benefited more, no matter what lawschool.

Professional experience may be an advantage in some schools, but I think most "elite" law schools really emphasize academic merit. There have been many last-year law students on this board who have been accepted to Harvard, Columbia, and Chicago etc. They might even have a quota for students and professionals to achieve diversity in the student body. So don't be discouraged by the fact that you haven't graduated yet. I can't tell you my grades, because in Finland the grading system is quite different from anglophone system. My impression is that stipends, prizes, scholarships, fellowships, and good recommendations count for lot. I had those and made it Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Michigan, Cornell, and Virginia. I chose Yale and am looking forward to studying and living in New Haven. Best of luck. -Toni-

In respect to top grades... how important is that really? I mean I know it is very important to have good grades but does that mean straight A.s or is it ok to have second best in some subjects and eg. other merits to compensate that? Thinking about applying for LLMs -07 but not knowing if it is worth it if I don't have top top in everything. Do you think European grades are looked at differently? Toni, what was your score from Finland? I am from your neighbour country...
Thankful for any thoughts. S

May I add my opinion ? Grades are very important - in France the grades given by some univeristies in the provinces are higher so the students there are able to get accepted into the top 10 US universities, whereas it is more difficult for those in the so-called top universities in Paris which don't give very high grades.

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