Hi everyone,

I have been quite an avid follower of the posts on this website for the past two years. This is my first post and I am reaching out for some advice for those in the know and for those who might have more knowledge than I do on the schools. This is my predicament. I applied to several LLM programs quite late and I have been accepted into them. I am now trying to decide which school should I choose. I have utilized broadly, the rankings provided by US News and World Report. I believe that no matter how much one might detest the rankings provided by the latter, its inevitable that they do gain some attention on the media and with employers too.

The schools are,

Penn State - they have given me a scholarship. Ranking on US News and World Report is 60.

Washington University in St. Louis - no scholarship and ranked 18. I am interested in the health care law specialization. However I am not sure of the job prospects for a LLM graduate to enter into the US Law job market, with that specialization.

George Washington University, Washington DC - ranked 20. I have heard that the job market in Washington DC is good, and also the living expenses are high because of that. Will that be a good place to network and get a job, possibly in the institutions that have something to do with government?

University of Texas at Austin - ranked 14. I am interested in the Global Energy LLM program. However, I am also worried about the job prospects for a LLM graduate in this field, who has no prior background in that field.

Boston University - ranked 22. They have touted that they have the best faculty in US according to Princeton Review. I believe that they might have some name recognition globally compared to a few others. There is also the prospect of undertaking certain credits in health care law.

Cardozo Law - ranked no. 50. They have also offered a scholarship. They are centrally located in NY and as such might be a prime prospect for undertaking the NY Bar.

My concerns are primarily, the job prospects after undertaking the LLM program for foreign lawyers here. I understand that it might not be easy for a foreign lawyer to compete with a local JD graduate for the few law jobs that are out there. That is why I am concerned that I should go to a school that has a better chance than others as far as employment prospects are concerned. Also, I am concerned about the name recognition, on a global level. For example, University of Texas at Austin is the highest ranked school in the list, along with Washington University in St. Louis. However, I am not sure how much weight that might carry on a global level. I would think that a school from the Boston area or even Washington DC might have more brand name recognition.

I apologize for this lengthy post. I will be most grateful for any helpful feedback I might obtain as I have to reply to these schools, within the next few days.

Thank you.

Hi!

I can't advice you about job prospects in the US because I have absolutely no idea about it, but the most prestigious ones worldwide are GWU, BU and PennState.

If you enroll in a general LLM, you have the opportunity to chose the courses you'll take from several areas (health care, energy law, etc.), so I think it is an advange.

Best regards!

Thanks andresob5! I appreciate the advice.

Im replying recollecting the posts that I read a couple of years ago while contemplating an LLM.

With the US News ranking, it really doesn't matter whats at 14 and whats at 20 unless its a Harvard or a Yale... I can understand that you are worried about job prospects. I'd suggest making a decision based on location rather than ranking for better networking prospects.

As you have no offer from a magic university i would have a look on fees i think globaly noone fares if you went to texas or to penn state my advice would be go for the scholarship