Hi, we are a group of three students who want to take an llm in the US in 2012-2013. I have the checked out the admission criteria on several different schools, as well as rankings etc. However I found it difficult to find information about how many students each school admits and other information relevant to our chances of being accepted. I was wondering whether someone could could give their views on which schools we could get into.

All three of us have masters degrees from the University of Oslo. Two of us have weak A averages, while the third one has a strong B average. However the first two of us have used six rather than five years to complete the masters degree. All three of us have work experience, the first two gained from internships at major Norwegian law firms during the studies, while the third party has worked one year full time for the tax authorities ("The central tax office for major companies").


Our field of interest is international taxation, business and corporate law.

We have been looking at the following schools:

Berkeley Law
UC Davis
University of San Diego
UF Levin College of Law
UPENN Law School
Penn State University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Temple University Beasley School of Law
University of Miami Law School

Any feedback regarding the chances of all three of us being accepted into these schools would be much appreciated!

Hi henrimd!

I don't think admissions to that universities are very tough, so you might have good chances of enrolling there. For instance, you already have Masters degrees and experience, so that would be a plus in your application. Finally, I have been told that many universities compare applicants from each country or region, so you would be competing with norwegian or nordic students, and if there aren't many you probably would be admitted. From those universities, I would recommend Berkeley, UPenn, Emory and Penn State!

Best lucks!!

your list must include Northwestern, best school for corporate law in the country and one of the very best programs in int'nal taxation...

Thanks for the input from both of you. If anyone else have any views they will be much appreciated.

1. You may be able to find information about different U.S. law school LL.M. programs through U.S. Department of State EducationUSA affiliates in Oslo. The principal EducationUSA Advising Center in Oslo is located at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo -- http://norway.usembassy.gov/educational_exchange.html. There is a Fulbright Office in Oslo as well -- www.fulbright.no. You should also be able to find information there about the application process, getting your US student visa, funding, adjustments to U.S. academic life, etc.

2. LL.M. Roadmap: An International Students Guide to U.S. Law School Programs (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2011) (624 pages) (www.LLMRoadMap.com) (my new book) has several sections that directly address the questions you raise about which U.S. LL.M. program to choose. For example, Chapter 7 lists 218 criteria for a prospective LL.M. student to consider when choosing a U.S. LL.M. program. Those 218 criteria are broken into 26 categories, including categories that relate to some of the questions you pose, such as admission criteria and availability of LL.M. emphases on areas of interest to applicants. In short, applicants want to find a school that will likely meet the reasonable expectations of the students, that is, meet the students academic, personal, professional, and career wants and needs. Not every law school is a good match for every LL.M. student!

3. I know that U.S. Embassy libraries in some countries have acquired LL.M. Roadmap, and it is available in some Fulbright Offices in different parts of the world. I dont know whether the Oslo Embassy or Fulbright office has the book yet. It was published in September 2011. The LL.M. Roadmap website (www.LLMRoadMap.com) lists multiple Amazon and other sites in Europe that are carrying LL.M. Roadmap.

4. Somewhere else on LLM-Guide I posted about how prospective LL.M. students might be able to track down LL.M. graduates from their home country. So, if a prospective student from Norway is interested in a particular U.S. law schools LL.M. program, then the Norwegian prospective student can find a Norwegian LL.M. graduate of that school to ask about the admission process, life at that U.S. law school, career opportunities, alumni events, etc.

5. You state that you are interested in finding out how many applications a particular school receives, and how many applicants they admit. Some school post this information on their websites. Other schools may provide that information if applicants send an e-mail and ask. Current LL.M. students and recent LL.M. graduates may also have relevant information, if only anecdotal.

Good luck!

LLMRoadMap
(www.LLMRoadMap.com) (Twitter @LLMRoadMap)

I don't think the Universities listed above have the same reputation and ask for the same requirements for admission. Upenn and Bekeley are not that easy to be admetted.

There is not really a unifying theme among your listed schools. Each has their own benefits, yet are different from the rest. Do you want: cold/warm, city/rural, general/tax, prestige/experience? There are so many schools in the USA, but your decision should rely on what you want.

I am aware that not all the schools listed are of the same level, and that is part of the reason why I asked which ones we could realistically be admitted to, as I assumed the answer would be yes to some and no to some.

In regards to unifying theme we have looked at a number of different criteria. For example, we have ruled out some of the most expensive schools, though I know the charge at Berkeley is relatively high. When it comes to climate we would generally want to stay in one of the warmer states, hence the high number of Florida and California based schools. As Norwegians a mild winter would be a pleasant change.

Reputation is not essential, as long as the program is of an acceptable quality. And the program should preferably include corporate law and/or tax, or commercial law, but after doing the research I believe all the schools I have listed offer such programs.

My experience is that if you want to be admitted in a top notch university you must excel in something and be good at all the rest. There aren't fixed criteria, therefore, for example, you can be admitted if you were top 10% at your home country university and you have great reference letters even if your TOEFL is just above the minimum required (which means a good level anyway); or your profile can be found interesting if you speak many languages even if you ranked lower.
As far as I can tell they look at:
- your transcripts / ranking
- level of knowledge of English language;
- other languages;
- working experience;
- reference letters;
- academic experience;
- publications if any.
Anyway, if reputation is not that important for you I think you don't have to be worried, I'm sure you'll be admitted. But since you are going to spend a big sum of money if I were you I would be concerned about the reputation factor... You are making an investment (hopefully!), not just taking a sabbatical!
Best wishes!