LLM in Ivy League or Oxbridge College

Tiperary123

Hi all!

I'm currently top of my class in UCD with a GPA of 3.93 and attained 600 points in my LC(7 As). My extra-curriculars are only ok though but my work experience is fairly good and relevant.

I'm wondering would the academic side be enough to get me a place in a LLM course in a top US or UK Law School(not necessarily Ivy League or Oxbridge as the title suggests)?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated, particularly from anyone with experience of applying to these colleges!

Thanks!:D

hada

Oxbridge or Harvard if you can afford the fees with the latter.

More specifically: Oxford B.C.L is equal in terms of prestige the Cambridge LL.M or the or Harvard LL.M, but in terms of substance and learning/teaching the Ox BCL is generally regarded as superior (this would be the opinion of some...)

_JOE_

UCD law? Drop me a private message.

No.2

hada wrote: »

More specifically: Oxford B.C.L is equal in terms of prestige the Cambridge LL.M or the or Harvard LL.M, but in terms of substance and learning/teaching the Ox BCL is generally regarded as superior (this would be the opinion of some...)

Some who have completed all three?

Scarlet 27

If I was in your position I would not even consider a LLM from Cambridge unless you want a back up plan in case you don't get into any of the other universities. I don't think you would have any problem getting into Cambridge. I know 30 people off had who have done a LLM from there so it is not that prestigious a LLM and wont significantly help your C.V. and I don't think it really helped them academically.

I would apply to the top ten law schools in the states, Harvard being my personal first choice (of course this should be tailored depending on if you want a general LLM or to specialise in a specific area). An LLM from Oxford would be amazing but they have a pretty limited selection of taught LLMs to choose from so unless you happen to be particularly interested in one of the chosen ones then I would head to the states. The only thing that might hold you back is your lack of work experience a lot of American Universities like to see there foreign LLM students with decent work experience and a lot of them are qualified in there own county already, I think for Columbia it is a prerequisite that you have 2 years or you need not apply. However I still think from both an educational and a C.V. building point of view one of the top law schools in the states would be your best option.

There is a great website which deals with LLMs from all over the world and has a great forum section which might help you make your mind up it is www.llm-guide.com

Jowls

Be careful about taking advice from people on the web only. Make sure you contact the colleges themselves and look at what they are offering. Also be aware that many universities see the LLM as a good way of making cash off short-term overseas students that they can then put back into their 'proper' students. That's ok if what you want is just to say you've been to a high-profile university but not if you want the challenging academic experience you're paying for.

For example, the description here of Cambridge is wrong - it is a prestigious programme, in a university ranked no. 1 in the world which has been reformed recently so LLM students get the same access to small group tutorials with members of the faculty that the undergraduates get. Oxford also offers this, and it is really valuable. Some of the American universities mentioned here will put you in large classes and pay relatively little attention to you because they are really only concerned with their JD students.

If you are doing it for academic reasons, look into those kind of issues. What classes will be offered? How large are they? How much access to faculty will you get?

If you are doing it for prestige, the Ivy League or Oxbridge names are all pretty similar. The American universities are a bit less common in Ireland so that might be something to take into account. However, that's changed a lot over the last 10 years as people here were able to afford the high fees so I dont think it should be a huge factor in your decision.