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Lower Second Class LLM Admission ?

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Rwandrall Joined: 15 Jan 2012 Posts: 6	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Mon Feb 20, 2012 03:03 PM Hello, I am currently in a double-degree between France and England, which will give me both a Licence (equivalent of an LLB) in French Law from Nanterre University, and a LLB from Essex University. The issue is that i would like to do an LLM in Intellectual Property Law in the UK, but because my mastery of English was far from perfect, i did not get great grades in my first two years. What's more, my third year (which i am doing now) is in France, which has a very severe grading system. All in all it means that i will most likely end up with a 2:2, which does not meet the requirements of most of the LLM courses i am interested in. I would like to know if i'm definitely screwed for getting into a decent LLM. Does my French degree provide an advantage, and does the fact that i have 6 months of experience in law firms help ? Finally, would getting a French Master's degree help me get an English one afterwards ? Thank you for any advice, it is much appreciated.
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Floris Joined: 28 May 2010 Posts: 84	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:20 AM you will never know - if you do not try yourself. The requirements change from year to year due to the fluctuation of students. Your law firm experience might be an advantage, your French degree as well. If you are not applying for the top-notch law schools - you should be able to find a decent place. [Edited by Floris on 23 Feb 2012]
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Rwandrall Joined: 15 Jan 2012 Posts: 6	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Thu Feb 23, 2012 06:03 PM Thank you very much for that response. Would there be a way for me to find out, without officially applying to one, my chances to enter the LLM degree i am aiming for ? I tried contacting my University's LLM department but they were less than helpful...
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effloresce Joined: 02 Nov 2011 Posts: 51	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Fri Feb 24, 2012 01:41 AM You could check the websites of the universities you are considering. Some of them do state indicative ranges of the sort of qualifications necessary (e.g. "Applicants will normally be expected to hold a second class upper degree or better"). I don't think your own university's LLM department would be very helpful unless you were considering doing your LLM there also.
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Aethra Joined: 07 Feb 2011 Posts: 37	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Fri Feb 24, 2012 07:11 AM You could check the websites of the universities you are considering. Some of them do state indicative ranges of the sort of qualifications necessary (e.g. "Applicants will normally be expected to hold a second class upper degree or better"). I don't think your own university's LLM department would be very helpful unless you were considering doing your LLM there also. I agree with the above. After checking the requirements online, maybe you could also contact the admissions officers (or whatever they're called) of the Universities you're interested in, give them a brief indication of your profile and ask them if your application would be competitive. I know people who did it and most of them did get feedback. But in any case, I think it's better to apply and see what happens than not to apply at all. You never know and what have you got to lose? ( I also believe that the people who will evaluate your application will be aware of the differences in grading between the UK and France. Remember, they get tons of applications from all over the world, it would be strange if they didn't know that for example, first class honours in the UK: top 10% whereas first class honours in France: top 1% or maybe even less). [Edited by Aethra on 24 Feb 2012]
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flens Joined: 15 Feb 2012 Posts: 7	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Fri Feb 24, 2012 09:20 AM i have a friend who got into KCL with a high 2:2. i heard KCL is good for IP? don't feel defeated before you even try, you never know what may come for you!
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qualifiedlawyer Joined: 24 Jan 2012 Posts: 17	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:00 PM Remember for most universities it doesn't cost anything to apply. You just need to devote the right time to applications. You will also probably need a really good personal statement - remember an LLM is academic(not professional) study. So, personally, I'd give more weight to the French Licence (especially if you're considering comparative law subjects), than 6 months' work experience. Maybe you're better off waiting a year? I'd expect many of the top universities to have completed a fair few applications (as they generally opened in October). Apply early, and you'd think you'd have a better change. Of course, if you can't wait, get onto it now.
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Rwandrall Joined: 15 Jan 2012 Posts: 6	Lower Second Class LLM Admission ? Mon Feb 27, 2012 05:54 PM Thank you everyone this was encouraging, i was slightly worried that a 2:2 would basically mean i wouldn't stand a chance to enter any decent LLMs but it looks like i have a shot, this is good news. Probably even more chances if i try European or Comparative Law (since i have the French degree as well).
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