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UCL or LSE

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tagotra

Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 71
UCL or LSE
Mon Oct 08, 2007 04:32 PM
i'm a final year student from the University of Pune. and i intend to apply for LL.M. in LSE, UCL, KCL and Cambridge..
My aggregate for 1st four years is 60.8%. i've done a diploma in International commercial arbitration and pursuing IPR diploma from NLS, Bangalore. i want to pursue my LL.M. in IP Laws or Arbitration and represented my college in 2 state level moot courts.. i've consistently stood amongst the top 3 students in my college.
what chances do i stand in the above colleges if my aggregate score for all five years comes to 61-62%?

I'm really confused... plz help.. i'l be really very grateful...
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ozman

Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 57
UCL or LSE
Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:31 PM
ucl and kings should take u... cambridge i dont think so and even lse looks difficult... but for ur subjects especially commercial arbitration goto either kings or ucl... u see cuz cambridge requires a minimum aggregate of 67-68%(even tht doesnt guarantee a place) and lse recently has raised its standards tremendously(not to say tht ucl and kings r not good, they r excellent schools) but due to the international repute that lse has now i think they can afford to do this... good luck... but remember therez no harm in applying so u shud be hopeful for ucl and kings and apply to lse and cambridge anyway...
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equity's darling

Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 268
UCL or LSE
Tue Oct 09, 2007 03:42 PM
If you have "consistently stood among the top 3 students" in your previous studies, then I think you will likely be admitted to all the above schools. Ranking matters more than grades; top three is very high (assuming there are at least a hundred or so students in this pool).
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tagotra

Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 71
SoP & best time to apply
Tue Oct 09, 2007 04:27 PM
thanks alot ozman and equity's darling.. ur help was really beneficial for me. i appreciate ur quick response. my aggregate is 61.5% and not 60.8% as i said yesterday... will it be late if i apply in november end or early december? or should i reply even earlier?

and how important is SoP for getting admission in top colleges like UCL, KCL, LSE and Cambridge? is it that early birds get priority?

and can we give more than 3 0r 4 Letters of recommendation or that much is enough?
thanks again ozman and equity's darling... hope to hear from u again..
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ozman

Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 57
SoP & best time to apply
Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:46 PM
well ur most welcome... yeah as ED pointed out that class rankings do matter... but you should check from ur school if they can give u a letter specifying ur class rank... or if ur professor or whoever writes ur reference can indicate this... as far as applications go u can apply to ucl late(by may next year infact), however u shud be sending ur applications to cambridge and lse as soon as possible, kings has a march deadline so u still have some time over there. By the way u shud also apply to some top US law schools as well... if i were u i would definitely give it a shot(presuming tht ur in the top ten percent of ur class)... oh and yes SoP is extremely important, however from what i have seen, in the UK they do consider it but they stress more on grades, whereas in the US ur SoP carries alot of weight( a couple of my friends with averages between 55-57% got into harvard because of a grt SoP and excellent references)...
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tagotra

Joined: 07 Oct 2007
Posts: 71
scholarships
Thu Oct 11, 2007 08:10 AM
thanks a lot ozman... also plz tell me about any scholarships for LL.M. in UCL... i really hope that i get a call from UCL with 61%...
equity's darling hope to hear from u too... plz
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Mr. Lawyer

Joined: 11 May 2007
Posts: 56
scholarships
Thu Oct 11, 2007 09:33 PM
Apply for All!!!

And I vote for LSE, even in not approving London for my studies.

As my tutor said once, London is an incredible place to ... spend your money.

See ya

[Edited 11 Oct 2007 by Mr. Lawyer]
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ozman

Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 57
scholarships
Fri Oct 12, 2007 04:12 PM
haha well said Mr Lawyer...
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librannancy123

Joined: 08 Aug 2007
Posts: 11
2008 entry
Fri Oct 12, 2007 07:12 PM
Hey All this conversation seems to be very useful as i am sailing almost in the same boat...

I have a doubt and need help- my final year LLB results would be out by Aug-Sep 2008. Would these schools entertain my application for yr 2008 if i submit my 3rd yr results later..

Please advice Ozman/Equity... thanks...:)
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marlguil

Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 3
2008 entry
Tue Oct 23, 2007 07:29 PM
Hello, i'm searching for a LLM in London as well, i'm hesiting between UCL, KINGS, LSE, Queens Mary. I want to do a LLM in international business law. I've read your posts, i'm wondering what means SoP? I'm on my fourth year of law in Belgium, and for the moment i have a 64% grade, what are my chances...I really want to enter in King's...I'm wondering if to have an internship experience give more chance to be admitted in these Universities. Thank you.
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ms. lawyer

Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 11
2008 entry
Sun Oct 28, 2007 05:40 AM
Please can nyone tell me what is the full form of SoP and also that when are we required to give IELTS before applying for admission or after it????
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deeksha

Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
2008 entry
Sun Oct 28, 2007 06:33 AM
sop is statement of purpose. the term is in vogue in american universities more than in british ones. in uk it is personal statement. you have to explain a no. of things in this 'essay'. you can google statement of purpose or personal statement and you will get all the details of what to write/include/phrase correctly. it is extremely imp to be able to give precisely your details about your motivations to do the course, your suitability, your past experience, academic qualifications, etc, for admission purposes. spend a lot of time on this.
ielts scores are required to be entered on your application form if english is not your first language. admission will be confirmed only if you qualify this. but definitely you should attempt this as soon as possible, otherwise your admission will get cancelled.
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deeksha

Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
2008 entry
Sun Oct 28, 2007 06:42 AM
academic performance and grades hold far morevalue than any internship in uk universities. in uk a first is 70%. but your overall ranking and comparative grades matter more.
lse has a greater international reputation than any other college you specified, though ucl is also very highly regarded, at least in uk. traditionally there is a rivalry bw ucl and kings, but i think that ucl has an edge over kings. queen mary is lower down in rankings at least. so i would say lse, but then its expertise is econ and political science. ucl as a college offers a far greater variety of subjects.
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Sun Oct 28, 2007 07:34 AM
hi guys any idea of practising law from UK......wat is the reason when u study and come back with no added advantage to ones CV....
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Sun Oct 28, 2007 07:39 AM
Im done my law this year and im currently working with a UK based MNC in India. I dont think so that u add to your advantage when u come to India after your LLm, just after one year of study ! Job position in UK in pretty scary for the LLM grads in UK who are Indians
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deeksha

Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
2008 entry
Mon Oct 29, 2007 06:54 AM
i am myself grappling with this situation. i am planning an llm from uk, but after much research on net, i am myself coming to the conclusion that llm does not have much value in job market, definitely not for its price, as it is an academic degree
. in india i have seen big lawyers and judgeschildren go in for llm from usa, but they already have an established practice and know in advance that they will return to it. so llm is required if you want to enter the field of academics, or is advisable if you get funding for it and you dont mind taking a year off.
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Mon Oct 29, 2007 07:19 AM
u r rite.....deeksha...but u know..u have very gud options if u opt for gud universities from US..and more over..one should always try for a scholarship from UK ....point is one can try and IF WE CAN !...then it is a gud option...in case if u are interested fr a field in corporate laws then CS is a gud option to try for ....
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Mon Oct 29, 2007 07:23 AM
there are basically three countries now from where the job opportunities are striking in a huge level...if u opt for corporate laws....India...china...and US...! corporates like it if u say them tat u hv done ur masters from US and in India from some gud place...!
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deeksha

Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 08:31 AM
can you tell me what the corporate scenario is like in india for lawyers? both in-house and private practice, if there are firms recruiting , and what kind of salaries, including salaries at foreign firms.
thanks!
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 08:58 AM
hi Deeksha....i graduted and i joined my current employer this year itself. im currently working as an "inhouse lawyers"..as this is the new word that has been coined for fresh graduates like us who are eager to work in corporates. After going through a lot of research n all...all i can say that there is immense scope for corporate lawyers with huge pay scale....all wat is needed is a click..and u have it! I have my coleague with me who also joined in the same position as i am even after doin a LLM from Leeds, university. You can only use your LLM when u learn something extra from the normal course, to put it in simple language. Otherwise u say watz the use! In simpe terms dont expect magic in the first 2 years of ur work and salary. But the point is , lawyers with 2-5 years wrok ex in a gud company are do expecting magic and are getting one !
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LedZeppelin


Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 15
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 09:03 AM
Kindly ignore...my spell checks.....n way...in terms of salary... MNC's are giving abt 8 lacks for a 2-5 yrs wrk ex and corporate law firms dont have any limit! But trust me they will take out everything u have learnt in these 5 years.Lot of LPO's are paying abnormally .....too..im talking about just law graduates ...nt LLM's....
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ms. lawyer

Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 11
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 02:14 PM
hi LedZeppelin,actually i am plannin to do llm from uk n after reading ur posts i got a bit confused........n wanted to know what should i do.......i.e. wat will be better for me as in carreer wise????is takin a llm degree from uk not a good idea????is there nything better i cud do????please do reply
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ms. lawyer

Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 11
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 02:19 PM
hi deepshikha,
thanks for replying........cud u please tell me which are the good colleges in which one shud apply????.......jst read ur posts........what have you decided for urself????what do think......is doin llm from uk a waist of time n money????den wat shud one do to add to one's qualifications????
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ms. lawyer

Joined: 27 Oct 2007
Posts: 11
2008 entry
Tue Oct 30, 2007 02:21 PM
deepshikha.....plz dont mind my spellin mistakes.........i was jst in a hurry
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deeksha

Joined: 03 Oct 2007
Posts: 14
2008 entry
Wed Oct 31, 2007 07:19 AM
for good colleges you can google ranking llm uk.
oxbridge are top of the league and a class apart. they feature in top ten universities of the world for most subjects they offer, including law.
next i think are london university colleges, of which lse is internationally most renowned, ucl is equally highly regarded in the uk, and kcl has been its rival.
for next list of colleges you can google. also it depends on your subject choice. eg cambridge is good for international law oxford for private laws and EU laws.
my situation is very different form most people,so i have to factor in a lot of personal considerations for a choice that i make so it is not based purely on career/profession/studies. money is a consideration, and if i manage a scholarship, i will take admission in lse in corporate laws. i will then disregard money factor and llm definitely loks good on cv at some later stage, thouhg i know it will not make mcu difference, but given tow equaly deserving candidates, llm may become the deciding factor, though i may be partial in this analysis. i will not be able to take up oxbridge, and i think i have the marks for those as well because i have to necessarily stay in london for family considerations. residence is mandatory.

llm is good for academics, not for a career as a lawyer, so i think it is a waste of money if you have to fund it yourself.

to add to qualifications you should have relevant work experience, which means improve cv, . academic qualifications alone will not help much. even in college you should be doing some extra-curricular, some moots, or internships, some voluntary work, or sports (it is imp in these firms for their business development prospects). in college make friends and that will also help you professionally.
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