It’s important to make the application for your Master of Laws program sing, highlighting all of your excellent attributes and avoiding any no-nos!
Your LLM application is key to your admissions success – and here are 10 ways to make your LLM application great.
Get tips from alumni
Get in contact with alumni from the LLM course and find out what they considered were the important factors in their acceptance to the course. This is especially helpful if they have graduated recently and it's easily done through the law school you are applying to, as all law schools want prospective students to get in touch, for example Edinburgh Law School.
Extra-curricular activities
Make sure you mention all and any relevant extra-curricular activities that show what you have an interest in a particular area of the law or why you've chosen to study the law in more detail.
Get ahead of the deadline
Give yourself plenty of time to complete forms, contact references, write personal statements and understand the application process for each law school you're applying to.
Be persuasive
Sell yourself and don't talk yourself down. You've done plenty of positive things these should be showcased on your LLM application. Keep it all positive, don't moan or complain about any previous job or experience, you never know who knows who.
Play to your strengths
Do let the admissions panel know about all the things you do well and the experiences that led you to apply to do an LLM. These are the sorts of pieces of information that show what you will bring to the course.
Be careful with your tone
Keeping the tone professional and respectful is tricky and is doubly so if you are applying to a course in another country. You need to have an idea of how the tutors and administration staff are expecting you to communicate with them, so get in touch before you apply.
Proofread your application
Hopefully, you've learnt by now not to rely on spell checkers. You need to do it yourself and get at least one other person to check your application. Ideally, complete the application and then put it away for a couple of days, then print it all off and read through it with fresh eyes and a clear mind.
Network with professionals
This might be easy for you as you're already working or it might mean networking with people you wish to work with. Those people already working where you want to work in the future will be able to advise on your application once you get to know them.
Know the law school
If at all possible try and visit the law school and get a feeling for the place. Many law schools, like Columbia Law School, give you the chance to attend lectures during a campus visit. If you can't do this in person, then spend some time on social media, most law schools like the University College London have a social media presence.
Be expected!
When you were initially researching the Master of Laws course you would probably have been in touch with the administration and academic staff at the law school. Now that you're ready to apply it's a good idea to try and make sure that the staff are expecting your application, as they may it more favourably if will feel they already know you.
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