LL.M.
free speech law with European human rights provisions on freedom of expression. It might also happen that a course initially intended for domestic students evolves into something differ- ent because a professor adapts it for international students. Some professors find the need to adapt challenging but beneficial in the long term, while others are irritated by LL.M.s constantly referring to their home country examples. Guess who gets better evaluations?
Does It Matter What Goes After the Word LL.M. on Your Diploma?
32
What an LL.M. program gives you academically depends on the school – both your previous school and the school you pick for a master’s pro- gram. For us, the more diverse these two schools are in terms of academic tradition, student envi- ronment and even location – the better, but some people may find it hard to adapt if the schools are too different. In this regard it matters to make a right choice. But to get an excellent academic push you do not necessarily have to be admitted to one of those top schools. Specialization of a school matters here, as well as personalities of particular professors (and the latter often prede- termines the former).
There is a classification familiar to most U.S. students, but we only came across it when we started to think about LL.M.s abroad, so it might be worth mentioning here. Americans have devel- oped a classification that we found useful. They distinguish between three types of schools based on the chances of getting in – a safety school, a match school, and a dream school (this applies outside of a law school context as well). For sure, the way one classifies schools is highly subjec- tive, and it might be that this trichotomy does not apply at all in your specific case.
In fact, we know two types of people – those who pick up one or two schools and say that they want to get in, no matter how many times they
will have to apply, and keep trying year after year. The second type is those who just want to spend a year abroad, no matter the school. For them the good news is that there is a safe school for every- one. There are even schools so interested in for- eign students that they are ready to provide very generous funding just to make sure that a person will choose this particular school.
You are lucky when you have an opportunity to choose between dream schools. I guess it de- pends on your country of origin, but generally a list of schools that give you points simply by the presence of their name in your resume is relative- ly short. The funny thing is that it does not really matter which one you pick (if you are only after the name), because the effect each name pro- duces is relatively the same. We had a friend who got his LL.M. degree from Harvard, and when he returned to his home country, the law firm he joined kept boasting that they had a Harvard grad/ an Oxford grad/a Cambridge grad with them – it was a different name every time, mentioned for the same effect.
Apart from considerations of prestige, choice of school is a psychological choice: you have to be aware that in a top school you will be surrounded by top students, while in a safety school you might be a star. Many really good students who are used to being stars in their home schools have a hard time adapting to new environment when they get into a top school like Harvard. But when you are ready to learn from your classmates rather than to rival them, you can have the best time ever.
For someone who is not entirely obsessed with a school name (“I only want to go to Oxford, be- cause it is Oxford”), it is a good idea to look at the faculty. Law school schedule allows taking only a handful of classes and out of those approximate- ly six to twelve courses you will likely learn the most from just one or two professors. It is not un- common for prospective LL.M. students to find a particular professor, and then apply to a school
ILSA Quarterly » volume 22 » issue 3 » February 2014
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