Rokeya Chowdhury
Like many others in the academia I have become used to receiving phone calls and emails each fall; seeking opinion and response to some common questions and concerns regarding admission abroad. Responding to these questions is often very challenging for the answers depend on personal preferences and can only be determined by the applicant. The best way to “answer” those questions as I believe is to provide some general guidelines or to offer specific alternative choices to the applicant so that they might assess the stakes more clearly. From my own experience as an applicant and a “reviewer” of admission applications, I offer you some handy tips which in my opinion can work well for prospective law graduates.
Where to go?Choosing the university where you want to apply is an interesting and at the same time a challenging task. The expertise offered by the university in your area of interest is a very important criterion apart from the overall rank and reputation of the institute. Most applicants prefer applying to more than one university, if you are one of them start with a bigger list of universities and make a shorter list by comparison. Application deadline, requirements, fees, scholarships, availability of supervisors or courses are some of the important factors that one should carefully consider. Most universities list all application requirements and procedures in their websites, but feel free to send email inquiries for any doubts or confusions.
When to go?I find many law students from Bangladesh utterly frustrated with the courses offered by LLM programmes and those who seek specialisation often think about skipping the LLM programme at home. While it seems completely doable, there are some downsides. Most programmes abroad call for application a year ahead of actual admission. If you want to start your LLM abroad immediately after LLB (Hons) you have to apply before earning your first degree. That will limit your possibility to apply to a significant number of universities. If you apply after LLB (Hon’s), you have to wait for a year before joining your LLM programme abroad and you might make use of the year by doing an LLM at home. This will also provide you a chance to write a dissertation which might lead to a publication. You can also use your extra time by doing internships relevant to your area of interest.
What documents to send?The documentation requirement varies among universities. Most universities have online applications now, some require additional documents through post and some require electronic submission. You should check all the submission requirements well ahead of time so as not to be taken by surprise at the last moment. One important thing you should take note is grade conversion for previous degrees. Some universities do the conversion on their own, some require you or your institute to convert the grades. You might need to translate some documents. Be careful in selecting your referees, as a rule of thumb you should seek reference letters from professors you have worked with. Give your referees all necessary documents, detail and guideline fairly ahead of the deadline. Most applications ask for a CV, provide an updated CV no longer than two pages. Do not send extra or unnecessary documents, it will just lengthen the process.
How should I write my statement?A statement generally asks for your previous academic record, your interest in joining the programme, your research interest, how you hope to benefit from and contribute to the programme. Read the guidelines given in your application carefully. Remember that you might need to modify your statement for different universities. Do some homework on the law schools or institutes you are applying to, in order to better understand the admission criteria and shape your statement accordingly. Your statement should be consistent with your experience and activities listed on your CV to make your application coherent.
What should/should not be in my research proposal?Most universities ask for a research proposal for LLM application. Take note of the length, word count suggested and areas to be covered. Most applications will ask you to provide research questions, methodology and the relevance of your proposed research. Try to write in short and simple sentences. If your research relates to an issue which can be fairly assumed to be unfamiliar to most members of the admission committee, provide sufficient background. Do not load your proposal with heavy arguments or do not make generalised comments. Give references where necessary and follow the reference style prescribed by the university you are applying to.
Will they fund me adequately?Most universities define funding graduate education as one of their greatest challenges and many universities have limited internal funding opportunities. You should look for the internal and external funding opportunities, potential teaching and research assistantship opportunities apart from applying to well-known scholarships.
Are you concerned with your grade?Many university students fear they will be prejudiced because of comparatively low average grades awarded by their university. Explain your department’s grading strategies in your application statement. For example, you may write: “Less than three percent students secure 80 percent or above.” If any unfortunate event or circumstance have hindered your undergraduate studies explain how the event has affected your academic performance. Do not make up things, if you had a genuine case, it is legitimate to bring it to the notice of the admission committee.
Do I need to forward my application for editing?It is always better to have your writings read by a second person. This person may be from a different or same discipline as yours. The benefit of sending to a person from different academic discipline is if they understand your proposal, you know that you have done a good job. The advantage of sending to an expert on your own research area is to get specific suggestions and recommendations. A combination of both is ideal for your application. Give your application reviewer sufficient time to read and comment, do not send unfinished or roughly done pieces and do not expect them to rewrite your application documents. Your aim is to get feedback and prepare a better application, this is an important learning process for you.
Listen to your heartYou have all the required information from the university of your choice, you have comments and feedback from your reviewers and referees, and you are all set to compose your application. In this long process never forget to listen to your heart, even in the end when hopefully you are offered admission by more than one universities. Above all it is your pursuit of knowledge. So what are you waiting for? Go and finish your application. Good news on the way!
Rokeya Chowdhury is a Lecturer, Department of Law, University of Dhaka.
See more at:
http://www.dhakatribune.com/juris/2015/jan/08/nailing-down-your-graduate-law-admission-application-abroad#sthash.G5hF48Cx.dpuf
