They were clearly disappointed with my answer. Not that I had expected it turn out any other way.
An agent aggregator company (AAC), with an incredibly large network of agents, had just briefed me on the LL.M. programs offered by one of their client law schools. The law school in question was new to the India market, and had turned to the AAC to build recruitments.
In our conversation, the AAC detailed the financial aid exclusively for enrolments via their platform, the law school’s rankings, and the various employment opportunities available. The last one was couched in particularly vague terms which, I suspect, would not survive much scrutiny.
And of course, the commission an agent could make.
Their question, which lies at the very heart of student recruitments, is how many Indian enrolments could be expected in the next twelve months.
My answer?
“Zero”.
Let me tell you why even if you, much like the AAC, did not ask.
Student recruitment is a long-term play – there are no shortcuts. Technology, social media, alumni networks, and outreach activities can and do help but they cannot guarantee outcomes.
What is required is the building of human connections. Which in turn requires a deeper understanding of (and care for) an applicant’s specific requirements. The human ability to assess and advise. A human empathy.
This takes time.
Of course, I also understand the quagmire that AAC’s find themselves in given that their very existence hinges on getting the maximum possible number of applicants, and their tuition fees, into the waiting arms of their client universities.
Do AAC’s really have the time or money, and hence inclination, to invest in building “human” resources?
For universities, AAC’s promise access to global network of agents, a reduction in recruitment costs, and a bump in tuition revenue. Which, apart from the truism of things that are too good to be true, also means lesser control over just how this recruitment takes place. Do universities really exercise control over what an AAC says, advertises or shares with potential applicants?
So, do universities care? Should they?
For an applicant, questions can arise over why an agent recommends one university over another. Are agents assigned for specific disciplines or is their knowledge more, for lack of a better word, inter-disciplinary in nature? How exactly does AI, and the objectivity it surely provides, reconcile with the fact that educational choices can be incredibly subjective.
Much like the stakeholders above, do applicant’s care? Should they?
These questions, and their answers, are far from simple. They encompass a tremendous range of issues, including the philosophical, regulatory, financial, and cultural.
And in these muddled and muddy waters lies the fact that there are very, very few student recruitment markets that are as ripe for capitalism as India’s. Not even China’s.
I suppose the question to be asked is whether in this mishmash of competing needs and wants, of cutting-edge technology and a future which is nearly here, is there a space for a human-to-human connection? Should there be?
The thing about cats, and I suspect that very few know this, is that they absolutely abhor small talk.
You will never ever come across a cat who, amid a social setting with strangers, break the silence with a “How about this weather” or any of the versions that come to mind when imagining the contents of “How to make friends….”
This will simply never happen.
And this is not because of their personality, which can be easily perceived to be of a disagreeable nature. Instead, this is a reflection of their care and concern about time; their own and everyone else’s as well.
Cats, and my apologies for the language, do not faff around. They prefer the direct route. The one that encapsulates the tiniest possible ratio between energy expended and goal desired.
In other words, cats know what they want. And they want it now.
This insight took years to develop, involving detailed observations of two cats who wrangled into my life half a decade ago. Both monsters possess an inhuman intensity of desire combined with an equally intense aversion to waiting.
They are living, breathing examples of what it means to be in the present.
Which can be utterly infuriating, perhaps none more so than at three in the morning when one may be rudely awoken by scratches on the face, because the number of food kibbles in the feeding bowl is off by one.
Oh, the injustice of it all!
But it can also be fascinating – this fixation with the present, a complete and absolute surrender to a moment that can only exist at a single point in time.
After all, isn’t that what the greatest human minds aspire for?
If you have reached this far, you may be wondering where this is all going.
Bear with me.
Odd as it may seem, I see a lot of similarities between cats and the clients I work with when it comes to LLM applications. The ones which require the least assistance are the ones who know exactly what they want from the LLM in particular, and life in general. The clarity shines through in their career paths, their statements of purpose, their entire approach to the application process.
Much like with cats, I envy this confidence of knowing. Especially in today’s age, where there is no shortage of things that prey on your attention, leaving you almost perpetually distracted.
And while I may not completely know what I want, I do know that it is time to move on from Amicus Partners. Admissions counselling, and working with international law schools, has been rewarding no doubt, but it is no longer where my interests lie.
Of this, I am quite clear.
Where I am not too clear is what lies next.
In that sense, I am a lot like the other type of clients I get – the ones who might not know what they want, or even why. Very often, they are wanderers who are not completely lost, but just a bit unsure if the path they are currently on is the correct one.
These are the ones who require a little help in discovering their dreams and their desires. Perhaps a gentle prod, or a not so gentle nudge.
These are the ones who are yet to find their inner cat.
(The Amicus blog shall remain free to read for the foreseeable future. We will be accepting an extremely limited number of document/application reviews from July 31, 2025 onwards)
To be honest, this has been a while in the making. As an entrepreneur, you live by the hope that victory is just around the corner, right after another crushing failure. You are certain that the first success will beget another, and then another. And so on and so forth.
After all, isn’t that the way the world works?
I am no longer sure.
Fairly early on in my career, I was taught just how important failure is. How much it can teach you. Patience, humility, perseverance – these are just a few of the things that a good failure teaches. If you are lucky.
Of course, right there and then, failure can sting. It can bite into your confidence, your self-belief, entangle you in self-doubt. Recovery can take days, weeks, months and years. But recover you must and recover you will. And you will learn and learn some more.
You will learn that failures are often just what you needed to find success, and that there is a joy in attaining that which was once denied to you. You will learn that giving up is not an option.
Until it is.
Which, for me, is now.
Of course, the signs were there all along.
Even as a global pandemic came and went, the LLM admissions vertical stabilized, ensuring revenue through the admission cycle. Venturing into the outreach and student recruitment consultancy allowed for a far more consistent revenue model, no longer dependent on the typical four or five months which make up the admissions cycle.
Within three years, there were enough profits that could be invested back into the business, and plans involving expansion began to be considered. The hope was to create a separate agency focused on south-east asian student recruitment for foreign law schools.
But, bit by bit, this work – dealing with student recruitments – began to taper out. The overall increase in costs of recruitment certainly had a part to pay, but I think the plain reason for the decline was that there was no paying customer.
In other words, it was a failure.
I just chose not to acknowledge it.
Until I had to. What really pushed this conversation from a corner of my mind to front and center was this book by K. Vaitheeswaran, “Failing to Succeed”, – a lot of what he discussed rang discomfortingly true. Bottom line – failure is hard to admit no doubt, but it needs to be done.
And now that I have, I must also spare a few thoughts on the lessons learnt. Lessons about the world, about people, about businesses, and about myself. This failure has also allowed me to meet, listen to, and argue with some incredibly intelligent people – these are deeply fulfilling experiences that are to be cherished.
I have also learned that there is a strange joy in creating something out of nothing, a distinct thrill that, I think, only comes with entrepreneurship.
I learned that story telling is an inherently human skill; everyone has it, some just need help to eke it out. And that in an increasingly digital world, there is some hope for an analog existence.
I learned that hopes and aspirations are deeply entwined with education, and that the weight we place on educational institutions are heavy and, sometimes, unreasonable.
Most importantly, I have learned that there is a courage in knowing when to stop. To move on to another round of failures and success. Of learning and living and learning.
Which is where I stand right now.
I don’t quite know what is next, but I do know that there will be many failures ahead. Hopefully a few successes too.
As this blog has highlighted in the past, the finances involved in an LLM abroad can become one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the application and admissions process. Not only can tuition be prohibitively expensive, but applicants from countries such as India also bear the brunt of poor exchange rates. To further compound matters, Indian education loans come with high rates of interest, and typically require a co-signor and collateral.
Which is why financial aid becomes all the more important.
While most law schools offer some form of aid, it is difficult to arrive at accurate predictions as to the quantum of aid that an applicant might expect. And while I don’t think this difficulty will be resolved anytime soon, I do think that building data sets can be of some help.
This is why I am crowdsourcing information on the quantum of aid that law schools are offering their LLM candidates for the upcoming academic year. Please note that this table is based on a very, very small number of applicants, less than three for most of the schools listed below.
Hopefully things will change as more applicants share information.
First Person Accounts (FPA’s) are meant to provide a first-hand account of law graduates who have pursued, or are pursuing, a post-graduate course (an LLM or otherwise) from different universities across the world.
Yashaanki Kora recently completed an LLM from Penn Carey Law at the University of Pennsylvania, and has also passed the New York Bar Exam. In this FPA, she shares her reasons for choosing Penn Carey (Penn Law), the LLM experience itself, and the things to consider before enrolling for an LLM abroad.
Congratulations on the NY Bar Exam – was dual qualifications one of the primary attractions of the US LLM?
Thank you.
While becoming dual-qualified was not my primary motivation for pursuing an American LLM, I saw qualifying for the bar as a natural next-step in my career and legal education.
It is an opportunity that I can build upon in the future if I choose to do so.
That said, taking the New York Bar was a unique experience, and I am glad I took up the challenge. I look forward to seeing how this achievement enhances my skills and opens up new avenue moving forward.
Once you had decided to pursue an LLM, how did you start shortlisting the schools to apply to? Why narrow down on Penn?
After graduating from GNLU and working at one of the best law firms in the country, I was certain that I wanted my next chapter to be in an exceptional institution. I began by getting a sense of the best institutions for a master of laws, from there it was a mix of speaking to alums, attending informational sessions and an element of luck.
I was drawn to Penn for several compelling reasons. Beyond meeting essential criteria such as high-quality education, an interdisciplinary environment, and a diverse range of courses, Penn offers a vibrant and close-knit community of peers owing to its comparatively smaller batch size.
Its location on the East Coast provides easy access to both New York and Washington D.C., while the cost of living is more reasonable compared to other major cities.
The surrounding universities also contribute to a youthful and academic atmosphere. Moreover, the faculty and alumni network are some of the best in the world, further enhancing the overall experience at Penn.
And at that point of your career (nearly 3 years of PQE), what made you decide that this was a good time to pursue higher studies? Was this something that you wanted to do as an undergrad as well?
I have always appreciated an international education, feeling that my academic journey would be incomplete without it. With three years of work experience under my belt, I gained valuable insights into my strengths and preferences, as well as a clearer understanding of my areas of interest. This foundation enabled me to make the most of my master’s program.
Early days, but how has the Penn LLM experience been? What were some of the more interesting or challenging aspects of the course? Were you able to cross-register at different schools?
The LLM experience has been truly wonderful—challenging and pleasantly surprising in its many offerings. I can confidently say that I have gained a great deal from it.
Everything was interesting.
As much as one reads and researches about it, it is entirely different to experience it first-hand. Things that struck me were, the emphasis on a rounded education encompassing elements of networking, personal branding and original scholarship; and the strong encouragement of philanthropic and entrepreneurial ventures. The American system when juxtaposed with the Indian society and culture contextualized global dynamics and systems.
A few of the challenging aspects of the LLM experience were the information asymmetry in various areas, the pace and novelty of the entire experience, and the urgency to pack as many experiences as possible into those 11 short months.
LLM students could cross-register for one class with any other school within the University, and several batchmates benefitted from this allowance, including myself. I took up a seminar course at the Kleinman Centre for Energy Policy.
The University of Pennsylvania
How useful was your work experience whilst in the classroom? Would you recommend gaining some work ex before applying for a US LLM?
My work experience was immensely beneficial in the classroom. Having seen the interaction between law and business added significant depth to my theoretical knowledge. This informed my course selections, leading me to consciously choose experiential and case-study-based classes. Resultantly, I continued exercising my reading, drafting, and communication muscles while honing them further throughout the program.
I would highly recommend gaining working before applying for an LLM, more so in the US, though it is beneficial in any context. Working helps to better understand the practice of law, as well as your own interests and strengths. It not only enhances one’s knowledge but also adds credibility when applying for the LLM and subsequent positions after completing the LLM.
Another aspect to consider is discerning whether an LLM is the best investment for one’s career, many law grads eventually branch out, and may find more value in an MBA, MPA, or a different education.
Between me and you, did you like the city of Philadelphia? Any particularly fond memories to share?
I enjoyed the city thoroughly. It was the perfect size; it lacks the frenzy of New York but is well-connected and wholesome otherwise. I particularly enjoyed Penn’s campus, libraries and extra-curriculars, experiencing all the four seasons (the snow, fall, summer, cherry blossoms etc.), and being among such multi-cultural individuals.
The list is endless, but these smaller pleasures stood out!
How early did you begin Bar prep? What would you say is a good timeline to have if one is sitting for the July round of exams? Does Penn Law offer any sort of Bar prep assistance to LLM candidates?
Bar prep courses typically begin around mid-May, with most candidates seriously starting their preparation at the beginning of June. In my experience, Indian students tend to perform well on the exam due to our strong educational training back home, again if you have worked for a few years, your legal reasoning skills tend to come to your aid.
I recommend dedicating at least June and July to preparation, including taking regular and numerous practice exams to familiarize yourself with the subject matter and testing format. While Penn does not offer specific bar prep assistance, students can utilize the infrastructural facilities during this preparation period. This comes in handy during group study sessions, which help keep the morale up!
Lastly, any advice for the Indian law grad who is considering a master’s abroad?
Like anything else, pursuing an LLM has its pros and cons. It is important to approach the program with open eyes and a clear understanding of your motivations, expectations, and the time and financial investment involved.
My few pieces of advice are – (1) gain work experience, I have already espoused its many benefits above; (2) this experience offers asymmetric returns on investment; meaning while it may be tempting to focus solely on potential salary increases or opportunities abroad, there are several tangible and intangible value additions, and it may be reductive to ignore these; and (3) inform yourself to the best of your abilities!
Amicus Partners 