The Admission Interviews, are meant to provide insights into LLM admissions right from the law school itself. The primary idea behind this series is to provide that little bit of extra information that may not be available on the law school’s website.

Esra Ozcan is an Executive Director at Koç University Law School, an institute I had the good fortune of visiting recently. A short campus visit meant that I could not really dig too much information about the programme or the students, but I did come back mighty impressed with the physical infrastructure in place. Combine this with the living costs, and the chance to live in Istanbul, I do think that this is a programme that the Indian law graduate should give a second look at.

(Edited excerpts)

What would you say is the biggest advantage, from the point of view of an Indian law graduate, of enrolling for the LLM at Koc University?

Koç University has an ambition to train a new generation of lawyers by offering research and learning of different legal disciplines based on multi-dimensional perspectives.

Therefore, students from India will have the opportunity to experience a global academic atmosphere where they will also be able to adopt legal approaches to cope with local and global issues.

Is the Law School looking for a certain profile of applicants? For instance, would you prefer those who have worked for a few years above those who are fresh graduates?

Our aim is to recruit the best students with a global mind of interdisciplinary thinking who will be able to contribute to the development of society, economy, politics and the legal profession.

We have students with several years of professional experience and also recent graduates.  We do not prefer one group over another. They are all subject to the same admission procedure.

How does one apply to the LLM program? Could you provide some information on what is asked in the written exam and then the interview? 

Once an online application form is submitted in our system along with required documents, our admission committee prepares a shortlist of candidates. These candidates are then invited to an online interview via video conference.

Professors in the committee ask questions from different topics and cases under the umbrella of Public Law or Private Law depending on the program that the candidate applied for. Questions include legal issues comprising comparative and international aspects. This online interview is followed by a written exam which requires an academic essay on a topic provided by the committee.

What is the approximate LLM class size, for both, the public and the private law courses?

The average class has 15-20 students.

Do you provide English proficiency exemptions for Indian graduates whose education has been in English?

Native English speakers are exempt from English proficiency exam, however, due to regulations in Turkey we have to ask for TOEFL score (80 IBT) from non-native speakers regardless of their previous educational background.

The LLM brochure mentions that LLM students on the thesis track may receive financial aid – could you disclose the average amount of aid that is provided to applicants? 

LLM students on the thesis track may receive up to full tuition waiver depending on their success during the interview and written exam. Also international students will find Turkey more affordable in terms of  living costs comparing to traditional graduate destinations.

Does the University provide any assistance with securing internships and/or externships during and after the LLM course?

Koç University has a successful Career Development Center providing myriad of career services for all students and young alumni including counselling, interview preparation, organizing recruitment events and gathering professionals from many companies and law firms.

We also have an exclusive service  “KUcareerlink”  for job and internship announcements. It is an in-house platform where our students can schedule appointments with KUcareerlink career counsellors, draft their CVs, view and apply for jobs and internships exclusively published for Koç University alumni, and also follow national/foreign school/contest/internship announcements.

Lastly, what is your reading of the employment prospects of international law graduates who enrol for the LLM course at Koç University?

Istanbul is a global business hub, and hosts a number of international organizations and companies such as UN divisions and international law firms due to its strategic location. Considering this advantage, our students have a wide variety of career opportunities.

 

(The University is currently accepting applications for the LLM program, deadline is June 10, 2019)