The search for the ideal law school or university can be, quite understandably, a difficult task. Given the myriad set of variables and preferences in addition to the amount of information available online, it is easy to get overwhelmed at just the idea of finding the ideal LL.M. or post-graduate course for you.
But, it is important not be discouraged. And, to help you along the way, Harash Mahaseth shares some useful pointers to keep in mind while going about the search process.
One, keep all of your options open at the beginning of the university search process. There are thousands of law schools and each may have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are law schools that are famous due to their fame and prestige, while there are a lot of law schools that are famous for particular specializations.
Two, it is useful to research the law school’s size, specializations, student profile, professors, etc. Hence, there is a need to start your search early as you first need to decide on your specialization, if you do intend on choosing any, and then you need to go through a huge list of universities before deciding on your final application list.
Three, it is not only the college list that takes time but also the scholarship opportunities. There are numerous scholarships and funding opportunities for studies, either by the respective governments or by organizations.
It is imperative to search for all the scholarship opportunities as they are quite competitive. Even if the scholarship amount is less, they are still worth applying for as they do help towards your expenses. There are also options for working while pursuing your masters.
Now, between your course loads, athletics, extracurricular activities, and olt (one last time) experiences, balancing all of them can be quite hectic in the final year. Adding the entire college and scholarship search into the final year is a lot to handle. However, if you do your research early then you will have more time to devote to other activities.
Ultimately, whether or not to start your LL.M. application early depends upon you. Many students may not be ready to think about their master’s during the earlier years of their undergraduate course, while others may be anxious to start.
However, university preparation activities can help set you up for future college admission processes which could you avoid a lot of unnecessary stress in the future. A solid foundation in the coming years can help you prepare for your college preparation.
(Harsh Mahaseth is an LL.M. graduate from the National University of Singapore, and a consultant at Amicus Partners)
(Photo by Chase Clark on Unsplash)