Now we know that some applicants want to study in law schools in the United States, but it is generally difficult to apply to study in law schools. So how do you apply to an American law school? This paper gives you some brief introductions to this issue that everyone cares about, hoping that these introductions will be helpful to you when you apply for American law schools.
How to apply for American law school? China students should look at the rankings of American universities in American news before applying to American law schools. However, basically, law schools of American universities, even top schools, will tell students that rankings are of little significance to their reference. The ranking of this school is based on input and output projects. "Input" refers to the LSAT scores and admission rate of J.D. students in this school, so schools with fewer students and higher thresholds will rank higher. For example, Yale Law School has always won Harvard Law School because Yale does not accept many students. "Output" refers to how much money graduates can earn. But these two items have nothing to do with international students, because they are all calculated by J.D. students (mainly American students).
At the same time, the strength of each law school is different, some are strong in intellectual property, some are strong in company law and some are strong in international law. Each applicant can choose a school according to his own interests.
Each law school also has its own enrollment style and characteristics, and applicants should also foster strengths and avoid weaknesses. For example, Yale Law School, as the best law school in the world, enrolls a small number of students every year, generally enrolls teachers and doctoral students from other countries, and once admitted associate professors. For another example, Harvard Law School pays more attention to the reputation of the applicant's school, personal work experience and research ability, and has an advantage in applying for a master's degree. It also admitted a Ph.D. graduate from the sociology department of Yale University. For another example, Stanford Law School generally requires more than two years of work experience. Therefore, before applying, the applicant should look for specific information on the law school website and keep in touch with the relevant admissions staff.
Generally speaking, no matter which school you apply for, the procedures and application materials are similar. As to which degree to apply for, China students usually have two choices.
1. Apply for LL directly. M
LL。 M's study time is only nine months, and he can take the American bar exam without writing academic papers. This is usually the best choice for China students who are not too rich and don't want to be in debt. If I go back to China to develop, LL. M, plus American lawyer qualification, will not be less competitive than J.D. ..
If you study for a bachelor's or master's degree in law in China, you can apply for LL. I am direct. It is not impossible for you to apply for LL. M If you don't have a law degree, you are qualified to be a lawyer in China, but you have to do some explaining and packaging work to convince American professors that your education level is equivalent to that of a law undergraduate.
How to apply for American law school? The materials to be submitted are as follows:
(1) Education: A bachelor's degree in law is the most basic, and a higher education is not necessary, but sometimes it can help. Master of law, doctor or even associate professor and professor positions can help applicants win the favor of better law schools.
(2) University academic performance: For general applicants, the undergraduate GPA should be above 3.0, and for the top 65,438+00 law schools, GPA3.3 is essential. In 2006, the average GPA of Yale Law School applicants was 3.80-3.95. The average GPA of Stanford Law School applicants is 3.65-3.90.
(3) English test scores: Only TOEFL scores are needed, and LSAT scores are not needed. Major law schools in the United States generally stipulate that TOEFL scores are not less than 550 points, and prestigious schools require not less than 600 points. Theoretically, the TOEFL score is above 600, all ll. M students from American law schools can apply. However, the TOEFL scores of China students who are really admitted to the top 65,438+00 law schools in the United States are mostly above 630.
(4) Resume: Not too long, no more than two pages. Generally including academic qualifications, honors &; Scholarships (honors and scholarships), academic experience: publishing articles &; Research projects (academic experience: publishing articles and research projects), professional experience, internship &; Part-time job, extracurricular activities, competition &; Social posts (competitions and social posts) and other projects. It would be better if you have the experience of going abroad for exchange.
(5) Personal statement: This is the most important one. It should be based on a) personal experience b) personal perception c) values d) and what makes you different. Some law schools also require applicants to provide a statement of purpose, which should be based on a) personal experience, b) academic interests and c) acquired experience and foundation, and be more academic. Some law schools also require applicants to provide research proposals, which should be based on a) subject background, b) article structure, c) main contents and predictable conclusions, d) research methods, e) main references, etc. I suggest you search online for business and law-related enrollment websites, such as www.EssayEdge.com, or search with www.google.com, and you can also find many model essay patterns.
(6) Letter of recommendation: It is usually required to provide at least two letters of recommendation, which can evaluate your academic ability and professional work ability, and can be written by a professor or a company superior. It's best to find three people to write for you, one is a famous teacher, one is a teacher who knows you very well, and the other is a leader of a college or law school, such as the dean or vice president, so that you can show your advantages from different angles. It is best to find a teacher with experience in studying abroad. It would be better if he had contact with the school you applied for.
(7) Work experience: the general requirements are not clear, and having work experience will not cause bad influence. Berkeley (Berkeley Law School) means "we will not punish such applicants" in the language of work experience. Generally speaking, having work experience can add points.
(8) Interview: Most schools don't need to interview China students, but if there is an interview, it is a good opportunity. A few schools began to send people to China, Beijing and Shanghai for interviews. Some schools require telephone interviews, while others do not.
Usually, major law schools will take 65438+February 3 1 every year or 65438+1October 3 1 the following year as the deadline for accepting application materials. Generally speaking, the earlier the application is sent, the better.
From February to early May of the following year, major law schools will release the date of admission notice one after another.
2. directly apply for J.D.
If you get a doctorate in law from an American law school, it will be easier to find a job in a local law firm in the United States. Therefore, it is much more difficult to apply for J.D. directly than to apply for LL directly. M
If you are not a law student in China, you'd better study for a doctor of law, so that you can barely be called a legal person. As for undergraduate majors, American law schools have no specific requirements. However, if students dabble in political science, economics, sociology, history, philosophy and other fields, it will be helpful to law school. Due to the influence of high-tech wave on the legal field in recent years, students with a certain background in science and engineering are very popular.
Applying for J.D. is similar to applying for other graduate schools. The biggest difference is that applicants don't have to take GRE, which is the "Graduate Entrance Examination", but need to take LSAT, which is the "Law School Entrance Examination". Law school does not require work experience, so the ability to distinguish applicants can only be seen by LSAT scores and usual academic performance. Because the undergraduate course standards of different countries and schools are different, LSAT is particularly important as a unified examination result.
LSAT tests not students' knowledge, but their reading ability, logical reasoning ability and writing expression ability. There are five parts in the exam, including reading comprehension and logical analysis, and writing. In addition to writing, other parts take the form of multiple-choice questions.
The LSAT test is held four times a year in the United States, in June, 65438+ 10, 65438+February and February respectively. In addition, there are test sites in Canada and a few countries. At present, the exam is held twice in Chinese mainland, in June and 65438+February respectively. The examination place is arranged by the Foreign Examination Center of the Ministry of Education in Peking University. Because the LSAT exam results are valid for five years, domestic candidates who are going to study JD degree in the United States can take any exam within five years before applying. For college students, freshmen or sophomores with good English foundation can take the LSAT exam.
The basic bottom line of LSAT score requirements in law schools is 150, and the average score of the top 10 law schools is above 165. Most of the applicants who successfully entered the top ten American law schools in China were above 170.
Having LSAT test scores is only the first step in applying for admission to J.D. Law School. Other application materials are the same as LL application materials. M (see 1 above for details), both of which are indispensable and more competitive.
Usually, if you want to apply for J.D. in American university law school, you should start studying various university law schools in August every year and choose the school you are interested in. Preparation of application materials began in September, and the application materials were submitted in June 10 or10, and the LSAT test was taken in February or June before June 65438.
In addition, many schools in the United States are run by Joint Degree Program. Generally speaking, there are MBA/JD (joint degree of MBA and JD) and MS/JD (joint degree of MBA and JD). But you must apply to two colleges at the same time, and you can study only after you are admitted.
For China students who want to apply for J.D., LSAT is not the most difficult thing to pass, but the most difficult thing is the visa. Basically, after receiving the admission notice from the American law school, the first question of the American embassy officials is to ask you, "Will you stay in the United States after graduation?" If you answer "Will you stay in America?" You tend to emigrate and usually can't get a visa. If you answer "I won't stay in the United States, I want to go back to China", visa officers usually don't believe it, because every American knows that it is easier to find a job in an American law firm with a doctorate in law, with an annual salary of more than 100,000 dollars, and few people in China can refuse this temptation. So no matter how to answer, it is not easy to get a student visa to enter the United States, so I can only worry about it with the admission notice.
Therefore, most China students who study J.D. in the United States usually transfer to J.D. after studying LL.M. or apply for J.D. after studying LL.M. during their legal stay in the United States, so as to avoid visas.
The above is an introduction to how to apply for law school in the United States. Through our introduction, I believe you have a clearer understanding of the problem of studying in American law schools. If you want to know more about studying in American law schools, you can always consult the Mercer study experts.
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