- So the UG GPA is the sole factor into GPA? May I ask how reliable this information is? In that case, the only way to affect application chances must be to score LSAT as high as possible.
- I see international law in two ways: private and public; and practice and theory. 2A. Joining a law firm would be an option where I can make the bottom line, and the job I suspect would mostly entail legally assisting business transactions of multinational or inter-corporate businesses. Licensing is another sector I’m interested in, which is likely to have international dimensions. Another possibility would be immigration practices, but I’d prefer to stay on the business side if I’m going for private sectors. I would not mind joining this part, if necessary, before pursuing more academic, theory-oriented pathways.
2B. More academically (through public sectors, university, and research institutions), I’d like to navigate possibilities to research in legal studies, possibly combined with Sociology. Comparative Law in East Asia; international initiatives (rather than “law”) regarding anti-trafficking, labor rights, and refuge issues. With my regional focus/experiences in China, I’d like to research north korean refugees being trafficked and exploited through routes in China.
I can also go into Sociology/Anthropology PhD to do research, but I don’t want to limit my career options solely into research and academia, especially when the prospect of academic job is not so rosy. Legal dimensions would highly complement my interests and likely open up further positions in public sectors / international NGOs (as well as private sectors as mentioned above), although efficacy of the law in these matters is still questionable. But because of these limitations in “international law” on the matters of labor, migration (trafficking) and refuge, academic research and international NGO initiatives can contribute to ameliorating the severity of the issues. (I don’t have any expertise to make definitive statements, so these are rather my observations.) But that’s exactly why I want to study the issues through an advanced degree. Joint degree (MA-JD; LLM-JD) could be an option as well.
Given this, I want to spend the time efficiently: from this summer until Fall 2016. So I’m wondering if I should start MA already this fall in the meantime. Or NGO works may be an option, but big international organizations require an advanced standing.
Above is an example of my inquisitive interests. JD can be a gateway into legal research; academia; public sector; international NGOs; or any combination of the mentioned.
- My UG major was IR with focus on East Asia, and my language proficiency in both Mandarin and Korean is near native.