Good afternoon,
Having recently applied to several British universities for Undergraduate programs (UCL and LSE for Politics and International relations, Edinburgh for Int. relations and Int. Law and King’s College for PPL) as a French student and having only been made an offer yet (from the university of Warwick for PPL), I wanted to know if you assume it would be possible for me to apply and enter a JD in a prestigious American university after this BA.
Thank you in advance for you help.
Graduate admissions committees will know that Warwick is a highly regarded uni in the U.K. Of course, you will need to excel at your studies. Entry into “prestigious” JDs is highly competitive, no-one can guarantee you anything no matter where you go for undergrad.
American universities will want to see a First and will not differentiate between all five universities listed.
Warwick tends to be nice to French applicants, with conditions around 14 - whereas LSE or Edinburgh will often want a 17.
So, pick your first choice and second choice on UCAS carefully.
It is easier to get a First in a British university than a Mention TB at a French university, and the UK universities will have more brand recognition than French universities. You will need to stand out through internships, leadership, etc.
Thank you. I know that there is no guarantee but I only wanted to know if it wouldn’t be considered as a too bad university (compared to Oxbridge, UCL, LSE etc.) so if it wouldn’t be eliminatory but I think you answered my question.
I have another question. I’d like to know:
-if it seemed “normal” to do a MA before applying to a JD or if it would enhance a my application, as there will be fierce competition from great students.
-if work experience was compulsory (or very very much harder to get into a good JD without) and if so, do students take one year after their undergraduate studies to have this experience ?
(My questions may seem stupid but I am not very familiar with the US higher education system)
Thank you for replying.
Indeed, that is a reason why I want to study in the UK, and I am happy to hear that they will not make huge differences between these different unis.
As you mentioned, more than academic excellence is required, so I intend to take part in Modesl UN as well as in societies (also something French unis don’t have) but concerning internships, I don’t know how I can manage to get one and how. Should I take one year after my BA to do it ? Would working as a parliamentary assistant be alright for instance ?
Warwick is considered a prestigious university. All in all, prestige is not as important in the US as in Europe - what the individual does with the opportunities afforded to him or her will matter much more.
These universities all have excellent career centers that you’ll be expected to use to secure internships. Summers are about 14 week long, 10 of which ought to be ‘productive’. It means thinking of your resume and working on it right away when school starts so you can start applying in November. (Edinburgh had December finals so you can also spend time during the holidays. But LSE exams are in January meaning you spend the holidays stressing and studying.)
For the JD, they’ll expect some sort of work or volunteer experience in addition to leadership and stellar grades.
I am glad to hear that, as I thought the university’s place in the global ranking mattered a lot (Warwick being around 50th while KCL 30th and UCL 10th);
I will try my best to get internships or volunteer experiences during the summer then, as well as “stellar” grades. Do you know how leadership can be shown and what interships top unis would like ? I also heard that some students use one year to do an internship after their BA, is it true or recommended ?
Another question of mine was if it would seem “normal” to do a MA before applying to a JD or if it would enhance a my application, as there will be fierce competition from great students.
In fact, I was also made aware of the fact that the PPL degree in Warwick could be extended to 4 years as I could (if my application is successful) go one year abroad ? In this case, would it be a good idea ? Or should I use one year to work instead ?
(Sorry for all the questions but I would like my choices and future decisions to be taken with the broadest knowledge as possible)
May I ask why, as a French student, you are interested in pursuing a JD in the US?
In fact, I am not sure of anything at the moment, but this is an option I am willing to consider and think about as early as possible, especially since it is a very competitive path.
If your question is about why I would like to study law in the US rather than in France is because I am looking for international experiences, studies and career. It is not that I don’t like France but I want something (bigger is not the word because it seems pretentious and it is not the idea) but something different and hard to define that France’s universities don’t have (except maybe SciencesPo but there is still a majority of French students). I also truly want to meet other people and assume that having pursued studies abroad will be something highly valuable, regardless of my future job(s) and if I happen to come back to France.
I asked simply because it’s a very expensive degree (top law schools can run $80,000-$90,000 total cost of attendance, per year, for 3 years) that does not allow you to practice law in your own country. I know some internationals have specific reasons for wanting a US JD anyway, hence the question.
The biggest reason why many international students decide NOT to study law in the US is money: it is a very expensive education without significant financial aid for international students. I just looked up the law school at the University of California, Berkeley – this is a PUBLIC university – it’s over $85,000 per year.
As I searched on their websites, I thought they provided financial aid, isn’t it the case ?
Not all of them provide aid to internationals, especially for graduate school. And even those that provide aid do not always provide full need. Bear in mind part of aid is usually federal loans and/or work/study programs, neither of which internationals qualify for, and internationals on student visas are extremely limited in the work they may undertake in the US while on a student visa.
Yale is one of the few colleges that meets international need for undergrad (I am not actually sure if this applies to grad school as well) but still on their financial aid page for law school they start by saying students are expected to contribute through savings and work - have you read their detailed discussion on what is expected from the student? https://law.yale.edu/admissions/cost-financial-aid/how-need-based-aid-works
Anyway… this is all a long way away. It’s good that you are thinking long term, but by the end of undergrad you may well have decided on some option you haven’t even thought about at this stage. First priority, get into a college you want to go to, and do well. That’s the base you need for this, or any other option.
Add: buried down there, yale does give aid to internationals, but maxed out at the tuition cost which still leaves you with tens of thousands of dollars to find each year. Most other colleges will not be this generous.
“The Law School does not give merit-based or criteria-based scholarships. The maximum possible grant is the amount of tuition. The same need based calculation applies to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and international students”
You are right, I should focus on my undergraduate studies and university for the moment, as this I the priority and I will have some time to think about this later.
Thank you for your help ! It’s very nice of you 
Furthermore, I just checked the website of Columbia University to have an idea, and you are right, they say they do not provide aid and international students can not apply for federal aid so students can only ask for a loan…
US Law schools are expensive.
Asking for a loan will be difficult if you require a large amount of money to fund your studies. Most of the graduate student loans are backed by the federal government, so, as an international student, you wouldn’t be eligible for loans from US backed institutions.
Which universities provide funding for law school international applicants?
My dd attends grad school, and even with phenomenal grades, URM status, and in-state status, we still pay full fees every year, with the exception of a $5K loan.
Well, I suppose I should abandon this idea…
What you CAN do is get a post-bac Law degree in the UK. That university may have an exchange with US universities.
Or you can prepare a law degree at McGill in Montreal, where fees would be the same for you as thy are feeling Canadians.
( My guess is that it might be easier to complete a post bzcc law degree as a European student if you start from Edinburgh than from England, due to Scotland’s dedication to keeping European students and ties to Europe. But that’s a guess, nobody knows what will happen in five weeks.)
The key elements will be 1) ranking at the top of your class to get a First (top 20%or so) 2) progressively become a leader in clubs and societies of your choosing 3) find a summer internship where you volunteer for a law or human rights association through your university’s career center 4) later on, work with a professor or a tutor to ensure excellent letters of recommendation.
The world rankings are essentially research output rankings that apply to graduate students, not undergraduates. Undergraduates need information on student:faculty ratio, teaching quality, campus environment, class size, presence of/size of tutorials&labs, facilities accessible to them, academic support,
quality of career center, leadership opportunities, post degree outcomes.
These international rankings completely leave out some of the best American universities simply because they focus on undergraduates (such as Amherst, Pomona, Wellesley, or Carleton). In short, these international rankings give you an idea of how much research is done at a university, not how well taught and supported undergraduates are. You can have a top notch violin soloist who can’t for the life of her teach someone how to play the violin - being a top researcher with a lav that brings in money will not necessarily correlate to being a good teacher.
These word rankings ought to be taken with a grain of salt.
In addition, to reiterate, Warwick is seen as a prestigious institution and no matter what your university is you will still need to prove you’re among the best in your ‘course’.
*where fees would be the same for you as they are for Canadians
If your university has an opportunity of a year abroad that could be a way to establish yourself, perhaps through MUN as well as straight As if possible. (use US news national universities and National liberal arts college rankings and choose a Top50 university or LAC. There are 3,700 universities in the US so any in the top 50 is going to be considered highly ranked. Yes, the scale is different in the US :-p ).