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Verder studeren in het buitenland: LLM, MBA WORKSHOP HOW TO APPLY Slide 2 Two sessions a year : -Fall Semester: Workshop How to apply -Spring Semester: LLM, MBA: Why and Where? Slide 3 Content Language Tests Resum Recommendation Letter Statement of purpose Scholarship and funding Slide 4 Language Test TOEFL: www.ets.org IELTS: https://ielts.britishcouncil.org Slide 5 Preparing Application Package as a Persuasion Exercise - Its about selling yourself: present yourself in your best light! - But think carefully about your audience! Slide 6 Be a forward-looking candidate! -Studying is not an end in itself but a MEANS to an end! -What youre likely to do AFTER your LLM matters as much as what you will be doing DURING your LLM Slide 7 Resum -No Europass -Chronological ordering: most recent first -Highlight job experience and internships, specify duties (+ reference person if possible) -Do not try to hide significant gaps: There is no failure, only feedback! Slide 8 Resum -Provide detail of grades and ranking (e.g. top 5% of the class) -avoid clutter (no unnecessary headings) -Pay attention to e-mail adress (permanent; avoid weird, unprofessional nicknames) Slide 9 Resum -Languages: Dont be too modest (e.g. may specify that courses in English and French are part of the regular, mandatory curriculum at KU Leuven) Slide 10 Resum -Hobbies and interests: carefully consider how they reflect on you as a person (running perhaps, chess certainly, piano of course, fishing and heavy metal probably not) -Think about your social resum! (Charity work, student union) Slide 11 Resum -Layout: clean, well-polished (use same fonts throughout, consistent sectioning and underlining) -1 or 2 pages (better not one and a half, by no means 3) -if more than 1 page use headers -Grammar and spelling: be perfectionist! -Beware: you may be googled Slide 12 Resum For writing tips, see: http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asi s/agep/advcv.pdf http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asi s/agep/advcv.pdf Slide 13 Resum For those considering applying in 2016, think about beefing up your creds with: -Summer internships -Summer courses -Moot court competitions -Civic engagement (e.g. youth movement, NGO, politics, unions) Slide 14 Recommendation Letters Whom to ask? -Think carefully -You need two or three -May vary from application to application Slide 15 Recommendation Letters Whom should I ask? Criteria: -Professor, internship supervisor, assistant,.. -Someone who knows you and had direct contact with you (the more the better) -If possible someone prominent in the discipline/business/policy area Slide 16 Recommendation Letters Whom should I ask? Criteria: -Someone who knows you well -Alumnus of the institution applied to -Relevance to your specific focus and ambition -Prestige of referee Slide 17 Recommendation Letters How to ask? -Dont be pushy -Give her/him sufficient time -Provide relevant information -Make her/his work easy Slide 18 Recommendation Letters What you need to send her/him? -Where do I know her/him from? -Resum -If academic referee: detailed grades -Explain why you chose programme/university -State your goal/ambition Slide 19 Recommendation Letters What you need to send her/him? -Indicate deadline!!! -Specify if you need several letters -For academics: offer to provide a draft letter Slide 20 Recommendation Letters What is a good recommendation? -Does not replicate resum -Focus on personal contact and interaction -Identify skills -Give a sense of the candidates potential Slide 21 Statement of purpose -Sometimes called personal statement -For some US Law Schools: autobiographical essay is also required Slide 22 Statement of purpose - Choose a topic or domain that is relevant to law broadly defined -Demonstrate that you are a driven, ambitious forward-looking candidate -Always have your audience in mind (if applying for scholarship: committee not always jurists) Slide 23 Statement of purpose -Try to link what you have studied and what you want to study (in LLM programme) to your long term goal -Bring out your ambition! -And show you have a strategy to achieve it! -Convey self-confidence but dont arrogant Slide 24 Statement of purpose -Be concrete -Avoid platitudes (e.g. I find law exciting) -Statement should be organised around a unifying theme/common thread -Strive for clarity and elegance! Slide 25 Autobiographical essay -Dont replicate your resum -Be concrete and personal -Strive to answer the question Who is the candidate?, What does he stand for?, Where is he coming from? Slide 26 Scholarships and Funding: -BAEF -Fullbright -Rotary (http://rotary.belux.org/nl/program mas/studiebeurzen) -Stichting Fernand Lazard -Doctoral students: FWO Slide 27 Scholarship & Funding -Sometimes LL.M. programme itself offers scholarship -Alternative: tuition waiver Slide 28 Scholarship & Funding -After your LL.M.: some law firms compensate for cost of LL.M. sign on fee (cash bonus to cover student debts) -Tax rebate? Slide 29 Last but not least -Seek advice -Listen to alumni -Hedge your bet and keep your options open