寄托在线谈：《你好！招生官》W&M第二弹问答汇总

今年四月份，澳际曾联合William and Mary Law School在法律版块举行了『你好！招生官』系列的第一期在线访谈活动，许多即将入读W&M法学院的版友从招生官Jennifer那里得到了许多直接有效的相关信息。在15Fall申请进入到如火如荼的11月份，我们再一次展开了系列活动的第二期。

2015fall烽烟正起，关注W&M法学院LLM项目的同学们就法学院申请、录取、招生标准和有关W&M法学院的各种问题发问。Jennifer在活动期间悉心为各位答疑解惑，并留下了自己的联系邮箱（jsstevenson@wm.edu）欢迎对W&M法学院LL.M.感兴趣的同学继续与自己保持联络。

互动交流脱水汇总

Q1. Dear Ms. Stevenson,Thank you for sharing your time with us to answer our questions. I am applying for W&M Law School right now. One of the requirements for applying W&M is to write a BRIEF account of personal history with emphasis on the development of interest in law, so I would like to know is there any words limitation on the essay?

Thank you for your question and I am so happy to hear you're applying to W&M.  No, there is no page limit on the personal statement.  Most students write 1-2 pages.  Good luck and email me directly atjsstevenson@wm.edu if you have further questions.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q2. Hi Jennifer, thanks for the sharing in this forum. I am an LL.M. student in the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing. I plan to take an LL.M. degree first in W&M and see if there are opportunities for the admission of J.S.D. programs there. I am wondering if you have records to share on the admission of J.S.D. students from LL.M. students. Thanks!

Thank you for this question.  Yes, we've had a number of people take the LLM at W&M and then get into SJD programs in the US.  For example, one of our Class of 2014 students is at Emory University for her SJD now.  I think you can craft a good LLM year so that you can produce a major paper.  This will help you gain admission to a SJD program.  This can be done through an independent study or a seminar.  Both are open to LLM students at William and Mary.  Please let me know by email if you'd like to discuss further.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Morning Professor Jenn! I am an LL.M. student of class of 2015, you can have a guess who I am~:)

I want to share some of my feelings of W&M law school. I have been here for about four month, during which I have already fell in love with this school and the beautiful Williamsburg.

Professors in this school are so nice! We take class together with JD students, and we get equal treatment with them, some professors even spend more time with us to answer our questions. They are always willing to talk with us after class, during their office hour, and during lunch time. By the way, there are a lot of lectures held in law school, each of them provide lunch!

About study, it is true that we have a lot of reading everyday, but this depends on how many courses you take and which course you choose. For 1L courses, we have regular review section which is given by TA, they are very helpful!

Although Williamsburg is a small town, we have many activities hold by W&M and Law school, we have just held an exciting Halloween Party. Don't worry about feeling boring.

I still have many thoughts that I want to share with you, but I have to struggle with my criminal law...In conclusion, you will never regret your choice of W&M!!

Hi, I do think I know who you are!!! Thank you for the comments about William and Mary.  I do think it's a unique school and you will not be a "number" here.  Yes, it's a lot of work, but I think it's worth it.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q3. Jennifer, I want to take my time fully in W&M. Therore, I am wondering if I can join the selection process of the Law Review Board as an LL.M. student. I know in most U.S. law schools, the members of LRB are admitted from 1L and 2L JDs. They learn a lot from the editing process. I do not wish to miss these precious opportunities as an LL.M. student. So are there any chances for me to be one of them? Thank you!

This is a good question.  Unfortunately, since the LLMs are only hear for one year, they cannot be on the journal.  However, you can do an independent study paper or a seminar paper and work on getting it published.  One of our current LLMs did a paper this summer for a professor here.  Now, that professor is still working with him to get it published.  I hope this is helpful.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q4. Hi Jennifer, I am a LL.B. student at my final year in Shenzhen University. I plan to join one or two academic conferences (e.g. Law and Society Association) as a paper presenter when I am an LLM student in W&M. I would like to know W&M has any conference scholarships or grants to partially cover the travel expenses. Thanks!

This is a very interesting question.  No one has ever asked me about this.  Last year, we did have a LLM student go to a conference at Cornell, but he paid for the travel himself.  I would probably say that our program would not pay -- just for fairness reasons.  However, the student organizations, such as International Law Society, do have scholarships for travel, so they might be willing to fund this.  I am sorry I can't give a better answer!  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q5. Hi Admission Director, I have a very tight budget to pursue my LLM degree in W&M, but I hate to miss the opportunity to be a member of the W&M. So can you let me know if faculties of Law School hire LLM students as their research assistants. If the answer is positive, please let me know the average income as a part-time research assistant. If time is available, please also share some tips with me on how to prepare this application. Warm regards.

Thank you for your question.  I hope you can join the Tribe at W&M as well.  Typically, students don't have time during the LLM to be research assistants.  There is just too much work and it's too intense.  However, we are giving generous scholarships this year to students.  You can also work out an arrangement with the school to pay your tuition in installments.  So please, go ahead and apply and we can hopully work something out.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q6. Hi Jennifer, I am a Chinese lawyer with 5 years litigation experiences. I handled Some of the influential  cases draw local publics’ attention and lead to good result. However, my GPA is below 3.0 band, I wonder if my working experiences can make up over the GPA, or people with work experiences are more qulified to apply the LLM in your school? Thanks a lot!

You're right that we typically want a higher GPA.  However, your experience is very valuable and we will consider this.  We also value English language proficiency, so a good TOEFL score is important, too.  Usually, the better a student's English is, the better they do in the LLM program.  I would dinitely apply and just mention that you think your experience after school outweighs the lower GPA.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q7. Good morning Jen!I am still writing PS and CV. Now I want to konw which one or two material（s）is/are more important for your decision? i.e. TOEFL, GPA, PS, CV etc... Thanks!

GPA, Quality of your undergrad school and TOEFL are most important.  Your CV is also important, to show you have internship/work experience.  The personal statement is next -- you should really write honestly about why law school and what you want to do in the future.  It is very apparent to the committee when people tell us what they think we want to hear, rather than their real interests.  I hope this is helpful.  Best, Prof. Jen

Q8. Hi, Jennifer, my question is quite general. What would the admission officers think about the letters of recommendation of the applicants, will that be an important concern?

Yes, we do read the letters of recommendation carully.  It's good if they are on letterhead from the school, so we know exactly where they came from.  The better the professor knows you, the better the recommendation.  Recommendations from employers or internship supervisors also carry weight because it's a professional program.  If you've had professors from the US or UK, they can be good recommenders since they can judge your English language ability. Best, Prof. Jen

Q9. Dear Jennifer,I wonder whether you accept an IELTS score of 7.5? Thanks a lot:)

Yes, absolutely.  This is a great score!  Prof. Jen

Q10. Hi Jennifer! I know a higher GPA and TOEFL score are very important, but if a student apply to W&M LLM program with a lower TOEFL score, but he has lots of other special experiences such like volunteer, publications, etc. Will he be rejected by admission directly? I mean if he has time to retake and update a higher TOEFL score bore admission make a decision.

No, if the student has a good record and indicates that he or she will re-take the TOEFL, we will hold consideration of the application and wait for the new TOEFL.  You're right that we want well-rounded people, so we look at the entire application.  However, the English language ability is so important that we really emphasize it.  For those on the "borderline" I will also do a Skype interview.  Sometimes people are better in this interview, because it is just talking.  Take care, Prof. Jen

Q11. Skype interview is just like talking, and maybe everyone will feel easy and comfortable. But you know sometimes an interviewee are more easy to feel nervous bore the interview. I want to know which kind of questions would you like to ask? And if interviewees should prepare some academic topics? Thanks a lot for your patience!

I like to have a very spontaneous conversation on Skype.  Nothing prepared, so I can really tell if the person can understand me (with my accent) and communicate fluently.  I know when people prepare things.  It's not as much of a test about content, but if you can hold a conversation with an American.  The reason I feel strongly about this is that you must be able to listen, understand and respond to questions in the classroom.  We still use a very active "Socratic" type teaching method here, so you must be able to speak up and well!  Best, Prof. Jen

Q12. A question about PS: what you must include in your PS? Another question about application: some people say applying law school is just a number game, is all about your LSAT score and GPA , is that correct? And how much does the LSAT score roughly weight on an undergraduate international student's application? 70% or nearly 90%?  And for international students,which weights more, GPA or PS with resume? Thanks a lot.

For the JD application, the LSAT score is the most important, then GPA.  The admissions people in the US must rely on LSAC more because the grading scale is different and some of the schools are less well-known.  So, I think you're right that the numbers are very, very important.  For the LLM program, we're a bit more focused on the entire student -- it's a different type of program.  Most of our students are really, really smart, but the question is whether they can adapt to the pace of the LLM and the English language demands. 

For the PS, I would really make sure that "your" voice comes through.  It is obvious to the admissions officers when the person isn't expressing a genuine beli in why they want to be a lawyer and what they want to do in the future.  Not everyone is cut out for legal aid (or corporate law for that matter).  Take care!  Best, Prof. Jen

Q13. Hi Jennifer, I have a JSD degree from Singapore and publications at leading academic journals. I also spoke at academic conferences in

Stanford Law School and Penn Law School. However, I have no pratice experiences as atterney in law firms. So am I still a competitive applicant in the LLM application and can be considered for admission scholarship?

Dinitely!  You sound like you have great experience.  Also, the LLM might be really good experience because it is focused on more practical topics -- about practicing law -- and can get you ready for the NY Bar Exam, if that's what you're after.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q14. Dear Jennifer,  I am confused with that for those LLB applicants without practicing experience, whether they should clearly address their interest in a specific branch of law, like a commercial lawyer or criminal lawyer? while writing the Personal Statement.  Many thanks !

You are dinitely eligible to apply without work experience.  I think it's good to indicate which type of law you're most interested in at this point.  Of course, this could change, but in your personal statement we'd like to know why law school and what you think you'd like to do in the future.  Take care!  Best, Prof. Jen

Q15. Hi, Admission Director, I am LLB student from Fudan University, Shanghai. I would like to know if there are exchange agreements between W&M and other elite universities. I am not in a hurry to finish my LLM studies in US. Therore, I want to have an exchange experience while pursuing my LLM studies at W&M in two years. Is this possible? Many thanks!

Unfortunately, you can't do the exchange during the LLM time.  It is just too short of a program!  Of course, we do have a summer program in Madrid that is very popular.  As an entering LLM, you could do this in the summer following graduation.  It is an amazing experience for our students and you take classes in English on international law topics.  Let me know if you'd like more information and I can put you in touch with our Director.  All the best, Prof. Jen

Q16. Dear Jennifer,I have some doubts about your requirement on personal history. Is there any restriction like only personal history in college life or no longer than 2 pages? I think it might be different from a personal statement...

No, there's no restriction on the length.  Most students do 1 to 2 pages.  I would focus on why you are interested in law school and how your past experience has supported that interest.  For example, my father was a lawyer, so I had a role model for being an attorney in my life from a young age.  I would also focus on how the past has influenced your career goals now.  I think the most important thing is to be genuine and show a real passion for whatever you are passionate about!  There is dinitely no right answer.  All the best, Prof. Jen  

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