Groups » King's College London - LLM Group
LLM at KCL
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Anisha Shridhar
Aug 11 2008, 08:14 AMHey, this whole situation is a little worrying but it's comforting to know that there are a few others with me :) Well, looking for private accommodation is easier said than done coz I have no one to move in with plus I really want to stay in one of the College accommodations...it sounds the most convenient in all respects!! Anyway, did any of u have to choose between King's and Queen Mary? Well, I had to but em still confused coz the student blogs rate them both equally and don't offer a clear winner. Could someone please assure me that King's is the better choice and y? I know, sounds like a weird request but this LLM involves a HUGE student loan and I don't want to go wrong!!
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Aditya Sanghi
Aug 11 2008, 10:40 AM@ anisha.. go for King's.. check the latest ranking on times..
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Aug 11 2008, 12:49 PMThanks so much Aditya, thats wat em going to do too! All of u seem like a cozy lot so em really looking forward to the student life there. Em keeping my fingers crossed and hope that my offer letter and visa fall in place soon! So most of u have decided on ur subjects I see? Hmmm...anyone taking up International Commercial Arbitration? Em sure all of u have done loads of research on the faculty n subjects, so which of the professors top the poplarity charts here and who are the ones best avoided? Any info on the professors would be really useful guys cause they say choose the college on the basis of subjects offered and subjects on the basis of the lecturers! Now wat in the world am i suppose to judge the lecturers on?
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Aug 11 2008, 12:55 PMShit! I had no idea King's allowed IELTS waiver either...could have saved precious bucks had i known! Reading all that u guys have written is damn informative, wish I'd joined earlier. Hey is there anyone here who gave up UCL for King's? Plz let me know cause the debate between KCL and UCL was longer than this page and ended precariously in favour of UCL, so em really curious if someone on this page had to make that choice......;)[Edited Aug 11 2008]
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Prashant Bezboruah
Aug 11 2008, 04:00 PM@Anisha: I had to choose between KCL and QMUL. But I chose KCL because it's got a better reputation and I know for a fact that Ravi Tennekoon, the teacher who is gonna teach International Finance I, II and III is very good and so is the teacher who is gonna teach Regulation of the Conduct of M&A and Legal Issues in Corporate Finance. One of my friends studied with those teachers and gave me a very positive feedback. Don't really know about the other subjects but I've exhausted my subjects with the above mentioned 2 teachers. LOL. Just left with Technology and IP as a subject. :) In any case I think KCL is also more known in India in comparison to QMUL. What I've heard is that QMUL is very good for IPR.
FYI the latest rankings on Times are for LL.B and not for LL.M. I wouldn't go on the Times rankings. Choosing your LL.M program and college based on the rankings may be a mistake. But you can't go wrong with KCL in any case.
Yeah KCL gives a waiver for IELTS/ TOEFL. But I think some people from India didn't get the waiver despite asking for it. I had a telephonic chat with the LLM Admissions Officer and got a waiver luckily. Managed to save some money. I just had to submit a letter from Law Faculty stating that my LL.B studies were done in English.
The debate between UCL and KCL is eternal. LOL. No easy solution on that one. LOL. :) I didn't apply to UCL but if I had applied there and I'd have gotten admission to UCL, I still would have chosen KCL. My impression is that KCL is more known in India than UCL.
I have a different view on choosing the subjects. Don't choose the subjects because of the lecturers. Choose the subjects on the basis of what you really want to study and what interests you. Otherwise you'll get really bored with the subjects, if you're not interested in them. I'm sure the top colleges in any case have good lecturers.
Cheers Prashant
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Aug 12 2008, 01:09 AM@ IELTS.. well i also contacted King's with regard to IELTS.. they said its not compulsory but it will be good if i do it because its the basic requirement everywhere..college, visa office etc. it always gives an extra weight.. sometime King's people may initially say that ielts is not necessary but when u land in Lonodn they may ask u to take up some english course for a charge and that goes much more expensive then ielts fee in india.. so i will recommend to take ielts before hand.
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Aug 12 2008, 06:04 AMThey'll only ask you to take up the English course if your English is not up to the standard required. If you are fluent in English, the IELTS/ TOEFL is a waste of money in my view especially if it's not required at all.
But I'm not sure about the Visa requirement so you may have a valid point Aditya about it carrying some extra weight for Visa purposes.
I finally applied for my Visa today at the New Delhi centre. I didn't submit my IELTS score to the Visa authorities and gave them a letter from Law faculty stating that my LL.B studies were in English. Hopefully that will be sufficient.
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Aug 12 2008, 06:59 AMHey Prashant, thanks so much for the detailed reply. I chose KCL for exactly the very same reason, more people know it back here than QMUL!! I have 2 of my frens going to QMUL this year, that’s y I was tempted to go there too…it felt gr8 to have ur frens in a strange new place ;) but I guess I’ll make frens in King’s as well so that’s no reason for picking a college.
I was going through the modules and International Finance sounded really interesting to me too, n now that ur saying the professors are also great, icing on the cake! I guess I’ll be going for those subjects! Em also interested in International Commercial Arbitration but a fren’s dad who’s a judge told me not to take up practical subjects like arbitration and litigation coz these are meant to be learnt in practice and don’t make worthwhile theory subjects…. So em kinda confused!
Hey tell me something, wat kind of jobs do u plan to land after studying finance subjects? Cause I don’t have a very clear idea wat to expect! U guys are going in for ur visa applications and em still awaiting my offer letter….sigh :( Hope they kind of expedite the whole thing and not push me any closer to the deadline!
Have a great day everyone :)
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Aug 12 2008, 08:17 AMHi Anisha
I agree that you should not choose the college just because your friends are going there. That's not a good policy. I have lots of friends in London, so I'm not worried in any case. But half the fun of studying in a new country is the friends' one makes while studying. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at KCL. :)
I think that the subjects one chooses should have a practical aspect to them and be readily applicable in the outside world. Especially if you're taking a huge loan and have to pay it back. I'm of the firm view that people should only do a LLM after obtaining work experience. It would add more value than doing the LLM immediately after your LL.B. Of course it's a personal choice but I would never have gone for a LLM without work experience.
I can safely say that what I studied in my LL.B and what I actually applied while doing litigation were very different. I learnt the maximum from briefing Senior Counsel. I think the LL.B courses, at least in India, should actually have a subject which teaches you "What you never learnt in your LL.B about the outside world and how things actually function". LOL.
From that perspective International Finance I, II and III seemed to be good because those courses are designed for people who want to practice. The other advantage is that Ravi Tennekoon was a partner at Herbert Smith and therefore he would know about the practical aspects of International Finance I, II and III.
The International Finance course will open up options in investment banks, law firms, banks and private equity. It all depends on the state of the economy at the time that you finish your LLM. In any case the LLM is not a guarantee of a job, so be prepared to struggle to find a job.[Edited Aug 12 2008]
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Aug 12 2008, 10:44 AMHey, thats a useful post and I have read ur blog for Indian students too earlier. Even though it was very informative and to a large extent I do agree with u, I think there's one thing u missed out. It’s this that if u r good enough, there's always a job for u, no matter wat statistics have to say abt the state of economy or the no. of openings. When I was doing my research for doing an LLM or not doing it, everyone had different opinions to give and different points of views. Most ppl told me there are no jobs in the UK and I’ll invariable have to come back n slog it out here.
But this guy who did his LLM from Warwick and later came back to India without finding a job there said that there are always ppl who will unsuccessfully come back n say there are no jobs, but ppl who prove themselves to be good enough manage find jobs none the less. Now he’s working with AZB n partners and is doing OK. I ‘m kind of inclined to believe him :)
I am prepared to come back to India after a year by all means, but I think the expertise and specialization I gain in this one year will take me a long way, atleast I want to believe. I am an extremely laid back person; I’m hoping that the grueling LLM will atleast make me hardworking and disciplined if nothing else. Wat do u think? ;)
[Edited Aug 12 2008]
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