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Has anyone here studied abroad during LS? Worth it, or does it just create more distractions? I'm mildly interested in pursuing this during school, for a country that I went to as an undergrad. Do firms like an applicant that has some experience abroad?

Thanks.

what's LS? excuse my ignorance

LS= Law School

LS is law school.

I don't think firms care one way or another, especially because you have likely already gone through OCI by the time you make the decision to go abroad. You can't go abroad during 1L year.

Some schools have specific programs like Dukes LLM program that send students abroad as part of the degree. I don't know how useful it is in getting a job.

I've wondered about this myself and hope some people might have some suggestions or experience with these programs.

If you are going to go abroad, I think you want to do it the summer of your 1L year or during fall of your 3L year. Those really seem like to only real opportunities you will have. You have to be there your whole 1L year, studying abroad then is just out of the question. 2L year won't work either. You should be doing interviews, flybacks, journal work, other student organizations, ect. This is the year for you to build all of those extracurriculars. 2L summer is a definite no no too, unless by study abroad you mean WORK abroad, and this job might actually lead to a full time offer. Your 2L summer job is too important for you to skip to take classes at a foreign university. I suppose you could study abroad spring semester of 3L too, but I would rather be around for that. If you study abroad you might miss graduation.

As to whether is helps with employment, the sens I get is not really. It won't hurt you (unless you do it during the times I told you not to, in which case missing the opportunities you had there is what will hurt you), but it is unlikely to be more than a curiosity. This is of course different if you are originally from the country you "study abroad" in, speak the language fluently, and have big family connection there. In which case it is not really study abroad is it?

Failtastic wrote:Some schools have specific programs like Dukes LLM program that send students abroad as part of the degree. I don't know how useful it is in getting a job.

Oh, and this is true. If you are doing the international LLM at Duke, you go abroad for a few weeks during 1L summer.

From what I understand, it doesn't really help or hurt you. It's basically a money sink. If you want to travel to exotic locations and drink a lot, then go. Don't expect it to open any doors.

flyingpanda wrote:If you want to travel to exotic locations and drink a lot

^This sounds like the opposite of a money sink to me...

A lot of people I know that didn't get summer jobs went overseas to study...or got jobs overseas.

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Do firms like an applicant that has some experience abroad?

You won't be studying abroad 1L year, any U.S. based firm with intentional offices will be interviewing/hiring you Fall of 2L year.

I went abroad my 1L year summer, which I did concurrently with a telecommute research job. It was a nice opportunity to raise my GPA before OCI, but it certainly wasn't any sort of game changer.