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I am still in high school in the US and when I go to college, I want to get my degree in International Relations. I really want to obtain it at the London School of Economics though… how would this degree look when I returned? Would it even be recognized in the US? If it was, would it be looked down upon in comparison to American-obtained degrees? My plan as of now (yes, I know it's likely to change) is to return from LSE and go to law school in the states and then hopefully work for the United Nations. If this happened, would an organization like the UN choose an American degree over one from the UK (though, I'd have an American Law degree)? The UN is very internationally orientated so I wan't thinking it would matter too much, but they may want their American representatives to be educated in America. & that reminds me, the high school program I'm in has me working toward my associates now, so by the time I graduate, I should have an American-obtianed Associate of Arts as well. So basically, an American Associates, British Bachelor, and American Law degree. Any thoughts? Would getting my bachelor (or the British equivalent) in the UK hurt me when I return to the states? Additionally, LSE is a very good school, one of the top in the world for international relations, if that would carry any weight.
Law schools love to advertise how cosmopolitan their student body is. So as far as your ability for law school placement, you shouldn't have an issue as far as I know.
Also, for your information, American's certainly look up to London, so any employer would certainly be impressed by your attendance to LSE. Think about it this way: your attendance to a school in London gives you an edge that most of your competitors would lack. Law schools and employers will look favorably at your degree from LSE.
Based on your plan, I don't see any issue with it. There are great and well respected degree programs in England, Germany, and other universities throughout the world. I would say that it is a little unconventional because (in my experience) folks either do a semester abroad, or they go to a well respected overseas university for graduate school.
I find a number of people who immigrate from India (and not necessarily those work visa's) often have degrees from prestigious universities from their native country in many of the STEM research type fields. However, a good number also have problems obtaining employment here in the states from having a degree from an unrecognized foreign university and/or accrediting body.
I am still in high school in the US and when I go to college, I want to get my degree in International Relations. I really want to obtain it at the London School of Economics though… how would this degree look when I returned? Would it even be recognized in the US? If it was, would it be looked down upon in comparison to American-obtained degrees? My plan as of now (yes, I know it's likely to change) is to return from LSE and go to law school in the states and then hopefully work for the United Nations. If this happened, would an organization like the UN choose an American degree over one from the UK (though, I'd have an American Law degree)? The UN is very internationally orientated so I wan't thinking it would matter too much, but they may want their American representatives to be educated in America. & that reminds me, the high school program I'm in has me working toward my associates now, so by the time I graduate, I should have an American-obtianed Associate of Arts as well. So basically, an American Associates, British Bachelor, and American Law degree. Any thoughts? Would getting my bachelor (or the British equivalent) in the UK hurt me when I return to the states? Additionally, LSE is a very good school, one of the top in the world for international relations, if that would carry any weight.
You're over-worrying this. A degree from London school of Economics would be fine for getting into law school. Law schools accept degrees from podunk US colleges, why wouldn't they take LSE? The UN doesn't care where people got their education, country-wise.
You're worrying about the wrong things, completely. What you need to concern yourself with is getting internships that will enhance your employability and put you ahead of the competition. Lawyers in the US are a dime a dozen, and you'll have a lot of competition for a UN job. Study the UN system to see where you might fit in. As an economist, for example, you might be competitive for a UNDP job. (Take some classes in international development while you're in London.) You need to learn more about how the UN is organized, so you can tailor your studies for potential available jobs. Be aware that the UN locates its different agencies in different countries: New York, Geneva (where UNDP is), Paris (UNESCO), Rome (the agricultural programme), etc. Develop your language skills.
You could also work for the US State Dept./Foreign Service, or for the US area foundations that dispense foreign aid abroad, and carry out development projects. Like Inter-America Foundation, Asia Foundation, etc., if you have a special interest in a specific part of the world and have some language skills.
You should know that a law degree is an undergraduate degree in the UK. You can get a law degree in the UK as an undergraduate, then take a 1 year LLM degree program in the U.S. to sit for any bar exam. In NY State, you can take the bar directly without a LLM. A UK law degree would be useful if you want to practice law in a commonwealth country, like spending several years in a corporate practice in the BVI, Bermuda or Grand Cayman, or say New Zealand, though you might have immigration issues.
The U.S. law degree is helpful if you want to practice law in the U.S., or go to a country where you practice U.S. law for foreign clients. U.S. law firms pay much more than those in Europe or in commonwealth countries though. I have no idea if a U.S. law degree is beneficial to the U.N. I seriously doubt it though.
You can get a law degree in the UK as an undergraduate, then take a 1 year LLM degree program in the U.S. to sit for any bar exam.
The Bar of each state has its own requirements. I would check things out very carefully before trying to go down this path. It's not that straightforward.
For example:
.0701 GENERAL EDUCATION
Each applicant must have satisfactorily completed the academic work required for admission to a law school approved by the Council of the North Carolina State Bar.
.0702 LEGAL EDUCATION
Every applicant applying for admission to practice law in the State of North Carolina, before being granted a license to practice law, shall prove to the satisfaction of the Board that said applicant has graduated from a law school approved by the Council of The North Carolina State Bar or that said applicant will graduate within thirty (30) days after the date of the written bar examination from a law school approved by the Council of the North Carolina State Bar. There shall be filed with the Secretary a certificate of the dean, or other proper official of said law school, certifying the date of the applicant’s graduation. A list of the approved law schools is available in the office of the Secretary.
Foreign degrees when applying to law school simply mean your undergraduate GPA is calculated differently or not at all. Law school admissions is based almost solely on your undergraduate GPA (cumulative across all schools you attended or classes you received college credit for, so your grades for your associates would count) and your LSAT score. Typically, with a foreign degree, your LSAT score is much more heavily weighted.
However, a larger problem is what you want to do with a law degree. What do you envision doing for the UN with your law degree? "International law" is largely a myth, and whatever legal jobs may be available at the UN will be harder to get than winning the lottery. That is not an exaggeration. Any potentially available legal jobs with the UN (and there won't be many) will go almost exclusively to the very top graduate of Harvard, Yale, or Stanford. However, even most of those students will be shut out of working for the UN unless they have some compelling backstory that makes them attractive. You are more likely to win the lottery twice in a row than get a legal job at the UN.
OP, read the employment announcements in The Economist to get an idea of what kind of jobs the UN has and what they're looking for in applicants. If you go to law school in NYC, you might conceivably get an internship at the UN, which might help. Where were you planning to go to law school? It sounds like you haven't thought this through, much. I guess you're more or less at the beginning stages of your planning, and are just beginning to research your options and interests?
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