Congratulations to all those who are starting LL.M. programs this week! You may have heard the phrase “Drop-Add/Add-Drop” being used. What is this? And what should foreign-educated LL.M. students be mindful of during this week (if it applies at your school)?

Brief Summary

Generally, “Drop-Add” is the time period when students may make changes to their schedule relatively freely. As the name suggests, you can drop courses. You can also add courses. After this period, you may face penalties for making changes to your schedule such as a notation on your transcript that you withdrew from a course or you may be prohibited from dropping a course at a certain time in the semester.

Quick Cautions

1. If you are on student visa, you want to ensure you’re working with your international office and your point-person at your LL.M. program to understand the rules for number of credits you need to take. Hopefully this was covered during orientation or in your pre-LL.M. program.
2. Check your specific Student Handbook or with your point-person at your LL.M. program for the specific rules at your school.
3. Block tuition and per-credit tuition may change the calculus for number of credits to take. It is why all other things being equal, I like a school choice with block tuition better.
4. Dropping a course you bought books for can be expensive, especially if you bought new editions of law school casebooks. Think about the ROI for making a change after reading the information below.

What Should Foreign-Educated LL.M. Students Be Mindful Of

1. The Credit Overestimation/Underestimation: If you picked your classes on your own, you may have overestimated or underestimated how many credits to take. While you need to be within the range of appropriate credits at your school, there is some flexibility within that range. For example, the difference between 12 credits and 15 credits may be adding one additional course in an area of interest or bar prep, while the difference between 17 and 14 credits may allow you to spend more time networking, to focus on courses, get a head start on bar prep, or some other focus. Drop-Add can be your chance, now that you’re on campus, to adjust that.
2. The Bar Exam Enlightenment: Maybe you enrolled in an LL.M. program without really thinking about a bar exam. Drop-Add can be a really good chance to adjust your first-semester schedule to position you well for your LL.M. program. Two areas I see this in: (i) switching coursework to include bar-tested subjects if you were not thinking about a bar exam and (ii) adjusting coursework (e.g. a course tested on the MBE and MEE instead of just MEE) as you become more sophisticated about the bar exam process.
3. Gateway Courses: Your school may have released the tentative Spring 2023 schedule and you may have seen courses that really interest you. If those courses have a prerequisite, you may need to take the foundational course in the Fall. Check with your school whether that’s needed, whether that can possibly be waived if you have experience in that subject area, or for other options. But I tell my students to think about their coursework for the year, not just semester-by-semester. Drop-Add can be a really good time to ensure your year-long plan is on track.
4. The Job Search: Your orientation may have had LL.M. alumni who shared insights with you. For example, they may have mentioned which areas of law are “hot” for hiring foreign-educated lawyers. You may have met a professor at orientation who spoke about specific areas of law that are important for cross-border practice and with strong networks that they can introduce you to. Or you may have spoken with a friend at another school in a specialized LL.M. who encouraged you to add that subject to keep your options open. Whatever the reason, coursework (and school choice, grades, networking, alumni/faculty support) can play a role on the U.S. job market. Drop-Add can be a really good time for a quick readjustment.