One of the reasons I enjoy teaching LEALS for East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL) is their extensive partnership network around the world. Google ECUPL Partnerships and see all the schools around the world that list their connections. ECUPL is, in my opinion, the most important feeder school for global graduate law programs, and I am proud of my deep connections to the university over the last 7 years.

One of my early teaching memories in China, in Spring 2016, was learning from my ECUPL classes about their recent exchanges. Students from the group had just returned from exchanges in North America and Western Europe and I enjoyed hearing about their experiences.

Over the years, more of my ECUPL students have taken advantage of these exchange opportunities. And they have been transformative experiences in a number of ways. One way, in particular, has been a cost-effective opportunity to prepare for their post-LL.B. studies. I encourage first-year and second-year ECUPLers who ask to consider the exchanges, especially if they want to enroll in LEALS and study abroad after graduation. Some reasons why I encourage my students who want to study in the U.S. to do an exchange in the U.S.:

1. Enhanced English immersion before a TOEFL/IELTS exam. Spending a semester as an exchange student does wonders for English skills, and exchange students have really great opportunities to time their TOEFL/IELTS exam after completing their exchange.
2. Recommendation letters. My ECUPL students tend to look to a small subset of very competitive programs for LL.M. applications, and given that they plan to study immediately after graduation, need to stand out in the application phase. Having law professors in the U.S. evaluate their performance and advise on their abilities to handle rigorous LL.M. programs is important.
3. Insider’s Guide to U.S. Legal Education & Law Schools. Meeting J.D. and LL.M. students as an exchange student provides my students with a close-up look at U.S. legal education. From those conversations, they learn about the differences between J.D. and LL.M. degrees for different goals. They’ll learn about job outcomes from their exchange school and the makeup of their LL.M. class. And they’ll learn about some of the more hidden parts of the law school process, like scholarship negotiation.

Of course, there are many other great reasons for an exchange. Living abroad. Cultural immersion. Friendships. And learning another legal system.

More schools should look at their partnerships and see if there is room for these LL.B. exchanges with their U.S. counterparts. They make a great impact on the students. As U.S. law schools compete with other jurisdictions for LL.M. students, these exchanges provide students with a first look at studying law in the United States. And they can also help U.S. law schools grow their international profile with talented students who will have a connection to their school, whether or not they return for post-LL.B. studies. I am glad some of my LEALSers at ECUPL have had these great exchange opportunities, and I hope more LL.B. students from around the world can also have these experiences!