Student Spotlight: Gaurav Rana talks about getting into his Dream School, London School of Economics for LLM

Q1. How did you get into LSE Masters in Law? Share your journey.

A prestigious university like the LSE needs an applicant to plan and prep early. I began my research during the sophomore year of my law school and found that LSE is my dream college to pursue my Masters programme. Since the college evaluates applicants solely upon their online applications, and do not conduct any written tests or interviews, I knew that I had to strengthen my resume in order to stand a chance in such a reputed institution. I worked hard to sustain my good academic grades, undertake internships and pro bono work experiences and participate in extracurricular activities.  

Q2. Failure to Success – Your application last year was denied. What did you do differently this year?

Despite the intense research, hard work and pre-planning, I got rejected from LSE last year. That’s when I realised that just selling yourself to the college isn’t enough, you need to be able to strike the right chord with them. This is where a professional counsellor’s experience and guidance becomes extremely crucial to a student’s application. I am utmost thankful to my counsellor for helping me showcase my application in its entirety in a way that it highlighted my strengths and hid my weaknesses very succinctly. My counsellor brought a coherence and motive in my application which was missing earlier.

Q3. What plans after LSE?

After completing my Masters, I intend to return to India and further my public law practice at the Bar in India. Simultaneously, I also wish to participate in research engagement with policy institution and academics to improve our legal system and laws. 

Q4. Please give few words to other aspiring candidates.

Be true to yourself! – Make this your rule of thumb. Keep asking yourself as to what you want from a college experience abroad, why that college and course, your likes and dislikes. Once you have the true answers to these questions, half the battle is won!

Research, research and more college research! -  This is indispensable! Trust me, every time you sit down to research you will get more insight into the kind of college you want to be a part of. It gives you clarity and makes your job a lot easier. 

Be a smart worker! - Just working hard isn’t enough these days. Be a smart applicant! Create a mind map of how you want to showcase your activities, experiences, achievements, passions and goals. Every essay and document that goes to the college must reiterate these in order to make it a successful application.

Be positive! - A college rejection is not the end of your career. There’s always more in store for you! Give your best and you will sow what you reap, sooner or later!

Q5. What role does a good counsellor play? How important is it to have a counsellor?

Like I said, it was the most important thing for me because my counsellor helped me present myself in the most befitting manner by guiding me through all aspects of my application. I uncovered essay pointers I had missed in my application a year ago. It was like fixing the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Because of the anxiety an applicant goes through during his application period, it’s humane to miss out on important aspects of your application. Therefore, a good counsellor not only puts things in right perspective but calms the ship down and navigates it through rough sees.