The Public Interest Law Center would like to alert you to two great opportunities, Fulbright Fellowships and the UN Young Professionals Program. Both have early deadlines that will require you to work on applications over the summer. PILC is open and we are happy to help you prepare applications (we can do phone or Skype appointments if that’s easier). Also, to learn about other post-graduate opportunities, save the dates for: PILC’s 3L Post-Graduate Search Workshop on Wednesday, September 3, at 4:00 p.m. in VH210 and an information session on Human Rights Fellowships for NYU Graduates on Friday, September 19, at 2:00 p.m. in FH216.
1. The Fulbright Fellowship is a federally funded program for U.S. citizens that supports research or further study abroad. Examples of past law graduates’ fellowships include researching environmental laws in China and completing an LLM abroad. You will need to develop a project and secure formal sponsorship, which can take time, so we highly recommend that you start exploring this now if you are interested. The application deadline for NYU students is September 17, 2014 (NB: while there is a later deadline online, current students are required to apply through NYU’s on campus process; applications will not be accepted after September 17). For more information, go to http://us.fulbrightonline.org/getting-started and click on “Academic, Arts, and Teaching Assistant Program Grants.” Select Fulbright Study/Research Grants. PILC can help you identify projects and sponsoring organizations and can edit application materials.
Law students might also be interested in the Fulbright Hillary Rodham Clinton Fellowship, which provides U.S. citizens with professional placements in a foreign government ministry or institution in partner governments. Students may apply to only one of these Fulbright programs, Study/Research or Clinton.
2. The UN has just announced its Young Professionals Program (YPP) for 2014, the official channel for entry level hiring at the UN. Every year, the UN publishes a list of nationalities eligible to sit for the exam and a list of subject areas it will be offered in. This year, the US is on the list, along with many other countries, and subject areas include Economic Affairs, Human Rights, and Political Affairs. The exam will not be offered in Legal Affairs this year, but positions in these areas are typically law-related. The application windows to apply to sit for the exams in different subject areas are as follows:
14 June-13 August: Information Systems and Technology & Political Affairs
21 June-20 August: Economic Affairs & Radio Producer (Arabic, Chinese, Kiswahili, Russian, Spanish)
27 June-26 August: Human Rights and Photography
Detailed information including a list of nationalities and eligibility requirements can be found at careers.un.org/YPP. You can view the postings for Political Affairs and Economic Affairs now, while the posting Human Rights will become available when its application window open.
Note that the YPP is a multi-step process. Applicants must apply by August to sit for the exam. After reviewing applications, the UN will notify those who are invited to sit for the exam. The UN will then offer a substantive, written exam in December. Those who pass the written exam will be invited to an interview a few months later, which is similar to an oral exam. Those who score the highest in the interview will then be placed on a roster and given priority when applying to entry level positions. Some NYU alumni have gone through the process and secured positions in a year. Others have found other jobs before finding out they were successful in the exam or interview, and returned to take UN positions from the roster 2-3 years later. PILC is available to help if you have questions about the process and, if you are invited to sit for the exam, can put you in touch with alumni who have passed.