Top Law Schools

First of all, I know I've posted variants of this question before, but I wanted to see what people thought when comparing these three together. At this moment i'm 90% sure I'll attend NYU, but this is before visiting Chicago. I know that with these three choices, I can't really go wrong, but I was wondering if people could make a case for Chicago or Penn. A couple of my own considerations:

I went to undergrad at Penn, so I want to see a new place. My family/SO is in Philly area, so I'd like to be close. I'd most likely pursue Big Law in NYC after graduation (need to pay back them loans), but clerking is not out of the question.

Again, sorry if this is repetitive, but I just wanted some more opinions.

Thanks in advance!

oh...p.s. with my numbers 3.7/172 i don't think i'll be receiving merit aid from these schools (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

+1 I have the same decision to make, but with some scholarship help from Penn.

There are a lot of reasons to go with Chicago of the three. But, given that NYC biglaw is your number 1 option, NYU is most likely the right answer. However, if paying back loans is your chief concern I wonder why you desire the to live in the king of high COL cities after graduation.

Full Disclosure: I am facing a very similar decision (NYU, Chicago, UVa) with Chicago being the favorite at the moment.

NYU sounds like your ideal choice given your preference for NYC biglaw, and the family/SO nearby in Philly.

Have you heard back from Columbia yet? Your numbers are competitive there.

Yup, I earlied to Columbia, got a fall grade request (thought this was a great sign, especially after posting a 3.86), but was ultimately deferred. I'm considering this to be a soft rejection...

hopefullaw27 wrote:Yup, I earlied to Columbia, got a fall grade request (thought this was a great sign, especially after posting a 3.86), but was ultimately deferred. I'm considering this to be a soft rejection...

Don't lose hope!!

im_blue wrote:NYU sounds like your ideal choice given your preference for NYC biglaw, and the family/SO nearby in Philly.

I disagree. I think that OP doesn't really want to do BigLaw, just wants to do it eventually because he "has to" to pay off his loans. If this is true, then minimizing your loans should be #1 and possibility of things you may actually ENJOY should be #2.

For both of these, I think Chicago should be the choice. The location makes it a lower COL and its clerkship/academia placements are fantastic. If you eventually realize you like transactional law and corporate finance, Chicago has great placement rates in NYC anyway and you'll always have that as an option. Don't completely base your choice on paying off loans; base it off of what you will enjoy doing in your life.

hopefullaw27 wrote:First of all, I know I've posted variants of this question before, but I wanted to see what people thought when comparing these three together. At this moment i'm 90% sure I'll attend NYU, but this is before visiting Chicago. I know that with these three choices, I can't really go wrong, but I was wondering if people could make a case for Chicago or Penn. A couple of my own considerations:

I went to undergrad at Penn, so I want to see a new place. My family/SO is in Philly area, so I'd like to be close. I'd most likely pursue Big Law in NYC after graduation (need to pay back them loans), but clerking is not out of the question.

Again, sorry if this is repetitive, but I just wanted some more opinions.

Thanks in advance!

oh...p.s. with my numbers 3.7/172 i don't think i'll be receiving merit aid from these schools (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

Have you gotten any scholly requests from Penn? Also, you might get a small chunk of money from Chicago.

Penn hasn't given out it's unnamed dean's scholarships yet (correct me if I'm wrong)... I think you have a good shot at getting some $$ there.

JollyGreenGiant wrote:

hopefullaw27 wrote:First of all, I know I've posted variants of this question before, but I wanted to see what people thought when comparing these three together. At this moment i'm 90% sure I'll attend NYU, but this is before visiting Chicago. I know that with these three choices, I can't really go wrong, but I was wondering if people could make a case for Chicago or Penn. A couple of my own considerations:

I went to undergrad at Penn, so I want to see a new place. My family/SO is in Philly area, so I'd like to be close. I'd most likely pursue Big Law in NYC after graduation (need to pay back them loans), but clerking is not out of the question.

Again, sorry if this is repetitive, but I just wanted some more opinions.

Thanks in advance!

oh...p.s. with my numbers 3.7/172 i don't think i'll be receiving merit aid from these schools (feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

Have you gotten any scholly requests from Penn? Also, you might get a small chunk of money from Chicago.

Nope no scholly requests.

Yeah, you'll prolly get some money from Penn although it will be under $50k I'm guessing. Also, Chicago might give some money. I'm not sure if NYU gives out any money as I have not been following them.

Yeah, any scholly money would be great. Quick side question: When I applied to these schools/ when I was accepted my GPA was a 3.67. After fall semester my LSDAS gpa has gone up to 3.7. I sent in an updated transcript to LSAC, but was wondering if there's any point in sending emails to these schools to tell them about my GPA increase (in the hopes of it affecting my consideration for scholly money)

Go visit Chicago... You will love it.

yup, i plan to go april 8th.

Out of the 3, I'd probably pick NYU, but only because I've heard that Chicago Law can be absurdly difficult. If you're into a clerkship Chicago would be the place to go though.

maggiebre wrote:Penn hasn't given out it's unnamed dean's scholarships yet (correct me if I'm wrong)... I think you have a good shot at getting some $$ there.

Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

hopeful, we're really similar applicants with a similar decision (replace Chicago with Columbia). I'm also curious to hear someone make the case for Penn... I know it's ranked a little lower, but I hear really good things about it. And the low COL in Philly is tempting.

Chicago hands down.

radgrad wrote:

maggiebre wrote:Penn hasn't given out it's unnamed dean's scholarships yet (correct me if I'm wrong)... I think you have a good shot at getting some $$ there.

Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

hopeful, we're really similar applicants with a similar decision (replace Chicago with Columbia). I'm also curious to hear someone make the case for Penn... I know it's ranked a little lower, but I hear really good things about it. And the low COL in Philly is tempting.

I'd like to hear a case for Penn also. I was accepted at Penn and it's my dream school and would probably chose Penn over NYU and Columbia if I was accepted at either one, unless a scholarship was thrown in. Thoughts?

groundkontrol wrote:

radgrad wrote:

maggiebre wrote:Penn hasn't given out it's unnamed dean's scholarships yet (correct me if I'm wrong)... I think you have a good shot at getting some $$ there.

Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

hopeful, we're really similar applicants with a similar decision (replace Chicago with Columbia). I'm also curious to hear someone make the case for Penn... I know it's ranked a little lower, but I hear really good things about it. And the low COL in Philly is tempting.

I'd like to hear a case for Penn also. I was accepted at Penn and it's my dream school and would probably chose Penn over NYU and Columbia if I was accepted at either one, unless a scholarship was thrown in. Thoughts?

If it's your dream school, go there. Penn is a great school.

.

maggiebre wrote:

radgrad wrote: Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

It really is about personal preference at a certain point. I'm a person who in all likelihood is going to take $$ over CCN... I really want to limit my debt and I'm not sure I want to do Biglaw for too long. For me Penn (or an "equivalent") at a reduced price is a much better option. But if someone is set on NYC biglaw, taking scholarship $$ might not be worth it.

Another consideration is the fact that NYU (and Columbia) have far superior LRAP programs to Chicago or Penn (and the rest of the T10).

If you want PI (or NYC BigLaw), NYU and Columbia are the best choices. If not, it's up to personal preference and cost.

scribelaw wrote:

maggiebre wrote:
Another consideration is the fact that NYU (and Columbia) have far superior LRAP programs to Chicago or Penn (and the rest of the T10).

If you want PI (or NYC BigLaw), NYU and Columbia are the best choices. If not, it's up to personal preference and cost.

What does LRAP stand for?

scribelaw wrote:

maggiebre wrote:

radgrad wrote: Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

It really is about personal preference at a certain point. I'm a person who in all likelihood is going to take $$ over CCN... I really want to limit my debt and I'm not sure I want to do Biglaw for too long. For me Penn (or an "equivalent") at a reduced price is a much better option. But if someone is set on NYC biglaw, taking scholarship $$ might not be worth it.

Another consideration is the fact that NYU (and Columbia) have far superior LRAP programs to Chicago or Penn (and the rest of the T10).

If you want PI (or NYC BigLaw), NYU and Columbia are the best choices. If not, it's up to personal preference and cost.

Are you sure this is right? I admit I know nothing about NYU or Columbia's LRAPs, but my understanding was that Chicago was one of the few LRAPs where the money you get year to year is not subject to being taken back if you later take a higher paying private sector job. Granted, the cap is 90k, but with a decent scholarship, that is big chunk of your debt.

thelawguy777 wrote:

scribelaw wrote:

maggiebre wrote:
Another consideration is the fact that NYU (and Columbia) have far superior LRAP programs to Chicago or Penn (and the rest of the T10).

If you want PI (or NYC BigLaw), NYU and Columbia are the best choices. If not, it's up to personal preference and cost.

What does LRAP stand for?

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs that help pay for law school debt if you commit to a certain number of years in public interest (or sometimes government) jobs.

treefity350 wrote:

scribelaw wrote:

maggiebre wrote:

radgrad wrote: Do you think a scholly from Penn would trump NYU and/or Chicago?

It really is about personal preference at a certain point. I'm a person who in all likelihood is going to take $$ over CCN... I really want to limit my debt and I'm not sure I want to do Biglaw for too long. For me Penn (or an "equivalent") at a reduced price is a much better option. But if someone is set on NYC biglaw, taking scholarship $$ might not be worth it.

Another consideration is the fact that NYU (and Columbia) have far superior LRAP programs to Chicago or Penn (and the rest of the T10).

If you want PI (or NYC BigLaw), NYU and Columbia are the best choices. If not, it's up to personal preference and cost.

Are you sure this is right? I admit I know nothing about NYU or Columbia's LRAPs, but my understanding was that Chicago was one of the few LRAPs where the money you get year to year is not subject to being taken back if you later take a higher paying private sector job. Granted, the cap is 90k, but with a decent scholarship, that is big chunk of your debt.

NYU is definitely best for the LRAP, both of these schools and nationwide. After working 3 years in PI, the loans are forgiven, and then they continue to be forgiven annually from then on.

I'm currently choosing between NYU, Chi, and Mich. I LOVE Chicago (the city), but the academics are intense. I loved NYU when I visited, but I have no interest in working in NYC post-grad. And I prefer cities. So I really don't know which of the three I'm leaning towards. I basically just want as many options as possible post-graduation, because I don't know if I'll want to go public or private, or where I'll want to work.

Chicago is definitely worth a good look though. The faculty is amazing, the reputation of the school is insane, the city is awesome (despite the winters). My biggest hesitation w/ UChi is actually the LRAP.

We should just be happy we have these choices to make!