USC v. Cornell Want to be in CA after graduation Forum

[cornellbeez]

Having spent 4 years in Ithica I will tell you- stay in California.

You spent four years in a place you can't even spell?

[deadhipsters]

Having spent 4 years in Ithica I will tell you- stay in California.

You spent four years in a place you can't even spell?

sweet job catching a typo

[DreamsInDigital]

Having spent 4 years in Ithica I will tell you- stay in California.

You spent four years in a place you can't even spell?

sweet job catching a typo

fwiw, I think Itacans are very sensitive about how you spell the city's name. During college I would intentionally misspell it because of how much it pissed off a friend that grew up there.

[Cal4future]

Go to USC. The number of California firms you'll have at OCI will make it much easier to find a job there. However, that being said, are you 100% positive you want to be in California when you graduate? If not, Cornell may be a good choice.

[tlslsnlsp]

wait, is anyone else confused by the "don't go to USC since you'll be competing with everyone for the same LA jobs" + "if LA doesn't work out for you at Cornell, you can get NYC jobs" combination? Why doesn't it work the other way around, aka "NYC jobs will be tough out of cornell since everyone's going for the same NYC jobs"? If you know you want a certain city, is it better to go to a school in that city or not?! I thought it was clear-cut, but are you guys really saying that the OP's historic ties to LA makes it so that he's better off going to law school AWAY from LA?

[Cal4future]

I think most people would agree going to a school in the market in which you want to practice is a good play assuming the school in that market is of good quality.

[Horchata]

I think most people would agree going to a school in the market in which you want to practice is a good play assuming the school in that market is of good quality.

I think this is true. However, I think what other people have been saying is that this is true, unless you go to a T14 with national reach -- then it doesn't necessarily matter. I guess this is the essence of my decision: which really matters more?

Yeah, I don't know if I made it clear. I want to come back to southern CA. I grew up here and all my family lives here. Although, I'm not completely opposed to living away if a good opportunity rolls around. I spoke with a lawyer last night who went to law school on the east coast and now practices on the west coast. Her general feeling was that the level of prestige and notoriety between USC and Cornell is nill, with USC maybe even coming on top in southern CA. But as everyone has been saying, she was basically saying on the east coast Cornell is the sure winner. So, at this point, I think I'm leaning towards USC.

Thank you everyone in helping me wrestle through this decision.

[Hannibal]

To be honest I think this topic will be moot because you'll get some money from USC and none from Cornell.

[paulinaporizkova]

Having spent 4 years in Ithica I will tell you- stay in California.

You spent four years in a place you can't even spell?

sweet job catching a typo

fwiw, I think Itacans are very sensitive about how you spell the city's name. During college I would intentionally misspell it because of how much it pissed off a friend that grew up there.

annnnd spelled wrong, once again.

[Hannibal]

Dreams = tactic #1

--LinkRemoved--

[83947368]

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[Horchata]

To be honest I think this topic will be moot because you'll get some money from USC and none from Cornell.

I have a nagging feeling that Cornell is going to give me more. I'm going to start a poll...jk

[Cal4future]

I can tell you from going through the OCI process in the midwest and trying to get back to California that it is tough.

While I'm not going to a Cornell, Notre Dame has a decent reputation in California. You won't have any trouble convincing interviewers that you want to be in California, but the options will be so much more available if you are physically in California.

Also, if at USC you can try to intern during your 2L or 3L years and gain some experience and make some connections. You won't be able to do that at Cornell. Being in a major city and legal market during law school is helpful.

[Horchata]

maybe, just maybe it was on purpose this time.

+1

[Horchata]

I can tell you from going through the OCI process in the midwest and trying to get back to California that it is tough.

While I'm not going to a Cornell, Notre Dame has a decent reputation in California. You won't have any trouble convincing interviewers that you want to be in California, but the options will be so much more available if you are physically in California.

Also, if at USC you can try to intern during your 2L or 3L years and gain some experience and make some connections. You won't be able to do that at Cornell. Being in a major city and legal market during law school is helpful.

Yeah, the more I think about it the more I think it's the case.

[83947368]

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[lisjjen]

Don't mean to hijack too much but do people still think that USC>Cornell for CA (esp SoCal) still holds in a MVP v. USC (or UCLA) case? I mean sure it's kind of up to how debt averse one is but does MVP add anything the calculus that isn't already present in DNCG?

I was told in the "Michigan 1L/2L/3L taking questions" thread that locality would probably still be preferable. And that's not even taking cost of attendance into consideration.

[83947368]

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[FlightoftheEarls]

Don't mean to hijack too much but do people still think that USC>Cornell for CA (esp SoCal) still holds in a MVP v. USC (or UCLA) case? I mean sure it's kind of up to how debt averse one is but does MVP add anything the calculus that isn't already present in DNCG?

I was told in the "Michigan 1L/2L/3L taking questions" thread that locality would probably still be preferable. And that's not even taking cost of attendance into consideration.

Hmm, who wrote that?

I'm biased, but I would take Michigan every time over USC for LA biglaw if I already had connections to LA. The market seems to be relatively undesired relative to it's size (and especially compared to the interest in NYC/DC/SF/Chicago), and our pre-ITE GPA offer "averages" (since we don't know ITE requirements, this is admittedly somewhat unscientific) for LA firms were almost as low as the requirements for NYC firms. While you'll have access to a wider selection of LA employers at USC's OCI, there are still more LA OCI firms that come to Michigan than you'll probably even be able to schedule. You'll also have significantly less competition for these spots among your classmates.

The only "benefit" most people will gain from locality after your 1L year is attending little meet-and-greet mixer events that the firms host. I don't know a single person who has snagged a job through these, but there are probably plenty of people who have ruined their chances through them. Firms only hold them to increase interest in their firm within the law school, but that doesn't mean you're going to miraculously "network" your way into a firm job there by attending. If you want LA, you'll be fine working there over the summer and sending early-July mass-mails to non-OCI firms requesting an early-August interview before you return to campus for OCI.

[RVP11]

Don't mean to hijack too much but do people still think that USC>Cornell for CA (esp SoCal) still holds in a MVP v. USC (or UCLA) case? I mean sure it's kind of up to how debt averse one is but does MVP add anything the calculus that isn't already present in DNCG?

I was told in the "Michigan 1L/2L/3L taking questions" thread that locality would probably still be preferable. And that's not even taking cost of attendance into consideration.

Hmm, who wrote that?

I'm biased, but I would take Michigan every time over USC for LA biglaw if I already had connections to LA. The market seems to be relatively undesired relative to it's size (and especially compared to the interest in NYC/DC/SF/Chicago), and our pre-ITE GPA offer "averages" (since we don't know ITE requirements, this is admittedly somewhat unscientific) for LA firms were almost as low as the requirements for NYC firms. While you'll have access to a wider selection of LA employers at USC's OCI, there are still more LA OCI firms that come to Michigan than you'll probably even be able to schedule. You'll also have significantly less competition for these spots among your classmates.

The only "benefit" most people will gain from locality after your 1L year is attending little meet-and-greet mixer events that the firms host. I don't know a single person who has snagged a job through these, but there are probably plenty of people who have ruined their chances through them. Firms only hold them to increase interest in their firm within the law school, but that doesn't mean you're going to miraculously "network" your way into a firm job there by attending. If you want LA, you'll be fine working there over the summer and sending early-July mass-mails to non-OCI firms requesting an early-August interview before you return to campus for OCI.

Another 2L's opinion here: FlightoftheEarls is correct.

0Ls will cram into this thread urging OP to go to USC. 2Ls will recommend Cornell. Take your guess as to who is more informed.

And to whoever cited the number of CA NLJ250 firms at each school's OCI: that's meaningless. If OP goes to USC, he surely won't be able to interview with all of those firms. If he's not top third (quarter?) or so, he probably won't be able to interview with ANY of them. If he goes to Cornell he is facing very little competition for CA interview slots.

[Horchata]

Don't mean to hijack too much but do people still think that USC>Cornell for CA (esp SoCal) still holds in a MVP v. USC (or UCLA) case? I mean sure it's kind of up to how debt averse one is but does MVP add anything the calculus that isn't already present in DNCG?

I was told in the "Michigan 1L/2L/3L taking questions" thread that locality would probably still be preferable. And that's not even taking cost of attendance into consideration.

Hmm, who wrote that?

I'm biased, but I would take Michigan every time over USC for LA biglaw if I already had connections to LA. The market seems to be relatively undesired relative to it's size (and especially compared to the interest in NYC/DC/SF/Chicago), and our pre-ITE GPA offer "averages" (since we don't know ITE requirements, this is admittedly somewhat unscientific) for LA firms were almost as low as the requirements for NYC firms. While you'll have access to a wider selection of LA employers at USC's OCI, there are still more LA OCI firms that come to Michigan than you'll probably even be able to schedule. You'll also have significantly less competition for these spots among your classmates.

The only "benefit" most people will gain from locality after your 1L year is attending little meet-and-greet mixer events that the firms host. I don't know a single person who has snagged a job through these, but there are probably plenty of people who have ruined their chances through them. Firms only hold them to increase interest in their firm within the law school, but that doesn't mean you're going to miraculously "network" your way into a firm job there by attending. If you want LA, you'll be fine working there over the summer and sending early-July mass-mails to non-OCI firms requesting an early-August interview before you return to campus for OCI.

Another 2L's opinion here: FlightoftheEarls is correct.

0Ls will cram into this thread urging OP to go to USC. 2Ls will recommend Cornell. Take your guess as to who is more informed.

And to whoever cited the number of CA NLJ250 firms at each school's OCI: that's meaningless. If OP goes to USC, he surely won't be able to interview with all of those firms. If he's not top third (quarter?) or so, he probably won't be able to interview with ANY of them. If he goes to Cornell he is facing very little competition for CA interview slots.

All this is definitely true. However, are you truly considering the strength of the USC alumni base in southern California? Having lived here my whole life, I can tell you they bend over backward for their own -- it's pretty crazy. Or, is this still generally nullified by the reasons you gave, IYO?

btw, thanks for all the energy everyone is putting into this thread

[RVP11]

Great, the alumni base in SoCal is huge. That's a nice social advantage. But if we followed this all the time, then Colorado > Yale in Denver, too, right? And we know that ain't so.

If the USC alumni base were really so powerful then their NLJ250 placement would be better, no?

[Hannibal]

Great, the alumni base in SoCal is huge. That's a nice social advantage. But if we followed this all the time, then Colorado > Yale in Denver, too, right? And we know that ain't so.

If the USC alumni base were really so powerful then their NLJ250 placement would be better, no?

There is so much bad logic in here. Colorado is not USC, Cornell and Michigan are not Yale.

[83947368]

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[northwood]

Go to USC. Cornell places well in NYC and other East Coast cities- but wanting to practice on the other side of the country is another thing. Unless you are okay with the idea of going to live in the east- then i would go to whatever school you like and feel morfe comfortable at- or is less expensive.