Top Law Schools

bk187 wrote:I just don't see this CLS advantage in clerkships and government that other people are talking about.

Sources: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewt ... 1&t=150681 http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/composite.pdf

I guess you could make the argument that it is self selection, but are you really saying that CLS grads are significantly self selecting away from A3 clerkships?

I think bk187 is right on this point. I think there is a significant advantage to HYS for clerkships, but outside of that cohort, I think that your law school performance will have far more of an impact on clerkships.

This is kind of a meaningless . . . That's just a matter of who was there the ASD you came to and who you spoke with.

It was probably self-selection bias. Never said it was particularly meaningful, that's why I prefaced it with "FWIW." Apparently, it wasn't worth much to you. Wasn't intended for you anyway.

I'd use the following:

potential $$$ difference
x
your specific situation (that only you can really know)
x
visiting campuses (if at all possible) and going with gut reaction
------------
= win either way for OP

bk187 wrote:I mean come on people. After you factor in tuition and CoL differences, UVa is almost $100,000 cheaper.

LRAP/IBR is all well and good but I'd rather take far less debt any day of the week over using LRAP/IBR when working in a PI/gov job.

It should be more than $100K cheaper, which means go to UVA.

I've been lucky enough to have several alumni talk to me about my decision on where to go. While not UVA, I've chosen CLS over my (much) cheaper state school (TX). One of the most helpful CLS alums I've spoken to told me this:

"I picked Columbia over Virginia, which would've been considerably less expensive, and I don't know that my career trajectory would have been any different if I had gone there instead. When you're looking at schools, it's easy to get hung up on minute reputational distinctions (e.g., CLS vs. NYU = ridiculous) and miss the big picture, which is that the whole point of going to any kind of graduate school is to find a rewarding career (however defined)."

Take it for what it's worth, and it's a brief anecdote in the larger discussion about Tx, but just thought that I'd share.