NYU vs UVA Forum

(Rankings, Profiles, Tuition, Student Life, . . . )
Post Reply

NYU or UVA?

Poll ended at Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:37 pm

NYU
33
97%
UVA
1
3%
 
Total votes: 34

User avatar
CommoBlue

New
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:57 pm

NYU vs UVA

Post by CommoBlue » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:37 pm

Hey All,

I need some help choosing between these two schools. I was all set to go to UVA and was actually in Charlottesville looking at apartments when I got the call from NYU. I'm likely paying sticker at either. COA at UVA is 71k and 75k at NYU.

Goals: I want Big Law initially and have a strong preference for DC. After that I'm more open-minded with New York having the lion's share of high-paying jobs, Atlanta being close to family, and Chicago just being all-around awesome.

NYU: Best school for International Law (I want to do International Trade/Arbitration). Higher-ranked, but I've never really felt like it was more prestigious than UVA. NYC >>>>> Charlottesville (particularly for an LGBT individual in his mid-late 20s), but I'm not sure how someone survives on NYUs COA estimate. Also, I have an 80 lb dog and it seems like that's a logistical nightmare in NYC.

UVA: I love the school, but don't particularly like the city. It's really nice for a smaller town, but I just spent the last two years in a small southern town and the idea of spending three more is incredibly unappealing. However, UVA's culture would make it doable for me. They also have incredible ties to DC and rule Atlanta. However, I'm afraid they place so well in DC because EVERYONE is shooting for it, whereas the vast majority of NYU students want NYC thus making competition more scarce. Also, I think it would be easier to live below budget at UVA.

Thanks in advance for any and all insight!

User avatar
twenty

Gold
Posts: 3189
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:17 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by twenty » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:39 pm

CommoBlue wrote:I'm likely paying sticker at either. COA at UVA is 71k and 75k at NYU.
Look at these numbers a little more closely -- I find it hard to believe that there's literally a 4k difference over 4 years to go to NYU over UVA.

Having said that, if that's true, NYU in a heartbeat. It may not be more "prestigious" so to speak, but the biglaw market (V10) and top PI hiring is quite a bit better coming out of NYU.

User avatar
rayiner

Platinum
Posts: 6145
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:43 am

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by rayiner » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:42 pm

NYU: Best school for International Law (I want to do International Trade/Arbitration). Higher-ranked, but I've never really felt like it was more prestigious than UVA.
NYU might not be nationally more prestigious than UVA, but it's one of the two go-to school in a huge market that has probably a quarter to a third of all the summer associate positions in the whole country. Location, location, location.

DC is insanely competitive, even from UVA. NYC, meanwhile, has a broad range of offices with varying levels of selectivity. Bottom of the class at UVA is going to be hard-up in DC, but bottom of the class at NYU has at least some places that might take them in NYC. By going to NYU you give up a little on the DC front for a big advantage on the NYC front and in your overall safety net.

User avatar
CommoBlue

New
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:57 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by CommoBlue » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:54 pm

@twentypercentmore: those were per year estimates. The small difference is due to a combination of UVA's tuition being 5-6k per year more and NYU providing students with what I feel is a very low COL estimate. Also, law school is 3 years, not 4 :)

Thank you both for your insight! Keep 'em coming!

User avatar
birdlaw117

Gold
Posts: 2167
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2010 12:19 am

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by birdlaw117 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:56 pm

CommoBlue wrote:@twentypercentmore: those were per year estimates. The small difference is due to a combination of UVA's tuition being 5-6k per year more and NYU providing students with what I feel is a very low COL estimate. Also, law school is 3 years, not 4 :)

Thanks two you both for your insight! Keep 'em coming!
The NYU COL is very livable. Not hard to stay well below it. Probably the same with UVA.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
twenty

Gold
Posts: 3189
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 1:17 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by twenty » Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:15 pm

CommoBlue wrote:Also, law school is 3 years, not 4 :)
God dammit. :D

Rayiner knows what's up on the hiring front.

005618502

Gold
Posts: 2577
Joined: Thu May 06, 2010 10:56 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by 005618502 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:26 pm

I will say that the cost difference will be more than 4k a year, easily. UVA overshoots their COL by a lot. I will be living in a 950 sq ft 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment and my rent is 930 dollars a month. That could be 465 a person. In NYC you will be paying double that. Food there is more expensive, going out is A LOT more expensive.

But NYU is a great school, this is a hard choice. Sounds like you would like NYC more, but you would probably save (about) 20k by going to UVA over the 3 years.

Yossarian79

New
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2012 3:34 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by Yossarian79 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:31 pm

You can live in NYC on a law student/grad student income. It's hard, but it's doable -- I did it for two years, had a couple of roommates, and got a great place in relatively far-flung Brooklyn. The two major sacrifices are 1) location within the city, and 2) not being able to really enjoy all the city has to offer. But it's such a cool place that you can still enjoy yourself on low money -- and you can definitely survive.

User avatar
Br3v

Gold
Posts: 4290
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:18 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by Br3v » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:36 pm

I kind of love UVA, but Rayiner makes some good emotional free points that you should certainly consider. Give up (maybe) slight edge DC with smaller amount of jobs, for an advatage in the larger market.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
rickgrimes69

Silver
Posts: 1105
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:56 am

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by rickgrimes69 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:39 pm

NYU. You'll definitely need biglaw paying sticker and NYU gives you that ever so slight edge at getting it.

User avatar
Doorkeeper

Gold
Posts: 4869
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:25 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by Doorkeeper » Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:04 pm

NYU is better if you want a job in DC or NYC. NYU and UVA are probably peer in feeding into DC, but DC market is never a sure thing. Plus, from all indications in your post, it will be a better environment for you.

abc12345675

Bronze
Posts: 373
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:27 am

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by abc12345675 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:05 pm

If you want DC, I say UVA. But if you have any NYC aspirations NYU is a no brainer

User avatar
RVP11

Gold
Posts: 2774
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:32 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by RVP11 » Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:16 pm

abc12345675 wrote:If you want DC, I say UVA. But if you have any NYC aspirations NYU is a no brainer
This is wrong. NYU is probably better for OP no matter where he wants to work. The only DC firm I can think of that definitely favors UVA over NYU is Williams & Connolly, who is willing to hire down to top 10% at UVA but is probably looking for even better creds from NYU. But OP shouldn't structure his life based on the hiring practices of one mega-elite DC firm.

OP: you're LGBT, have already spent time in a smallish southern town, and don't really like Charlottesville. Do something new and different: NYU is the better place for you. I'm saying this as a UVA Law grad.

chasgoose

Silver
Posts: 715
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:18 pm

Re: NYU vs UVA

Post by chasgoose » Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:48 pm

If you are LGBT another reason to go to NYU is that a lot of NYC firms have special LGBT recruiting events 1L year which are a lot smaller and more useful than the mass receptions for the entire class (usually dinners instead of awkward cocktail receptions). It's mostly an excuse for the LGBT attorneys to go out on the company dime, but they are good networking opportunities not available to you at UVA.

Also, just in general, the LGBT community at NYU has got to be one of the largest and most vibrant among the T14.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


Post Reply

Return to “Choosing a Law School”