NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy? Forum
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 12:26 pm
NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Hey everyone!! Decided to appeal to the wisdom of the forum!
NYU = 200k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Berkeley = 60k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Goal: International law/arbitration at BigLaw for 5-7 years, then policy/politics.
Geographical preferences: Never lived in SF, don't know many people there. I've lived in NY and have an extended professional network here. I don't know enough about SF to make any conclusions, but wouldn't want to work in LA for sure.
Financials: Tiny help from parents + schollys + loans.
Other: Reverse splitter, no retakes left, have to make a decision soon.
Is NYU's international program and being in NYC worth the extra $140K? I am heavily leaning toward NYU, but the cost difference is pulling me back. Thanks for your input!
NYU = 200k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Berkeley = 60k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Goal: International law/arbitration at BigLaw for 5-7 years, then policy/politics.
Geographical preferences: Never lived in SF, don't know many people there. I've lived in NY and have an extended professional network here. I don't know enough about SF to make any conclusions, but wouldn't want to work in LA for sure.
Financials: Tiny help from parents + schollys + loans.
Other: Reverse splitter, no retakes left, have to make a decision soon.
Is NYU's international program and being in NYC worth the extra $140K? I am heavily leaning toward NYU, but the cost difference is pulling me back. Thanks for your input!
Last edited by Toughchoices on Thu May 07, 2015 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Mack.Hambleton
- Posts: 5414
- Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:09 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Yes that is crazy
- OhBoyOhBortles
- Posts: 2473
- Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:01 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Go to Berkeley
-
- Posts: 3843
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2014 11:33 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Mack.Hambleton wrote:Yes that is crazy
-
- Posts: 3294
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2014 1:29 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Have you not negotiated?
Want to continue reading?
Register now to search topics and post comments!
Absolutely FREE!
Already a member? Login
- L’Étranger
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:27 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Wow. What scholarship did you get from B?
The schools are peers. No reason to pay that much more for NYU given your interests. If the scholarships were reversed, given your interests, I would have told you to go to NYU.
The schools are peers. No reason to pay that much more for NYU given your interests. If the scholarships were reversed, given your interests, I would have told you to go to NYU.
-
- Posts: 1474
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:00 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
When you say international law, what do you mean? ICSID arbitration?Toughchoices wrote:Hey everyone!! Long time lurker here. Decided to appeal to the wisdom of the forum!
NYU = 200k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Berkeley = 60k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Goal: International law/arbitration at BigLaw for 5-7 years, then policy/politics.
Geographical preferences: Never lived in SF, don't know many people there. I've lived in NY and have an extended professional network here. I don't know enough about SF to make any conclusions, but wouldn't want to work in LA for sure.
Financials: Tiny help from parents + schollys + loans.
Other: Reverse splitter, no retakes left, have to make a decision soon.
Is NYU's international program and being in NYC worth the extra $140K? I am heavily leaning toward NYU, but the cost difference is pulling me back. Thanks for your input!
- Comma.Split
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:22 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
I was under the assumption that Berkeley didn't have a strong international law program? They claim they do, but I found no evidence of that.L’Étranger wrote:Wow. What scholarship did you get from B?
The schools are peers. No reason to pay that much more for NYU given your interests. If the scholarships were reversed, given your interests, I would have told you to go to NYU.
I received 25% more money from Berkeley + an outside scholly to go to a CA law school. That's why the difference is so huge.
- Comma.Split
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:22 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Including ICSID. I am not interested in human rights, immigration, or anything like that. International investment, international commercial litigation and arbitration is what I want to do.mvp99 wrote:When you say international law, what do you mean? ICSID arbitration?Toughchoices wrote:Hey everyone!! Long time lurker here. Decided to appeal to the wisdom of the forum!
NYU = 200k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Berkeley = 60k (total cost of attendance with interest).
Goal: International law/arbitration at BigLaw for 5-7 years, then policy/politics.
Geographical preferences: Never lived in SF, don't know many people there. I've lived in NY and have an extended professional network here. I don't know enough about SF to make any conclusions, but wouldn't want to work in LA for sure.
Financials: Tiny help from parents + schollys + loans.
Other: Reverse splitter, no retakes left, have to make a decision soon.
Is NYU's international program and being in NYC worth the extra $140K? I am heavily leaning toward NYU, but the cost difference is pulling me back. Thanks for your input!
- Winston1984
- Posts: 1789
- Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2013 12:02 pm
- Comma.Split
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:22 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Am I wrong in assuming that NYU > Berkeley in international law? Or is it that you don't think the difference is worth 140k?
BTW sorry for the confusion, this is my second account.
BTW sorry for the confusion, this is my second account.
- worldtraveler
- Posts: 8676
- Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:47 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
There's a ton of ICSID stuff at Berkeley and at pretty much every other top law school.
- L’Étranger
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:27 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
I have no idea who has the better curriculum. However, a school's curriculum or alleged specialization actually has no bearing on biglaw placement.Comma.Split wrote:Am I wrong in assuming that NYU > Berkeley in international law? Or is it that you don't think the difference is worth 140k?
BTW sorry for the confusion, this is my second account.
It sounds like you want to work at a biglaw firm with a significant international presence. You'll probably need the same grades from either school to land at a firm like that.
Register now!
Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.
It's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
- rpupkin
- Posts: 5653
- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 10:32 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
I'm no expert on those areas, but I imagine that NYC is a better place to be for those interests. That makes NYU better for reasons of geographic proximity alone. But $140K better? C'mon.Comma.Split wrote:Including ICSID. I am not interested in human rights, immigration, or anything like that. International investment, international commercial litigation and arbitration is what I want to do.
Go to Berkeley and then spend your summers working in NYC.
- Comma.Split
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:22 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
That's what I heard. Most private international law work in done in NYC. Any idea how hard it would be to get a summer gig in NYC coming from Berkeley?rpupkin wrote:I'm no expert on those areas, but I imagine that NYC is a better place to be for those interests. That makes NYU better for reasons of geographic proximity alone. But $140K better? C'mon.Comma.Split wrote:Including ICSID. I am not interested in human rights, immigration, or anything like that. International investment, international commercial litigation and arbitration is what I want to do.
Go to Berkeley and then spend your summers working in NYC.
-
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:18 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
You're an idiot.
- jbagelboy
- Posts: 10361
- Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 7:57 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Sure NYU is "better" for those interests and has a more sophisticated international program, and if the schools were equally priced I'd lean NYU for that reason. But this is just fucking crazy. Those considerations are negligible in the grand scheme of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can go work at firms with those practice area specialties from either school. Don't throw away your money like this. Go to berkeley.
Get unlimited access to all forums and topics
Register now!
I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...
Already a member? Login
-
- Posts: 1304
- Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:08 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
When people say "international law" it's a classic red flag for "I don't really have much of an idea of what the practice of law is actually like."
Which is fine, plenty of ultimately successful lawyers don't when they start law school. But it's not a good reason to take on $160K extra in debt. Do you understand that that amount of money is the difference between being forced to stay in biglaw as an indentured servant and being a free person? Will the sexiness of knowing that the documents you're reviewing are from an "international" litigation make the chain attaching you to your desk more comfortable?
Which is fine, plenty of ultimately successful lawyers don't when they start law school. But it's not a good reason to take on $160K extra in debt. Do you understand that that amount of money is the difference between being forced to stay in biglaw as an indentured servant and being a free person? Will the sexiness of knowing that the documents you're reviewing are from an "international" litigation make the chain attaching you to your desk more comfortable?
- usn26
- Posts: 994
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2015 5:24 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
UC Berkeley
- Comma.Split
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:22 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
I have a decent idea of what the practice of law is like. I have 3 years of WE as a paralegal. So I am making an informed decision to go to law school. That's not my problem. My problem is choosing a school.
It looks like everyone agrees that Berkeley is a better option. But how much do you think the difference is really worth given my goals? 50k? Less?
It looks like everyone agrees that Berkeley is a better option. But how much do you think the difference is really worth given my goals? 50k? Less?
-
- Posts: 1304
- Joined: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:08 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
I'm just saying that "international" really does not make any difference when you're actually litigating in most cases. You rarely are actually dealing with an "international law" issue in such litigation, most of the time it's one jurisdiction's law or another, and if it's a foreign jurisdiction's law it's probably going to be primarily handled by lawyers in that country, not you. And even if you were working on the unicorn case where "international law" actually came into play, there's very little that makes it more interesting than any other case. I have litigated several "international" matters -- the only thing that was different was that service of process was more complicated, we needed a translator for some documents, and some depos had to be done by video.Comma.Split wrote:I have a decent idea of what the practice of law is like. I have 3 years of WE as a paralegal. So I am making an informed decision to go to law school. That's not my problem. My problem is choosing a school.
It looks like everyone agrees that Berkeley is a better option. But how much do you think the difference is really worth given my goals? 50k? Less?
As for the cost difference, I would try to put it into real terms by looking at the difference in monthly payment on a 10-year plan (or shorter). It's probably going to be at least a couple thousand dollars a month. Ask yourself whether it's worth sacrificing $2500/month of takehome pay for ten years in order to get whatever boost NYU gives you.
Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.
Register now, it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login
- Clyde Frog
- Posts: 8985
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2013 2:27 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Lol international law
- L’Étranger
- Posts: 315
- Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 4:27 am
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
What??? What are you asking?Comma.Split wrote:I have a decent idea of what the practice of law is like. I have 3 years of WE as a paralegal. So I am making an informed decision to go to law school. That's not my problem. My problem is choosing a school.
It looks like everyone agrees that Berkeley is a better option. But how much do you think the difference is really worth given my goals? 50k? Less?
If you are just an average dude or dudette, no one should have to convince you to choose Berkeley over NYU for $140K less to get some unicorn law job. Period.
If 140K ain't nothin' but a thang to you, then by all means go to NYU. No need for this annoying thread.
- SemperLegal
- Posts: 1356
- Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:28 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Comma.Split wrote:That's what I heard. Most private international law work in done in NYC. Any idea how hard it would be to get a summer gig in NYC coming from Berkeley?rpupkin wrote:I'm no expert on those areas, but I imagine that NYC is a better place to be for those interests. That makes NYU better for reasons of geographic proximity alone. But $140K better? C'mon.Comma.Split wrote:Including ICSID. I am not interested in human rights, immigration, or anything like that. International investment, international commercial litigation and arbitration is what I want to do.
Go to Berkeley and then spend your summers working in NYC.
It is easier to get a job in NYC than SF from UC-B. I have no idea, nor does anyone, if its easier to get a NYC job from NYU or UC-B. All the NYC firms send at least a reader to B (some sent only SF attorneys to OCI, but then did NY callbacks for people who wanted NY.) NYU is a marginally better school, but UC-B has the advantage of opaque grading (its easier to hid that your median or below, and its easier to pad your transcript with a lot of easy H classes because they dont "weight" HH/H/P by credit hour). Also, there is some exoticness to UC-B that I think gives a VERY slight bump.
- Redamon1
- Posts: 481
- Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:46 pm
Re: NYU $ v Berkeley $$$$. Am I crazy?
Hey OP, you should really pick Berkeley at this price. Boalt has a strong IL program, and whatever marginal superiority NYC's might have, it's not worth this premium. And in terms of job placement in big law arbitration, I have similar interests and got offers from top NYC firms doing this kind of work. I'm not saying it comes automatically, but all things being equal (grades, experience, interviewing skills etc.), I believe the outcomes out of NYU and Berkeley for your interests are very similar. Happy to discuss details in PM.
Seriously? What are you waiting for?
Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!
Already a member? Login