Top Law Schools

Didn't see a 2011-specific thread here yet so I thought I'd start one, since acceptances have started trickling in. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I'll be headed to Columbia. Who else is excited to be going, or thinking about going?

thinking about it

it'll probably be a hard decision in the end but for now I'm excited about visiting

I'm pretty sure I'll be heading to Columbia in the fall

I think this website has ingrained a possibly irrational dislike of Columbia in me. I mean, its in the top 5!

For those of you who are going and are choosing it over similary ranked schools, especially those ranked below it like Boalt or Michigan, what's your reasoning?

I've been admitted to several other T10's, including NYU. However, to me, the decision is a no-brainer. There's just something about columbia that's attracted me ever since I first visited the campus. Plus, I'm not really a partier or a particularly active person, and I think living in the Village might get on my nerves after a while. Columbia offers a balance between being in the city and being able to live in (relative) quiet when one wants to.

I'll get back to you when/if H/Y/S get back to me.

I've been admitted into Columbia and the U of C, so if I can't go top three, I'll probably head to CLS (I'm an undergrad at the U of C, so I'm looking to change things up a little).

I think this website has ingrained a possibly irrational dislike of Columbia in me.

Many people write negative things about Columbia on this site. I don't know why. Ken doesn't like Columbia, and probably has his reasons, but I have asked Ken several times on this forum to talk about it, perhaps have a discussion about it, but he never answers. Absent an answer on that topic, people mindlessly parrot whatever Ken says.

Of course as with other schools, the people who go to a school generally don't say they don't like the school, and so the fact that I'm going to say here that Columbia's bad reputation on TLS is not deserved will not be very convincing, because I go to Columbia. On the other hand, I don't think that the opinions of people who haven't at least visited the school and talked to people should count for much, especially if those opinions were formed based on fixed ideas and stereotypes that get passed on via sites like this.

There might be some truth to the stereotype that NYU, in the village, attracts more party types, and Columbia attracts more academic types. I haven't done or seen a survey, but I can believe that that could be true. However, stories like "Columbia students are uncooperative, and people steal each other's books" are unfounded and ridiculous. I have never heard of anyone's book being stolen, or pages being torn out, or people refusing to give their classmates a copy of their notes when they missed a class. Nonsense. I'm sure there are jerks at Columbia, as there are at any school, but jerks who would do that kind of thing I have yet to meet.

...

Part of it may be my dislike of New York City, and the fear that if I go to Columbia I may never get out... but is it irrational to be so much more excited about Berkeley and Michigan? Theorhetically those schools could be "more limiting" than Columbia in terms of future job prospects. I do have a real interest in clerking, and hopefully making it to the federal bench myself one day.

Columbia seems amazing and choosing between it and NYU is going to be very very tough.

NakaNaka wrote:Columbia seems amazing and choosing between it and NYU is going to be very very tough.

I'd love to hear what you think is amazing about it! (same goes for NYU)

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00TREX00 wrote:

Columbia seems amazing and choosing between it and NYU is going to be very very tough.

I agree, I'm tearing my hair out over this one. I just got the awesome Admitted Students Handbook from CLS, which has a ton of great info, while NYU has been pretty impersonal in their approach. Still, I'm waiting on the ASD/ASW for the schools to help me make my decision. Not a big deal or anything, just the next three years of our lives!

I haven't gotten my handbook yet. I've heard that CLS is gonna recruit the hell out of us and preach that CLS and its students are amazing, while NYU is gonna take a laid back approach and wants you to choose them. Doesn't have anything to do w. the quality of the teaching or the school but it is interesting. I kinda want to be pursued.

I've read a lot on each school, on the boards, through their sites, etc. It's probably gonna come down to the ASW and which one feels better. It's just too tough to choose.

I do like that more NYU students do PI work, tells you something about the student body. I like that it probably will be easier to clerk at Columbia (double the percentage of kids at Columbia clerked and I hear top 25% you are competitive at Columbia for a clerkship cause so many students want to go into BigLaw. But a lot of this is hearsay.)

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The Campus, the Upper West Side... I'm a huge fan of environment. My entire life can be going straight to hell, but as long as it's scenic outside, I can get through anything. I figured that'll be useful w/ all the negative press that 1L life gets.
Visit the place. I fell in love with it the first time I went there, 6 years back. Glad to finally be able to live there

Anyone going to the first "Monday at Columbia"? (Feb 18th I think?)

M51 wrote:Anyone going to the first "Monday at Columbia"? (Feb 18th I think?)

I'll be there! I'll look for your orange and black stripes, M51. (You are striped, right?)

I'm in the same NYU/Columbia boat (waiting on H/S). I honestly have no idea how I am going to possibly decide... looks like ASW is the only logical decision maker. Luckily, I think they have ASW's on consecutive days, which would be awesome. Only one trip!

funkyduck wrote: I'll be there! I'll look for your orange and black stripes, M51. (You are striped, right?)

Yep, bold furry stripes. Can't miss it. And may I also inquire as to the tone of your plumage? (Just in case more than one duck shows up)

Spidermonkey wrote:I'm in the same NYU/Columbia boat (waiting on H/S). I honestly have no idea how I am going to possibly decide... looks like ASW is the only logical decision maker. Luckily, I think they have ASW's on consecutive days, which would be awesome. Only one trip!

A lot of people will be doing the consecutive days thing. Wed/Thurs at Columbia, hop on the train from CLS and go to NYU Thurs night and Friday. I'll be doing it in April and I know there are people on here doing it in March.

If H/Y/S don't come calling, I'm going to Columbia. I've done the U of Chi undergrad thing; time to move on.

M51 wrote:

funkyduck wrote: I'll be there! I'll look for your orange and black stripes, M51. (You are striped, right?)

Yep, bold furry stripes. Can't miss it. And may I also inquire as to the tone of your plumage? (Just in case more than one duck shows up)

I have hot pink feathers and a duck-fro.

I just read that Macs can't be used to take exams and almost had a heart attack- can anyone comment on this?

Besides mocking me for being a dork who reads the laptop policy in January...

caits wrote:I just read that Macs can't be used to take exams and almost had a heart attack- can anyone comment on this?

Besides mocking me for being a dork who reads the laptop policy in January...

Yeah it sucks for us die-hard Mac users. I just plan on borrowing someone's laptop for 2-3 hours during the exam. Or If that won't work I might just buy a used PC laptop from like 3-4 years ago off ebay for a couple hundred dollars and just use it for exams for the next few years.

Not true. You can use a Mac, but you have to use something called Bootcamp, and you have to sign a disclaimer: if you lose time on your exam due to computer problems and you're using a Mac, the school is not liable for anything. There were several people taking exams on Macs last semester.

Phew, thanks guys. I figured there had to be some solution since so many people seem to have Macs in academia. Gotta stress about something, right?