Duke Law '11 Forum

iceman85 · Post by **iceman85** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:56 am

I'm roughly 90% sure I'll be attending Duke Law this next year. I'll be a summer starter, but I'm really excited and would like to hear from anyone who is seriously considering Duke, and what other schools might be tempting. My second choice right now is Cornell.

hiphoppopotamus · Post by **hiphoppopotamus** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:00 am

are you in at both already? i have cornell, but i'm still waiting on duke, which means i haven't really looked into their program yet (i don't do full research into a school until i'm accepted- no point in getting excited about an impossibility). what is it about duke that you really like? i could go on for days about cornell, which is where i'm about 99.9% sure i'm going (even if duke takes me, which they have yet to do...although i'm not completely made up about this yet).

RATRATRAT · Post by **RATRATRAT** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:14 am

iceman85 · Post by **iceman85** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:43 am

So I went to admitted students day this past week at Cornell and I like the law school a lot because it seems to offer many opportunities to get to know your professors very well and it boasts one of the smallest class sizes. That said, I think Duke is a little more geared to what I want to do or study--environmental and international issues--and while I haven't visited, I get an overall positive vibe from all the materials they've sent me and that I've found online. I'm going to Duke ASW on the 28th, anyone else considering it?

hiphoppopotamus · Post by **hiphoppopotamus** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:45 am

what I want to do or study--environmental and international issues

what exactly does the international issues part mean? cornell has one of the top international law programs- it's one of their specialties for sure. in international law, cornell >>>> duke, hands down.

VaultBound · Post by **VaultBound** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:52 am

Visiting Duke won't necessarily give you a solid idea of what you're working with for the moment. A large portion of the law school is under construction (completion date is August) but looks like it should be worth the wait. I just don't know if three years in Durham would be all that great. Everyone I talked to said I had to go to Chapel Hill (5-10 minute drive on a highway) to do anything worth while.

That being said, the campus is incredible. But once you drive a minute or two from it, you're in some questionable parts of town.

Oh yeah, then there were the 3-4 shootings/murders in the area in the 2 days I was there.

iceman85 · Post by **iceman85** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:56 am

For sure they both have great international programs. However, in some respects, I may like Duke more i.e. they have a Guantanamo defense clinic that seems pretty cool and unique. Further, despite the general bias I maintain against USNWR, it's international programs ranking lists Duke at 12 and Cornell at 17.

Upgrayedd · Post by **Upgrayedd** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:58 am

Currently strongly considering Duke. Hoping for a scholarship.

hiphoppopotamus · Post by **hiphoppopotamus** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:29 pm

Further, despite the general bias I maintain against USNWR, it's international programs ranking lists Duke at 12 and Cornell at 17.

Law Specialties: Dispute Resolution
New! Ranked in 2007*

1. Pepperdine University (CA)
2. University of Missouri–Columbia
3. Hamline University (MN)
Harvard University (MA)

Law Specialties: Trial Advocacy
New! Ranked in 2007*

1. Stetson University (FL)
2. Temple University (Beasley) (PA)
3. Washington University in St. Louis

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:48 pm

right now i'm deciding between duke and michigan...still waiting on Chicago, UVA, and UCLA though. anyone going to be at the duke ASW in a few weeks?

Kathy · Post by **Kathy** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:08 pm

Yeah I'm also trying to choose between Duke and Michigan. I'll be starting in the summer for both, but I got into Duke's JD/LLM in international and comparative law whereas I'm just doing the JD at UMich. In this case, which would be the stronger program to go to, since USNWR ranks Michigan slightly higher than Duke?

hiphoppopotamus · Post by **hiphoppopotamus** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 3:00 am

even though mich is ranked a few spots higher, it seems that at this point it becomes less about arbitrary differences in points and more about location and personal fit...go with what feel right and where you think you will have the best 3 years.

031010 · Post by **031010** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:30 pm

bluoftfry · Post by **bluoftfry** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:37 pm

i'm also between duke and michigan. Did you guys choose one way or the other since you posted a month ago?

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:39 pm

haven't decided for sure yet since i'm still evaluating scholarship offers and stuff. if the $$$ is right though, i'll be in durham in the fall

bluoftfry · Post by **bluoftfry** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:18 pm

wepeel107 wrote:haven't decided for sure yet since i'm still evaluating scholarship offers and stuff. if the $$$ is right though, i'll be in durham in the fall

did you visit michigan? I'm curious about why you'd choose duke over mich, because, for the life of me, i can not make up my mind.

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:40 pm

it has definately been a difficult decision for me too, as both schools are pretty amazing, but i've started breaking toward duke for a couple reasons:

first, i went to duke's ASW and had a great experience. the people i met (both prospective and current students) all seemed very friendly, down-to-earth, helpful, and just plain fun... and i felt much more comfortable socially at duke than i did at michigan (i didn't go to mich for their ASW, but i did spend a couple days there touring and sitting in on classes). i am also drawn to the fact that duke's student body is about half the size of michigan, and more geographically diverse (meaning less competition for jobs in certain markets).

second, location. i live in a big ten midwest college town right now and spent four years at another midwest big ten school. while i love the midwest (and the "college town" lifestyle), i'm definately ready for a change. unlike a lot of people on this board, i'm actually pretty fond of the south (it reminds me a lot of the midwest), and duke's campus, IMO, is just as beautiful (if not moreso) than michigan's law campus. plus, it's a whole lot warmer, and i'm really sick of snow.

overall, i think both schools have a lot going for them, but in my personal calculation, i think the higher quality of life at duke outweighs the slight prestige advantage that michigan offers.

bluoftfry · Post by **bluoftfry** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:45 pm

i was at duke's asw too (maybe we met!) and generally agree with you that the students seemed more happy/fun than the michigan students (although i felt like there were a number of admitted students that were socially...underdeveloped?). I went to the Michigan asw this past weekend and left thinking i really preferred duke and was going to end up there. But now that I'm a few days removed from it i'm second guessing my initial impressions of michigan and i feel like michigan really does have more opportunities, so i'm undecided once again. I'm still waiting to hear from Duke to see if they'll give me more money, and that might end up being the deciding factor.

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:19 pm

yeah, i'm still playing the $$$ game with both schools, and if one fin aid package ends up being far superior than the other...i'll probably go with the money since i think i'd be happy at either school.

bluoftfry · Post by **bluoftfry** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:50 pm

Yeah, Michigan considered Duke's offer when I emailed them and it worked out pretty favorably, so if you're trying that I hope it goes well for you!

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:03 pm

it's official: i'm gonna be a blue devil

see ya'll in august!

bluoftfry · Post by **bluoftfry** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:44 am

congrats on deciding! did you go on the apartment complex tour during the asw? Any idea where you'd live?

nellie06 · Post by **nellie06** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:47 am

hiphoppopotamus wrote:even though mich is ranked a few spots higher, it seems that at this point it becomes less about arbitrary differences in points and more about location and personal fit...go with what feel right and where you think you will have the best 3 years.

TITCR!!! Once you're in the top 14 (save for maybe gulc which suffers from such a bloated class size) the differences in job prospects/opportunities are not great enough to make it a sticking point to pick a school by. It isn't like hls grads get higher base salaries than duke grads. It's all the same market pay whether the firm is v10 or v100, so the 'advantages' really lessen for ppl aiming to be wall st attorneys and not professors or judges.

wepeel107 · Post by **wepeel107** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:13 am

yeah i did go on the apt tour (and got soaked in the process)...i think i'm looking at alexan place or pinnacle ridge...

aguyingeorgia · Post by **aguyingeorgia** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:42 am

Anyone know anything about prospects for teaching/academia out of Duke?

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