Cornell 1L taking questions Forum

[cantexplaingottago]

Is the law school's CoL estimate liberal? What's the lowest one can realistically go? I guess housing would be the biggest negotiable component. Would really appreciate an insight. Thank you!

I can only speak to my own experience. I'm paying some of the cheapest rent I've heard of, and I need the full CoL allowance to live without worrying about paying for rent and groceries -- your 1L year is going to be stressful enough without that added anxiety.

For background, I've been grazing the poverty line for most of my life, and even dipped my toe into it once or twice. I know how to live frugally, and I'm good at it, but Ithaca is fucking expensive, and there are definite costs associated with attending law school beyond the tuition and textbooks if you're not from a background where you wear suits a lot.

[freekick]

Is the law school's CoL estimate liberal? What's the lowest one can realistically go? I guess housing would be the biggest negotiable component. Would really appreciate an insight. Thank you!

I can only speak to my own experience. I'm paying some of the cheapest rent I've heard of, and I need the full CoL allowance to live without worrying about paying for rent and groceries -- your 1L year is going to be stressful enough without that added anxiety.

For background, I've been grazing the poverty line for most of my life, and even dipped my toe into it once or twice. I know how to live frugally, and I'm good at it, but Ithaca is fucking expensive, and there are definite costs associated with attending law school beyond the tuition and textbooks if you're not from a background where you wear suits a lot.

I have lived quite frugally myself. Is it ok if I PM you for specific questions?

[cantexplaingottago]

I have lived quite frugally myself. Is it ok if I PM you for specific questions?

Happy to help, please do.

[Lavitz]

Thanks for taking questions guys. Thoughts on attending Cornell if I'm not 100% sold on NYC Biglaw? Pretty certain I want to do BL for as long as it takes to pay down my loans, but I'd much rather be in a non-NYC market (NYC's high COL and infamously inhumane BL lifestyle makes it not my most desired place to end up). What percentage of the class (e.g., top 25%, top 10%, etc.) would a student have to be in to find themselves with BL options beyond NYC (really anywhere; DC/LA/Chi/Boston/Philly/etc.; I know some of those are tougher to crack than others and a bidding strategy that included all of those cities would be dumb as hell, but just humor me for this question) if they don't have any real ties to those cities/don't have a "home" market?

Tough question. Most people with no home market just do NYC because it's the easiest to break into, or DC because of the specific type of work available there. I know people who broke into DC from less than top 33%, so I guess you'd want to be at least median. But I'd also say it depends much more on your interviewing skills and whether you can sell your interest in staying in whatever market you're interviewing for. Doing your 1L summer in said market would obviously help in that regard.

Worst case, I believe you can land Delaware with no ties from near the bottom of the class, but I'm not sure that's better than just going to NYC.

[uhwrestler]

Thanks for taking questions guys. Thoughts on attending Cornell if I'm not 100% sold on NYC Biglaw? Pretty certain I want to do BL for as long as it takes to pay down my loans, but I'd much rather be in a non-NYC market (NYC's high COL and infamously inhumane BL lifestyle makes it not my most desired place to end up). What percentage of the class (e.g., top 25%, top 10%, etc.) would a student have to be in to find themselves with BL options beyond NYC (really anywhere; DC/LA/Chi/Boston/Philly/etc.; I know some of those are tougher to crack than others and a bidding strategy that included all of those cities would be dumb as hell, but just humor me for this question) if they don't have any real ties to those cities/don't have a "home" market?

Tough question. Most people with no home market just do NYC because it's the easiest to break into, or DC because of the specific type of work available there. I know people who broke into DC from less than top 33%, so I guess you'd want to be at least median. But I'd also say it depends much more on your interviewing skills and whether you can sell your interest in staying in whatever market you're interviewing for. Doing your 1L summer in said market would obviously help in that regard.

Worst case, I believe you can land Delaware with no ties from near the bottom of the class, but I'm not sure that's better than just going to NYC.

anybody you know at cornell law looking to work in texas or successfully work in texas biglaw?
I am a native texan and cornell offered me more money than UT and i really want to attend a t14/ivy
but im worried about getting big law in houston as a cornell grad because most cornell grads are in nyc

[runinthefront]

anybody you know at cornell law looking to work in texas or successfully work in texas biglaw?
I am a native texan and cornell offered me more money than UT and i really want to attend a t14/ivy
but im worried about getting big law in houston as a cornell grad because most cornell grads are in nyc

Yeah; I know of at least one recent grad working at a V10 in Houston currently. I'd guess Cornell would place as well in Texas as other schools, minus HYS and UT.

The difference in placement power between UT and Cornell in Texas probably doesn't outweigh the difference in costs between the two schools/your desire to attend a T14, though, but you also have to factor in your ability to network with Houston firms while at UT. There's definitely a stronger, more established pipeline at UT for students looking to work in Houston. At Cornell you will need to do some networking (e.g., mass-mailing during 2L OCI and/or working in Houston during your 1L summer) on your own, as the Cornell Job Fairs are mostly comprised of firms looking to hire for spots in NYC/DC/CA/Philly/Boston/London/Pittsburgh/Conn./Del. That being said, I don't think it would be impossible for you to get back to Texas at all. Most students simply don't target Texas.

In sum, at equal cost, if I were a Texas native who was Texas-or-bust, I would choose UT over Cornell. However, if you're biglaw-or-bust with just a strong preference for Houston biglaw, I think Cornell is the better choice at equal cost....and in your case, the costs aren't even equal.

[no exit]

Thanks for taking questions guys. Thoughts on attending Cornell if I'm not 100% sold on NYC Biglaw? Pretty certain I want to do BL for as long as it takes to pay down my loans, but I'd much rather be in a non-NYC market (NYC's high COL and infamously inhumane BL lifestyle makes it not my most desired place to end up). What percentage of the class (e.g., top 25%, top 10%, etc.) would a student have to be in to find themselves with BL options beyond NYC (really anywhere; DC/LA/Chi/Boston/Philly/etc.; I know some of those are tougher to crack than others and a bidding strategy that included all of those cities would be dumb as hell, but just humor me for this question) if they don't have any real ties to those cities/don't have a "home" market?

Tough question. Most people with no home market just do NYC because it's the easiest to break into, or DC because of the specific type of work available there. I know people who broke into DC from less than top 33%, so I guess you'd want to be at least median. But I'd also say it depends much more on your interviewing skills and whether you can sell your interest in staying in whatever market you're interviewing for. Doing your 1L summer in said market would obviously help in that regard.

Worst case, I believe you can land Delaware with no ties from near the bottom of the class, but I'm not sure that's better than just going to NYC.

Thanks for the insight! Mind if I PM you at some point in the near future with some more Cornell-specific questions?

[Lavitz]

Thanks for the insight! Mind if I PM you at some point in the near future with some more Cornell-specific questions?

Sure.

[SUNY1995]

Whats the typical schedule like for a 1L at Cornell? How often do you study a day? Is it as cutthroat as you would think? Thanks in advance

[hapeepa]

Hello - I have a favor to ask of any current Cornell students....will send good Karma their way!!! We have a Cornell Professor teaching this semester, and would love to be able to get my hands on Old Exam Bank tests which are likely posted. If you would be willing to help a law school student, please PM me, and I will provide more details. Thank you so much!!

[Rubbishdump]

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[freekick]

Any international students on F1 visa with experience of filling out the DCF (Declaration of Finances) for I-20 issuance? I have a DCF related query I am unable to get an answer to. Please let me know if I can PM. Thanks a lot.

[cantexplaingottago]

I've made my deposit at cornell, received my scholarship offer, submitted my Dean's Certification, final transcripts, and completed my FAFSA. What else can i do at this point? I want to finish everything related to the financials, etc. I need to apply for a Grad plus loan but don't know what the next step is, or if I'm jumping the gun a bit here and don't need to worry about that for a month or so. Feel free to PM me or reply to me here, but thanks for any help guys.

Finance-wise, not sure, but you could certainly work on your health form and taking a good ID card photo.

[deepseapartners]

Whats the typical schedule like for a 1L at Cornell? How often do you study a day? Is it as cutthroat as you would think? Thanks in advance

Cornell is too small to be cutthroat, and 1Ls who try to be sharks are just going to end up ostracized. That doesn't mean people are all friends all the time - especially by year 3, everyone is pretty sick of having spent the last several years with the same 200 people - but if you try to undercut someone or go out of your way to not make friends, you will end up with exactly no friends and also not any more ahead than you would have otherwise been.

Schedule-wise, you have class basically from 9 AM to 4 PM with a few long breaks Monday-Thursday, and usually one Friday morning class. I'd say the 25/75 percentile split on time spent on each class outside of scheduled time with the professors was 4-6 hours per class, and then many (but not all) people would work nonstop the week a writing assignment was due. A lot of my classmates were able to schedule their weekends to be entirely for themselves during the first month or two, but by the time Thanksgiving/post-spring break rolls around, everyone is basically working 12-16 hours a day every day to prepare for finals.

[HowlandReed]

Any current students or people who have had success negotiating down to PM with me about advice for negotiations? Thanks

[RParadela]

Quick question, what are the rental prices for collegetown terrace for a 3/2 per person? And what do apartment prices look like in downtown Ithaca?

[hopefuljumbo23]

Quick question, what are the rental prices for collegetown terrace for a 3/2 per person? And what do apartment prices look like in downtown Ithaca?

~$1000-$1200 depending on the building.

[call-me-bubbles]

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[Lavitz]

For anyone who is doing the JD/LLM in International & Comparative Law or who is familiar with it, a simple question: Why did you (or why do students) choose to take part in this program, and what are your (or participating students') goals? Is the LLM a credential that is really that beneficial/necessary to have when trying to work internationally? Looking to work in the US for a couple years after graduation before moving to Europe and was recently accepted to the JD/LLM program. However, Cornell may not be doable financially, and the other T13s I'm deciding between (other than Duke) don't offer a dual JD/LLM.

I have very limited knowledge about this, but I will offer my skeptical perspective.

I have no idea why anyone does the JD/LLM in comparative law. I can understand the programs where you spend a year in France or Germany, but I don't see the utility in the JD/LLM in comparative law. I know one person who signed up for this, but then he got a job in London right out of AJF, which he didn't need the LLM for. Afaik, it's a lot of extra work in 2L/3L, and it doesn't help you become licensed to practice in other countries. And if you're interested in working in the US first, I imagine the easiest path would be to get a job at a firm with international offices, work there for a few years and then ask to transfer.

But if nobody more knowledgeable chimes in, I would recommend e-mailing admissions and asking to be put in touch with someone who can speak to the typical job outcomes for people in this program.

[Lawschool305]

Any tips on how incoming 1L's can find people looking for cheaper apartments/houses (really hoping to find something for like 700 a month). Is there a Facebook Group for Cornell students looking for housing besides the accepted students group? I see a lot of properties on Craigslist near my price range.

[counttoten]

Any tips on how incoming 1L's can find people looking for cheaper apartments/houses (really hoping to find something for like 700 a month). Is there a Facebook Group for Cornell students looking for housing besides the accepted students group? I see a lot of properties on Craigslist near my price range.

Here's one! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1567221950234112/

[Lawschool305]

Any tips on how incoming 1L's can find people looking for cheaper apartments/houses (really hoping to find something for like 700 a month). Is there a Facebook Group for Cornell students looking for housing besides the accepted students group? I see a lot of properties on Craigslist near my price range.

Here's one! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1567221950234112/

Thank you for the link!

[Rubbishdump]

Is Bay Area biglaw from cornell without ties possible?

[Yea All Right]

Is Bay Area biglaw from cornell without ties possible?

Yes it's possible, but without ties, you'll likely need good grades. Working there your 1L summer would help establish ties. IP or URM status would boost your candidacy as well.

[Rubbishdump]

Is Bay Area biglaw from cornell without ties possible?

Yes it's possible, but without ties, you'll likely need good grades. Working there your 1L summer would help establish ties. IP or URM status would boost your candidacy as well.

Jewish kid, no IP. Economics undergrad. I planned on going for good grades, obviously. More or less KJD so my current resume could be stronger, though.