Columbia 1L Taking Questions (Class of '11) Forum

[sophie316]

I’m bored so I thought I’d throw down some recs for food etc in Morningside Heights(lived there for 4 years, boyfriend still lived there for the past 2, so spent a lot of time up there…). It’s by no means comprehensive and its just my opinion, but feel free to ask for more recs on anything I didn’t include.

Best bagels: Absolute bagels(107th and Broadway). It can be a trek in winter in the cold, but damn are they worth it. Best bagels I’ve ever had. Nussbaums(113th and Broadway) are also good and have sandwiches, salads etc.

Best restaurants: I really like A Café and Wine bar, on 108th and Columbus…it’s small, but also BYO and before 8pm they have an awesome $20 prix fixe where you can get a two course dinner for half of the normal price assuming you get the most expensive appetizer/main, which are the best(pate and the duck). Also Voza a few blocks down on Columbus(I think 105th or 106th is also TIIINY but delicious. Also deserving mentions: Kitchenette on 122nd and Amsterdam(good home cooked hearty food), Awash(Ethopian)(106th and Amsterdam), Max Soha(Italian)(122nd and Amsterdam).

Best grocery stores: Westside Market on 110th and Broadway is amazing. It only reopened last year after being totally redone and the selection is pretty incredible. Esp the cheese section. Fairway on 125th is a trek but also an adventure, as they give you a huge jacket and you can wonder round in the refrigerated meat locker.

Best sandwiches/salads: Milano Market on 113th and Bway is good for a quick snack.

Bars with most attractive clientele: ______________

Best bars: Depending on what youre looking for most bars in the area will be packed w/ drunk undergrads on thurs/fri/sat. But bearing that in mind, 1020(Amsterdam and 111th) is a decent choice…La Negrita on 109th and Columbus is generally quieter as it’s a bit of a trek. Heights(112th and Bway) gets rowdy on weekends, but they have a pretty sweet rooftop and cheap happy hour frozen margaritas that makes it quite delightful in summer.

Best drunk food: HamDel for sandwiches/fries etc, or Roti Roll(111th and Amsterdam( which is DELICIOUS)

Best brunches: Kitchenette, Deluxe(Broadway and 113th), Westside Cafe(I think 108th and Bway).

You missed one.

Ha. Hmm. Well Columbia students aren't necessarily known for their attractiveness. If you're looking to go to a bar and hit on someone both moderately attractive and actually over the age of 21 I'd suggest heading down to Amsterdam in the 80s(I lived here for the past two years and as far as bars go it's a good area)...there are 6 or 7 bars in the space of about 4 blocks(79th-83rd and Amsterdam) which are packed on weekend nights with drunken ex sorority/frat types that never left college behind, that are often quite attractive. One (bourbon street) has $1 beers on thursdays and is usually spilling out onto the street then. They're slightly more strict on IDs once you get out of the immediate Columbia areas, so bars down there tend to be less full of freshmen.

[06132010]

I got lost looking for the liquor store. NYC fail.

[00TREX00]

.

[06132010]

pretty specific question: has anyone in Lenfest successfully ordered cable? Time Warner tells me the address is invalid and won't come to install cable until I can provide them with a valid address.

[M51]

It's very likely that that is because of the high number of Asian students attending Columbia. It is also somewhat strange that Columbia is the only top 14 school on NALP that doesn't have the racial composition section of the class listed. Although I must say I can't imagine Columbia's number of black students being any worse than Chicago's. They are pretty pathetic; Boalt is pretty bad too.

Well, we're not hiding it from NALP, if that's what you're getting at....
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... assprofile

Morningside Heights is filled with all types of people. I'd wager if you went 5 blocks away from campus in either direction and just did a head count on the street, you'd find it a fairly equal mix of black brown yellow and white.

And yeah, more Asians at CLS than any other east coast T14. 18% + a good portion of the 9% international students. This'll "skew" the diversity score if you don't consider Asians as bringing diversity

[asealclubber]

I think that "Asian" statistic includes Indians.

[M51]

In case anyone was wondering, I'm still around, ready to answer any new questions (either about 1L, EIP/Callbacks, or 2L which doesn't start until after labor day).

BUT, I also strongly encourage any TLSer currently a CLS 1L to pay it foward and make a new thread for this year.

[trojanfan06]

I am considering applying ED to columbia as their website says that the majority of their grant aid is need based. I have relatively low income as I have been an independent the past few years, do you know what affect ED may have on grants? My #s are ~3.7/171 so right below median for both so I know getting in will be heard let alone merit aid...

[stavand]

This might be an unfair question (given I'm from NYU) but what do you think of CLS a year in...

We both started law school at the same time, only I chose NYU... and I personally love it, and have no regrets whatsoever...

Not trying to start a fight or anything, just curious?

[kurama20]

It's very likely that that is because of the high number of Asian students attending Columbia. It is also somewhat strange that Columbia is the only top 14 school on NALP that doesn't have the racial composition section of the class listed. Although I must say I can't imagine Columbia's number of black students being any worse than Chicago's. They are pretty pathetic; Boalt is pretty bad too.

Well, we're not hiding it from NALP, if that's what you're getting at....
http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd_applican ... assprofile

Morningside Heights is filled with all types of people. I'd wager if you went 5 blocks away from campus in either direction and just did a head count on the street, you'd find it a fairly equal mix of black brown yellow and white.

And yeah, more Asians at CLS than any other east coast T14. 18% + a good portion of the 9% international students. This'll "skew" the diversity score if you don't consider Asians as bringing diversity

Yeah but on NALP they give a breakdown by race and sex, which is particularly interesting when looking at black student populations at top schools. There tends to be a very small amount of black males in most classes and it's interesting that this isn't reported to the NALP for Columbia. And the diversity comment about Asians wasn't meant to be an insult, just that when one is considering graduate school diversity the number of Asians and Indians isn't usually want people are referring to.

[MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

This might be an unfair question (given I'm from NYU) but what do you think of CLS a year in...

We both started law school at the same time, only I chose NYU... and I personally love it, and have no regrets whatsoever...

Not trying to start a fight or anything, just curious?

Lol, this is only an unfair question if you presume OP has regrets or is unhappy. Disclaimer: 1L and very happy so far

[stavand]

This might be an unfair question (given I'm from NYU) but what do you think of CLS a year in...

We both started law school at the same time, only I chose NYU... and I personally love it, and have no regrets whatsoever...

Not trying to start a fight or anything, just curious?

Lol, this is only an unfair question if you presume OP has regrets or is unhappy. Disclaimer: 1L and very happy so far

Unfair because I don't think he wanted this forum to be a NYU v. Columbia Discussion...

[MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

[Didn't want to bump this thread, but here's the 2009-2010 CLS 1L Taking Questions thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =4&t=86289]

[M51]

I am considering applying ED to columbia as their website says that the majority of their grant aid is need based. I have relatively low income as I have been an independent the past few years, do you know what affect ED may have on grants? My #s are ~3.7/171 so right below median for both so I know getting in will be heard let alone merit aid...

I was ED and got 37.5k over 3 years. This is pretty much the largest tier-ed award CLS gives. There was another one that was 75k, but that's literally only given to a couple of people and may or may not exist anymore ITE. But yeah, I don't even consider my family poor, so I'm pretty certain ED didn't affect our chances at need-based grants.

This might be an unfair question (given I'm from NYU) but what do you think of CLS a year in...

We both started law school at the same time, only I chose NYU... and I personally love it, and have no regrets whatsoever...

Not trying to start a fight or anything, just curious?

No problem. I personally love CLS so far. No general complaints, and would def ED CLS again if I had the chance. Not to say CLS has done everything perfectly, but the positives way outweigh the negatives for me.

It's really a matter of taste. These are both great schools, and neither is feeding you b.s. CLS is uptown, and has an ivy name/rep. NYU is downtown and has a more hip rep. I don't think either school is weathering the economy any better than the other, but I could be wrong (we'll see when '10 summer associate lists are made public). The rest is all self-selection. Plus, CLS is like a 20 minute subway ride away from NYU (once you actually get on the subway, which could be a 20 minute wait if it's late-night)... so it's really not all that hard to get downtown when you want to.

[legalized]

Would you mind expanding on CLS reputation internationally vs that of other schools.

Other as defined by HLS/YLS and those underneath CLS as well.....

I have to start with the caveat that this is not based on statistically reliable polls, but based on internet research and asking people in the legal profession. In Europe, in the lay world, Columbia is not very well known. But in the legal world, while it lags a bit behind HLS, CLS is highly regarded. In Asia, I've been told Columbia's reputation is on a par with Harvard. In general, people know what the Ivy League is but don't know much about the relative reputations of state schools (or about the internal rankings of Ivies), so to that extent for a foreigner it may make sense to choose e.g. Cornell over Michigan or NYU.

A school such as NYU has the advantage that it has "New York" in the name, which to someone who doesn't know the US academic environment sounds more familiar than let's say UVA or Georgetown. (Think what you would do if you saw a resume that said "University of Moscow" and another one that said "University of Kamchatka".)

This was exactly my gut feeling. You just reaffirmed for me that my instincts are dead on. Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and Cornell strike me as easily recognizable no matter which department you are in (law or something else)...in ALL markets, US major city, US rural area, and all international locations.

I had never even heard of UVa, for example, until researching law schools and noticing schools I had never heard of ahead of schools I had. I've even heard of Emory (and so has my family) ahead of UVa, UMich, etc. I just happened to know from matriculating through the US undergrad system that UMich is always a good school as well, but the niggling doubts about overseas instant credibility was bugging me.

Thanks.

And excellent thread on Columbia. I'm interested in it (although nervous about the whole NYC thing, made a little better by reports of low crime in its area).

Question: do they do legacy admits (some kind of boost assuming everything else is decent and you also apply very early)? And how many generations back does it go (as in, parents only, grandparents, great grands)? They are sort of holding a sentimental spot on my wish list of top schools because of this.

And if there are any parents at CLS, what public school is the law school student housing that you can live in zoned for? Or if that's too specific just the public school zone of Columbia in general...where are the students' kids going to school?

[Billy Blanks]

Thanks for taking questions all.

I've been invited to interview for the Richman Leadership Fellowship and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with interview/awards/competitiveness (or knows anyone who does). Really, any help would be appreciated.


Oh ya, and I got in today!!>!>!>

[CanadianEH]

Not sure if this thread is dead or not, but I figure its worth a shot.

Can anyone comment on the University subsidized housing for law students? The lowest price the quote - something like 900 for a fully furnished room in a 3 bed. apartment sounds like a good deal based on what I've heard about the NY rental market - is it actually?

Also, I am wondering what they are like inside - not that I am picky or anything, just curious!

[chris0805]

I'll answer your housing question in two ways.

First, come visit and go on apartment tours. There is no better way than to see for yourself and to see multiple apartments.

Second, and more anecdotal, I love my apartment share. It's UAH (not specifically law school housing) and it's an old pre-war building with an elevator. The bones of the apartment aren't the fanciest, but they're nice enough, especially if you put in some shelves, put up some nice pictures, add furniture, etc.

I entered law school before the economy caved in on itself, and there is no way I would have found a deal this good on the market. Now, however, real estate has dropped, and you might be able to find a place/price combo that you like better. So, come visit, look around on the internet, and make a call, but I'm pretty pleased with my setup and I think most people in university housing feel similarly.

[kittenmittons]

Is there a CLS rugby team?

[MeTalkPrettyOneDay]

Is there a CLS rugby team?

Not to my knowledge, no.

[chris0805]

Is there a CLS rugby team?

Not to my knowledge, no.

No, but Columbia University has one, and graduate schools players have played in the past. I thought about playing my first year, but I wouldn't have had time to devote to the team and to do all things I wanted to do in law school so I stick to individual athletics and intramurals/pick-up. If you'd be willing to practice and devote your Saturdays to games, I'm sure they'd take you.

[kittenmittons]

Is there a CLS rugby team?

Not to my knowledge, no.

No, but Columbia University has one, and graduate schools players have played in the past. I thought about playing my first year, but I wouldn't have had time to devote to the team and to do all things I wanted to do in law school so I stick to individual athletics and intramurals/pick-up. If you'd be willing to practice and devote your Saturdays to games, I'm sure they'd take you.

Thanks for the responses. I have another obscure question. Is there boxing equipment (heavy bags or double-end bags in particular) at the CLS gym or do you know of any boxing gyms near morningside heights?

[Antipodean]

Not sure if this thread is dead or not, but I figure its worth a shot.
Can anyone comment on the University subsidized housing for law students? The lowest price the quote - something like 900 for a fully furnished room in a 3 bed. apartment sounds like a good deal based on what I've heard about the NY rental market - is it actually?

To add to what Chris said:

I pay $901 a month (internet & utilities included) for 1 bedroom in a 2-bedroom furnished UAH apartment about 8 minute's walk from the law school. The building has an elevator - standard New York style, small and slow - but I live on the 2nd of 6 floors, so I scarcely use it. The apartment itself is nice - surprisingly large, for New York, and fairly bright and airy. The kitchen and living space are combined Many of my friends have similar living arrangements.

If you opt for the law school only apartments on 15th and 16th, you'll pay significantly more; you will however have separate kitchen and common rooms. Lenfest you'll pay a LOT more; most of my friends there (I'm a 1L) do not consider the studios to be worth the asking price when compared to regular UAH deals.

[chris0805]

Is there a CLS rugby team?

Not to my knowledge, no.

No, but Columbia University has one, and graduate schools players have played in the past. I thought about playing my first year, but I wouldn't have had time to devote to the team and to do all things I wanted to do in law school so I stick to individual athletics and intramurals/pick-up. If you'd be willing to practice and devote your Saturdays to games, I'm sure they'd take you.

Thanks for the responses. I have another obscure question. Is there boxing equipment (heavy bags or double-end bags in particular) at the CLS gym or do you know of any boxing gyms near morningside heights?

Sorry for the delayed response, but as far as I know, there's no boxing equipment at the gym. At least I haven't seen it in the free weights or by the track (the two parts I use).

[democrattotheend]

Hi. I just got in and I have a few questions:

1) How remote does the campus feel? Do you feel like you are really getting the NYC experience, or does it feel like you live in the suburbs?

2) Are Bar Review and other social events usually close to campus, or do people go to other parts of the city a lot?

3) How often does the subway run at the Columbia stop (I recognize that this may vary by time of day)?

4) How long does it take to get to Broadway, Times Square, Greenwich Village, Midtown, etc?