Columbia 1L Taking Questions (Class of '11)

[UnknownElementX]

sounds good, thanks for the tip

[ghenderson]

students a little more reserved

I think this is the main thing. People are pretty buttoned-down overall, especially in comparison to what I've seen from other law schools. This will end up being a pretty valuable skill for many of us, since firms certainly appreciate proper decorum. Columbia students are not exactly wild...

in general, probably true...but did you see the shit-show that was barrister's ball?

[UnknownElementX]

shit-show?

[ghenderson]

let's just say a few people got a free ride home

[R.X. Narcs]

In what ways do you think Colombia feels its better than Harvard?

[00TREX00]

.

[NewHere]

We don't ask questions like that, whereas people at Harvard may.

Great answer.

[Lem37]

Do you (current Columbia students) have any regrets about (1) how you've spent your time at Columbia thus far, or (2) you choice of LS in general? What kind of options were you choosing between during the application process, and what made you ultimately choose Columbia?

I'm currently choosing between Chicago (w/$$) and Columbia, and although my heart tells me Columbia, everyone keeps telling me I would be crazy not to choose Chicago - so I'm definitely interested to hear if students were in similar situations at this point in their cycles.

[Lem37]

Do you (current Columbia students) have any regrets about (1) how you've spent your time at Columbia thus far, or (2) you choice of LS in general? What kind of options were you choosing between during the application process, and what made you ultimately choose Columbia?

I'm currently choosing between Chicago (w/$$) and Columbia, and although my heart tells me Columbia, everyone keeps telling me I would be crazy not to choose Chicago - so I'm definitely interested to hear if students were in similar situations at this point in their cycles.

Bumpity-bump? Any CLS 1L's out there today?

[M51]

There's a few threads in the "Choosing Law Schools" section about choosing between CCN(B).

Considering Chicago and CLS are both about the same in terms of prestige, if you personally like CLS better, why pick Chicago? $'s not that big of a deal if you eventually do BigLaw (even if you clerk first). It's also paided for you by LRAP if you do public interest. Unless you plan on doing academia (or non-legal stuff) straight outta law school, $ should be much farther down your list of priorities when choosing between law schools when compared to where you'd rather go. If you don't care either way, take the $. But if you like CLS better... for me, the choice would be easy.

[Drew2010]

This might be a stupid question, but I tried a forum search on it and only got an extremely long list of web links (index.html). How can I find out my Columbia Index number before I've actually sent in my application? Is this even possible?

Also, my numbers may end up being very similar to yours (although with a large number of W's from 2003-2004), but I'll be coming from a very low ranked small public college. From what you've seen at the school so far, do you think that the college I'm coming from will make a big difference? Any input would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

[frank_the_tank]

This might be a stupid question, but I tried a forum search on it and only got an extremely long list of web links (index.html). How can I find out my Columbia Index number before I've actually sent in my application? Is this even possible?

Also, my numbers may end up being very similar to yours (although with a large number of W's from 2003-2004), but I'll be coming from a very low ranked small public college. From what you've seen at the school so far, do you think that the college I'm coming from will make a big difference? Any input would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

Make an account on lawschoolnumbers.com
Input your numbers
choose columbia as one of the schools for your profile...and presto~ you can see your index


And popular opinion is that the quality of your UG doesn't matter much.

[USAIRS]

There's a few threads in the "Choosing Law Schools" section about choosing between CCN(B).

Considering Chicago and CLS are both about the same in terms of prestige, if you personally like CLS better, why pick Chicago? $'s not that big of a deal if you eventually do BigLaw (even if you clerk first). It's also paided for you by LRAP if you do public interest. Unless you plan on doing academia (or non-legal stuff) straight outta law school, $ should be much farther down your list of priorities when choosing between law schools when compared to where you'd rather go. If you don't care either way, take the $. But if you like CLS better... for me, the choice would be easy.

Some of this method of thinking is just because you aren't actually paying it off yet. I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal. A lot of 0L and law students here seem to repeat that the money doesn't matter when you are doing certain things, but that just isn't the case when you are trying to buy a house in a good neighborhood or pay for private school for kids, or to quit the small firm job for mid-level paying small firm job . All else being equal, you'll want that extra 30k in loans off your credit report, or to not be tied to a public interest job that doesn't pay enough for several more years for the sake of LRAP, or to get a business loan to help with start-up costs. Trust me, you will feel the $$$ difference at some point in time, even though it is easy enough to convince yourself otherwise right now.

[Drew2010]

This might be a stupid question, but I tried a forum search on it and only got an extremely long list of web links (index.html). How can I find out my Columbia Index number before I've actually sent in my application? Is this even possible?

Also, my numbers may end up being very similar to yours (although with a large number of W's from 2003-2004), but I'll be coming from a very low ranked small public college. From what you've seen at the school so far, do you think that the college I'm coming from will make a big difference? Any input would be highly appreciated!

Thanks!

Make an account on lawschoolnumbers.com
Input your numbers
choose columbia as one of the schools for your profile...and presto~ you can see your index


And popular opinion is that the quality of your UG doesn't matter much.

Thanks a bunch, that really helps out... for some reason I'd always thought people entered their index numbers into LSN

[Lem37]

There's a few threads in the "Choosing Law Schools" section about choosing between CCN(B).

Considering Chicago and CLS are both about the same in terms of prestige, if you personally like CLS better, why pick Chicago? $'s not that big of a deal if you eventually do BigLaw (even if you clerk first). It's also paided for you by LRAP if you do public interest. Unless you plan on doing academia (or non-legal stuff) straight outta law school, $ should be much farther down your list of priorities when choosing between law schools when compared to where you'd rather go. If you don't care either way, take the $. But if you like CLS better... for me, the choice would be easy.

I'm pretty sure those threads were started by me.

I have to agree with the first person to respond to this post when I say that money is definitely a consideration for me, especially considering I'm not positive what I want to go into after law school. If it was just $10K or $20K, I would probably still pick Columbia without a moment's notice...but Chicago came to the table with $50K, which is roughly 1/3 of tuition. It's hard to ignore that.

[gbz]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

[Lem37]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

Heh, I'm going to play devil's advocate - I work as a paralegal in BigLaw, amongst lawyers whose alma maters range throughout the T-14, and they absolutely take that kind of money seriously (I've been told repeatedly to try to minimize my debt as much as possible, even if it means sacrificing admission at a more highly ranked school). I think that, especially in this economy, where lawyers are getting laid off from top firms left and right, such money should be considered significant.

[gbz]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

Heh, I'm going to play devil's advocate - I work as a paralegal in BigLaw, amongst lawyers whose alma maters range throughout the T-14, and they absolutely take that kind of money seriously (I've been told repeatedly to try to minimize my debt as much as possible, even if it means sacrificing admission at a more highly ranked school). I think that, especially in this economy, where lawyers are getting laid off from top firms left and right, such money should be considered significant.

...I'm not saying most people in these professions don't take 10,000 dollars seriously. I'm just saying that there are a fair amount of people who don't take 10,000 seriously, especially in business.

[USAIRS]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

FYI, I am a grad from UofC law. I know a bit about this. None of my friends or coworkers (from other T6 schools, mostly) would think tens of thousands of dollars is not a big deal. If my loans suddenly dropped by 10k, I would certainly jump for joy, especially with what is happening to my peers careers right now. The ones who worked in corporations are especially hurting.

[gbz]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

FYI, I am a grad from UofC law. I know a bit about this. None of my friends or coworkers (from other T6 schools, mostly) would think tens of thousands of dollars is not a big deal. If my loans suddenly dropped by 10k, I would certainly jump for joy, especially with what is happening to my peers careers right now. The ones who worked in corporations are especially hurting.

You still don't know many people in business. I'm in UG and I know and have met plenty of people who don't consider $10,000 a big deal. I guess we may be arguing over the intent of the word "know," but there are plenty of people in this world who don't think $10,000 is a big deal.

[LGK]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

Heh, I'm going to play devil's advocate - I work as a paralegal in BigLaw, amongst lawyers whose alma maters range throughout the T-14, and they absolutely take that kind of money seriously (I've been told repeatedly to try to minimize my debt as much as possible, even if it means sacrificing admission at a more highly ranked school). I think that, especially in this economy, where lawyers are getting laid off from top firms left and right, such money should be considered significant.

I am also a paralegal in Biglaw and I get the exact opposite encouragement. I want to go to UofC but some of them just keep saying Go To Columbia Go To Columbia Go To Columbia no matter how many times I tell them that the total difference in COA between scholarships and personal circumstances will be $125,000. I think they're nuts, I'm about 90% set to withdraw from CLS.

[USAIRS]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

Heh, I'm going to play devil's advocate - I work as a paralegal in BigLaw, amongst lawyers whose alma maters range throughout the T-14, and they absolutely take that kind of money seriously (I've been told repeatedly to try to minimize my debt as much as possible, even if it means sacrificing admission at a more highly ranked school). I think that, especially in this economy, where lawyers are getting laid off from top firms left and right, such money should be considered significant.

I am also a paralegal in Biglaw and I get the exact opposite encouragement. I want to go to UofC but some of them just keep saying Go To Columbia Go To Columbia Go To Columbia no matter how many times I tell them that the total difference in COA between scholarships and personal circumstances will be $125,000. I think they're nuts, I'm about 90% set to withdraw from CLS.

They are nuts. If you got that kind of money to any T6 I'd tell you to take it, unless you were set on the idea of teaching then Yale is always worth it. Otherwise, all of us T6'ers pretty much end up in the same places in terms of attorney work (although, I'm starting to see clerking as being more and more of a requirement to be competitive in some litigation jobs). Congratulations, that is a heck of a sum of money and an accomplishment. You are pretty much set from here on out.

ETA: Didn't mean to hijack posts. Please return to promoting the awesomeness that is Columbia.

[Lem37]

I don't know anyone in any kind of job, biglaw, PI, or business, that doesn't think even $10,000 is not a big deal.

Translation: I don't know a lot of people in biglaw or business.

FYI, I am a grad from UofC law. I know a bit about this. None of my friends or coworkers (from other T6 schools, mostly) would think tens of thousands of dollars is not a big deal. If my loans suddenly dropped by 10k, I would certainly jump for joy, especially with what is happening to my peers careers right now. The ones who worked in corporations are especially hurting.

You still don't know many people in business. I'm in UG and I know and have met plenty of people who don't consider $10,000 a big deal. I guess we may be arguing over the intent of the word "know," but there are plenty of people in this world who don't think $10,000 is a big deal.

...have you spoken to these people in the last 6 months? Are you sure they even still have their jobs? Or were they immune from the financial crisis altogether?

I mean, I'm sure millionaires don't care about $10,000, but for us mere mortals, that is still a lot. I don't mean to sound snotty, but the fact that you're still in undergrad doesn't really help your case if you're trying to make a point about life in the real world.

[Jay Obee]

You still don't know many people in business. I'm in UG and I know and have met plenty of people who don't consider $10,000 a big deal. I guess we may be arguing over the intent of the word "know," but there are plenty of people in this world who don't think $10,000 is a big deal.

...have you spoken to these people in the last 6 months? Are you sure they even still have their jobs? Or were they immune from the financial crisis altogether?

I mean, I'm sure millionaires don't care about $10,000, but for us mere mortals, that is still a lot. I don't mean to sound snotty, but the fact that you're still in undergrad doesn't really help your case if you're trying to make a point about life in the real world.

Maybe he can tell me who these people are... I need to "borrow" ten grand from a couple of them

[gbz]

...I'm not trying to make any broader point about the real world. I personally think $10,000 is a fair bit of money that I certainly don't have growing on a tree in the back yard. I'm merely challenging the assertion that someone who has a fair amount of contacts (or should have in order to make a general claim about people in business, biglaw, etc.) in a well paying field does not know a single person or two who thinks that $10,000 is a big deal. Lets also not kid ourselves, $10,000 does not buy what it used to buy.

(And, yes, I have talked to a few of these "mythical" people in the past 6 months.)

edit: I'm sure there are plenty of millionaires in biglaw and business. And if you know enough people in these two industries, you should know at least one. That is essentially my point.