NYU vs Columbia comparison Forum

[Stanford4Me]

Sometimes I wonder if the profs @ NYU were trolling us last semester. We read so many cases, in different classes, about people getting mugged on Columbia's campus.

[clintonius]

Sometimes I wonder if the profs @ NYU were trolling us last semester. We read so many cases, in different classes, about people getting mugged on Columbia's campus.

Heh, awesome. My section only read one (for the WTC lawyering project). In seriousness, I got the impression that NYU felt it had to prove itself against CLS when I came to the NYU admitted students weekend last year, but I haven't seen any posturing since I started.

To address the thread in general, I'm at NYU and I couldn't be happier. You only choose one professor your first year and the rest are selected for you, but I lucked out like crazy in my assigned classes. My civ pro professor was maybe the very best teacher I've ever had. And I got to learn contracts from Richard Epstein, which was an amazing experience. Friends in other sections have been less thrilled about some of their professors, but everyone I know is happy overall. I don't know anybody personally at CLS, but I've heard great things on CLS. I don't think anything but fit or a substantial difference in money should inform your decision between the two schools. CLS has placed more into the V10 historically, but I'm not sure how accurate that will be going forward. Like Sophie, I also have inside info on a V10, and last summer they had more students from NYU than from any other school -- NYUers comprised fully 1/3 of their large summer class. Obviously we're not talking about Wachtell, but it's still something to consider. (I wouldn't malign the inherent draw of Columbia's prestige, but keep in mind that ShakeDemHatersOff is a complete douche. I suppose it's a point in Columbia's favor that most CLS students I've encountered are nothing like him/her)

Edit to say that I'll also open myself up to more specific questions via PM. Anything to keep me from these bluebooking exercises...

[ShakeDemHatersOff]

NYU 1L here. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I will say that NYU students are very chill and social. Lots of fun people here and I actually love it here.

ShakeDemHatersOff seems bitter about something . . .

yeah not getting to Harvard

prestige matters in this world which is why I'm keeping it real

[Renzo]

NYU 1L here. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I will say that NYU students are very chill and social. Lots of fun people here and I actually love it here.

ShakeDemHatersOff seems bitter about something . . .

yeah not getting to Harvard

prestige matters in this world which is why I'm keeping it real

There is a small, non-representative, but very real cohort of CLS students who embrace this "almost Harvard" attitude. It was the primary reason I picked NYU. The only people who think CLS is moar preftigious are people who went to Columbia. It's a gazillion times more annoying than my classmates who need to constantly reassure themselves that NYU is good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like it.

[chris0805]

I chose CLS over NYU four years ago and it felt almost like a coin flip. I loved CLS, but I'm pretty confident I would loved NYU had I gone there. As a practicing lawyer* (*pending a character and fitness evaluation), I am very certain that any "meaningful" differences are significantly over-stated. My friends who work at law firms work with a bunch of NYU kids and, at my PI organization, we hired a big class this year of 7. 3 were from NYU and 2 were from CLS. I'm fairly certain our employer regarded the two schools as identical.

[jcn4]

I don't get all these posts about CLS having more prestige. If that's true at all, it's definitely only among non-lawyers. Does that actually matter to anyone choosing a school?

[Informative]

Prestige: Columbia>NYU
NYC BigLaw Placement: Columbia>NYU
Non-NYC BigLaw Placement: Columbia>NYU
Public Interest/Government Placement: Columbia<NYU
Location:NYU<Columbia

[bdubs]

I don't get all these posts about CLS having more prestige. If that's true at all, it's definitely only among non-lawyers. Does that actually matter to anyone choosing a school?

Yes.

Also, I think CLS has more prestige within the profession as well. Read some of Brian Leiter's posts about NYU and CLS prestige among academics and you definitely get the sense that CLS is more prestigious among top law professors.

[Renzo]

I don't get all these posts about CLS having more prestige. If that's true at all, it's definitely only among non-lawyers. Does that actually matter to anyone choosing a school?

Yes, and those people are insufferable.

[The Stig]

NYU 1L here. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I will say that NYU students are very chill and social. Lots of fun people here and I actually love it here.

ShakeDemHatersOff seems bitter about something . . .

yeah not getting to Harvard

prestige matters in this world which is why I'm keeping it real

ITT: CLS student convinces 0Ls to go to NYU over CLS

[LinzerTorte]

This thread is totally freaking me out about making this decision.

I mean, I am excited to be here, but eeeee.

[thecilent]

NYU 1L here. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I will say that NYU students are very chill and social. Lots of fun people here and I actually love it here.

ShakeDemHatersOff seems bitter about something . . .

yeah not getting to Harvard

prestige matters in this world which is why I'm keeping it real

ITT: CLS student convinces 0Ls to go to NYU over CLS

lol

Also,CLS is soooo TTT. NYU4eva unless cls starts giving some vces to holds =/

[hoopla14]

I don't get all these posts about CLS having more prestige. If that's true at all, it's definitely only among non-lawyers. Does that actually matter to anyone choosing a school?

Yes.

Also, I think CLS has more prestige within the profession as well. Read some of Brian Leiter's posts about NYU and CLS prestige among academics and you definitely get the sense that CLS is more prestigious among top law professors.

Right. I think fit and money are excellent reasons to choose one over the other, but for any of these questions that can be answered by some data, see Leiter's rankings and blog.

[vitamintime]

Wow, thanks everyone for the input and discussion on this thread. I'm actually at NYU briefly this weekend, and will probably be scheduling a longer trip to check out Columbia as well to get a feel for things firsthand. It was great to see different perspectives; sounds like I can't really go wrong choosing either.

[dubunamjah]

NYU 1L here. Feel free to PM me with questions.

I will say that NYU students are very chill and social. Lots of fun people here and I actually love it here.

ShakeDemHatersOff seems bitter about something . . .

yeah not getting to Harvard

prestige matters in this world which is why I'm keeping it real

ITT: CLS student convinces 0Ls to go to NYU over CLS

you mean an anti-cls troll*

[ahduth]

I don't get all these posts about CLS having more prestige. If that's true at all, it's definitely only among non-lawyers. Does that actually matter to anyone choosing a school?

Yes.

Also, I think CLS has more prestige within the profession as well. Read some of Brian Leiter's posts about NYU and CLS prestige among academics and you definitely get the sense that CLS is more prestigious among top law professors.

Right. I think fit and money are excellent reasons to choose one over the other, but for any of these questions that can be answered by some data, see Leiter's rankings and blog.

So is it fair to say that Columbia, reputation-wise, has an edge with academics, appears to have a slight edge in clerkships (although that's pretty narrow and could be some self-selection), is dead equal for corporate work, and falls slightly short for PI?

Not sure what I missed in there, but all in all we're talking about some fairly narrow differences, particularly for clerkships and firm work.

[dissonance1848]

CLS has superior placement to NYU in biglaw. For the NLJ 250 for 2009, it was around 54% to 50%. For prior years which were better, the difference was even larger. Check out the 2006 SA placement blog.

As for location, no shit NYU beats CLS, hands down.

If you want PI, go to NYU (matter of reputation and student body self-selection).

If you want clerkships/academia, CLS probably has a slight edge because of the prestige factor.

If one of them is throwing money, take the money.

Pretty simple people, all a matter of priority ranking and condorcet.

[glitched]

according to LSN and "Class of 2005" stats, Columbia has a 4% less bar passage rate than NYU in NY.

What's up with that?! ANYONE CARE TO EXPLLAAINN?!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


edited for clarity.

[Stanford4Me]

according to LSN and "Class of 2005" stats, Columbia has a 4% less bar passage rate in NYU.

What's up with that?! ANYONE CARE TO EXPLLAAINN?!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Columbia is TTT

[ShakeDemHatersOff]

this is the difference

students at NYU compare themselves to CLS

students at CLS don't compare themselves to NYU

that should tell you something

[glitched]

this is the difference

students at NYU compare themselves to CLS

students at CLS don't compare themselves to NYU

that should tell you something

aren't you a CLS student that is comparing CLS students to NYU students right now?

[The Stig]

this is the difference

students at NYU compare themselves to CLS

students at CLS don't compare themselves to NYU

that should tell you something

A lot of what you have been posting is about how much CLS is better than NYU...from your actions it seems more like CLS is insecure about its position at #4 (which it only got back from NYU in the 2010 rankings) so you feel obliged to come on this thread and boast about its "prestige" etc.

So if you were to act in the manner that your quoted post describes, you wouldn't be posting like that, and you'd just be focusing on why CLS is great (hint: 0Ls would like to hear more in-depth answers than just "prestige prestige prestige")...

ETA: exactly what glitched said!

[Renzo]

this is the difference

students at NYU compare themselves to CLS

students at CLS don't compare themselves to NYU

that should tell you something

aren't you a CLS student that is comparing CLS students to NYU students right now?

No he's right. CLS students are too busy talking about how they almost got into Harvard to care about NYU.

[ShakeDemHatersOff]

this is the difference

students at NYU compare themselves to CLS

students at CLS don't compare themselves to NYU

that should tell you something

A lot of what you have been posting is about how much CLS is better than NYU...from your actions it seems more like CLS is insecure about its position at #4 (which it only got back from NYU in the 2010 rankings) so you feel obliged to come on this thread and boast about its "prestige" etc.

So if you were to act in the manner that your quoted post describes, you wouldn't be posting like that, and you'd just be focusing on why CLS is great (hint: 0Ls would like to hear more in-depth answers than just "prestige prestige prestige")...

ETA: exactly what glitched said!

I've already said why CLS is great. All 0L's have to do is look at Cravath's website

http://www.cravath.com/lawyers/list.asp ... ace34c3217

vs.

http://www.cravath.com/lawyers/list.asp ... 8b67dc0120

CLS lawyers at Cravath = 97 (77 associates)
NYU lawyers at Cravath = 45 (28 associates)

so pretty much a student at CLS has a 2x greater chance of getting into Cravath than an NYU student...

[ShakeDemHatersOff]

--LinkRemoved--

vs.

--LinkRemoved--

CLS lawyers = 47 (20 associates)
NYU lawyers = 31 (15 associates)

even a firm started by 4 NYU grads would rather hire more CLS grads