NYU vs. UVA Forum

[TheProsecutor]

on average it is probably easier to do well at UVA than NYU. Is that far fetched?

I think so. UVA's medians are 3.86/170, while NYU's are 3.73/171. If anything NYU might be less competitive simply because it's easier to land a BigLaw gig from there.

Well that's a fair point.

[pjo]

I don't understand how you comment makes sense. The only argument is that if you got into both NYU and UVA, you would, on average, do better at UVA than at NYU. Rationale: A number of the students at UVA self-select out of the competition.

Has nothing to do with where UVA or NYU kids choose to go to school, but the culture of the schools themselves. Incidentally, when I clerked, one of my co-clerks attended UVA and he said the same thing.

My comment makes sense because I'm pointing to the fact that many ppl that go to UVA could have gone to NYU and simply chose not to. If these same people could have gone to NYU (or some other T10 for that matter), then there really isn't any difference in the level of student body from UVA to NYU. I have to believe that no matter what school you go to in the T14 (probably with the exception of HYS), what you get at any of the schools would more than likely be the same at any other T14. I just find it VERY hard to believe that, on average, the student body isn't as competitive/smart/hardworking at say Cornell than Penn, or in this case UVA as NYU. Like I said, there are a ton (in my mind, a surprising amount) of ppl at UVa who turned down NYU, which to me proves that the student body is identical in terms of academic quality.

[TheProsecutor]

I don't understand how you comment makes sense. The only argument is that if you got into both NYU and UVA, you would, on average, do better at UVA than at NYU. Rationale: A number of the students at UVA self-select out of the competition.

Has nothing to do with where UVA or NYU kids choose to go to school, but the culture of the schools themselves. Incidentally, when I clerked, one of my co-clerks attended UVA and he said the same thing.

My comment makes sense because I'm pointing to the fact that many ppl that go to UVA could have gone to NYU and simply chose not to. If these same people could have gone to NYU (or some other T10 for that matter), then there really isn't any difference in the level of student body from UVA to NYU. I have to believe that no matter what school you go to in the T14 (probably with the exception of HYS), what you get at any of the schools would more than likely be the same at any other T14. I just find it VERY hard to believe that, on average, the student body isn't as competitive/smart/hardworking at say Cornell than Penn, or in this case UVA as NYU. Like I said, there are a ton (in my mind, a surprising amount) of ppl at UVa who turned down NYU, which to me proves that the student body is identical in terms of academic quality.

Well, first, I will concede that perhaps the student body at UVA and NYU are of similar quality. My comment, however, was about the culture of each school not the quality of the student body. Even if the kids could have gone to either NYU or UVA, a kid is going to have very different experiences at NYU than UVA. Presumbably, the differences in experience including UVA's much more chill nature might enter into a kid's calculus. It seems to me a kid in the library all the time is gonna have a better shot at UVA than NYU all else being equal because the party culture, baseball games and social life is likely to impact more UVA students than NYU students. Of course, this is crude and should only be considered on the margins. But if two schools are of similar quality and we assume they offer similar programming, then a consideration might be where can one do better?

But you know, I didn't go to Virginia. I just know a lot of people who did and that's the sense that I got. I think it would be better for a poster from UVA to respond since obviously I'm not the best source of info and I probably shouldn't have made the comment in the first place.

[dixiecupdrinking]

I wouldn't base this decision on speculation about whether you'll do better at one school or the other but on where you want to work. If it's in the south, then UVA is probably a better call. NYU is probably at least marginally better everywhere else and significantly better in NYC.

[rayiner]

The statistically expected difference between how well you'd do at a place with a 170 median and a 171 median is almost nothing. Maybe a few % in class rank.

[quiver]

I don't understand how you comment makes sense. The only argument is that if you got into both NYU and UVA, you would, on average, do better at UVA than at NYU. Rationale: A number of the students at UVA self-select out of the competition.

Has nothing to do with where UVA or NYU kids choose to go to school, but the culture of the schools themselves. Incidentally, when I clerked, one of my co-clerks attended UVA and he said the same thing.

My comment makes sense because I'm pointing to the fact that many ppl that go to UVA could have gone to NYU and simply chose not to. If these same people could have gone to NYU (or some other T10 for that matter), then there really isn't any difference in the level of student body from UVA to NYU. I have to believe that no matter what school you go to in the T14 (probably with the exception of HYS), what you get at any of the schools would more than likely be the same at any other T14. I just find it VERY hard to believe that, on average, the student body isn't as competitive/smart/hardworking at say Cornell than Penn, or in this case UVA as NYU. Like I said, there are a ton (in my mind, a surprising amount) of ppl at UVa who turned down NYU, which to me proves that the student body is identical in terms of academic quality.

Well, first, I will concede that perhaps the student body at UVA and NYU are of similar quality. My comment, however, was about the culture of each school not the quality of the student body. Even if the kids could have gone to either NYU or UVA, a kid is going to have very different experiences at NYU than UVA. Presumbably, the differences in experience including UVA's much more chill nature might enter into a kid's calculus. It seems to me a kid in the library all the time is gonna have a better shot at UVA than NYU all else being equal because the party culture, baseball games and social life is likely to impact more UVA students than NYU students. Of course, this is crude and should only be considered on the margins. But if two schools are of similar quality and we assume they offer similar programming, then a consideration might be where can one do better?

But you know, I didn't go to Virginia. I just know a lot of people who did and that's the sense that I got. I think it would be better for a poster from UVA to respond since obviously I'm not the best source of info and I probably shouldn't have made the comment in the first place.

Please just stop. You are making startling naive comments for someone who went to law school. If you are conceding that the student body is pretty much identical at UVA and NYU then there's no reason to assume you would do better at one than the other. Culture has almost nothing to do with performance. See:

You realize that partying and studying are not mutually exclusive things, right? I kicked my liver in the shins on a weekly basis but still bucked up when it came time for finals.

[TheProsecutor]

I don't understand how you comment makes sense. The only argument is that if you got into both NYU and UVA, you would, on average, do better at UVA than at NYU. Rationale: A number of the students at UVA self-select out of the competition.

Has nothing to do with where UVA or NYU kids choose to go to school, but the culture of the schools themselves. Incidentally, when I clerked, one of my co-clerks attended UVA and he said the same thing.

My comment makes sense because I'm pointing to the fact that many ppl that go to UVA could have gone to NYU and simply chose not to. If these same people could have gone to NYU (or some other T10 for that matter), then there really isn't any difference in the level of student body from UVA to NYU. I have to believe that no matter what school you go to in the T14 (probably with the exception of HYS), what you get at any of the schools would more than likely be the same at any other T14. I just find it VERY hard to believe that, on average, the student body isn't as competitive/smart/hardworking at say Cornell than Penn, or in this case UVA as NYU. Like I said, there are a ton (in my mind, a surprising amount) of ppl at UVa who turned down NYU, which to me proves that the student body is identical in terms of academic quality.

Well, first, I will concede that perhaps the student body at UVA and NYU are of similar quality. My comment, however, was about the culture of each school not the quality of the student body. Even if the kids could have gone to either NYU or UVA, a kid is going to have very different experiences at NYU than UVA. Presumbably, the differences in experience including UVA's much more chill nature might enter into a kid's calculus. It seems to me a kid in the library all the time is gonna have a better shot at UVA than NYU all else being equal because the party culture, baseball games and social life is likely to impact more UVA students than NYU students. Of course, this is crude and should only be considered on the margins. But if two schools are of similar quality and we assume they offer similar programming, then a consideration might be where can one do better?

But you know, I didn't go to Virginia. I just know a lot of people who did and that's the sense that I got. I think it would be better for a poster from UVA to respond since obviously I'm not the best source of info and I probably shouldn't have made the comment in the first place.

Please just stop. You are making startling naive comments for someone who went to law school. If you are conceding that the student body is pretty much identical at UVA and NYU then there's no reason to assume you would do better at one than the other. Culture has almost nothing to do with performance. See:

You realize that partying and studying are not mutually exclusive things, right? I kicked my liver in the shins on a weekly basis but still bucked up when it came time for finals.

And I'm naive.