Top Law Schools

Okay.. I am an international, non-trad. student with a family.. I have no affiliations whatsoever at any of these places.

I have just been admitted to BU so I have just added the school to the equation... I have never been to the U.S. except a week-long visit to N.Y... That's it, so I have no idea how Boston/Atlanta/South Bend are, but I have heard that Boston's a good and safe place to live (but relatively high COL). Also that the area around Emory in Atlanta's pretty good as well (1 Bed=$1,000?). No one around me seems to knows where ND is,,.. If I tell my relatives that I am going to ND, they will probably think that I am studying in France. I have heard South Bend has low COL, but also that 2L and 3L at ND are having a hard time getting a job.

My goal is to gain 3~4 years of experience at biglaw (or clerkship initially), and after a couple of years, come back to my home country as a member of the biglaw or get a job at a local lawfirm with the experience. I am aware that BU/BC has better biglaw placement than ND, and ND than Emory.. but I also need to think about my family, COL, and the overall prestige of the school for when I come back to my home country.

For example, because Boston College is called a "college," people generally will regard the school as a 2-year institution. I know it is an excellent & prestigious institution, but because it is called a College, it's just not that well-regarded.. To be honest, many don't even know that BC exists. BU, on the other hand, is a bigger school, and is ranked around #50 in the world college rankings.. Emory is well-regarded as well I think.. As for ND, I like the school and how they are religious and all, but like I said, no one around seems to think that it is a good school..

Help me out! Which school is best for an international student, non-trad (I'm 28) to get in biglaw?

These schools are all comparable. Did you get scholarship money at any of them?

No.. no money...

Care to explain your votes?

BC and BU place very well in biglaw. If that's what you're after and you have to pay sticker I'd go to one of them.

Boston University. Why? It's tied with Emory for highest ranking, yet has better employment. Boston would be a great city to live in, especially for someone adjusting to the United States. BU is in the heart of the city; it's a brief walk to Fenway Park, for instance, and is just across the river from Cambridge.

Notre Dame is a great school, but is too isolated for someone not familiar with the US. Boston College is ranked lower than BU and isn't as conveniently located. Emory is located in Atlanta, which I think would be a culture shock and not as convenient to live in compared with Boston.

Good luck with your decision.

googado wrote:
For example, because Boston College is called a "college," people generally will regard the school as a 2-year institution. I know it is an excellent & prestigious institution, but because it is called a College, it's just not that well-regarded.. To be honest, many don't even know that BC exists. BU, on the other hand, is a bigger school, and is ranked around #50 in the world college rankings.. Emory is well-regarded as well I think.. As for ND, I like the school and how they are religious and all, but like I said, no one around seems to think that it is a good school..

BC and ND are pretty well known nationally as good schools. I chose BU in the poll, but this whole paragraph is just not accurate in the slightest.

Edit: Unless you mean international name recognition, but that wasn't the impression I got.

td6624 wrote:

googado wrote:
For example, because Boston College is called a "college," people generally will regard the school as a 2-year institution. I know it is an excellent & prestigious institution, but because it is called a College, it's just not that well-regarded.. To be honest, many don't even know that BC exists. BU, on the other hand, is a bigger school, and is ranked around #50 in the world college rankings.. Emory is well-regarded as well I think.. As for ND, I like the school and how they are religious and all, but like I said, no one around seems to think that it is a good school..

BC and ND are pretty well known nationally as good schools. I chose BU in the poll, but this whole paragraph is just not accurate in the slightest.

Edit: Unless you mean international name recognition, but that wasn't the impression I got.

That's kind of what I meant.. the name recognition in my home country cuz people don't know that much about U.S. schools except for the extremely prestigious. Sorry if that came out wrong..

BTW,, 9 votes for BU and only 1 for BC? I was kind of rolling in favor of BC, just for its laid back style and non-urban setting.

UFMatt wrote:Boston University. Why? It's tied with Emory for highest ranking, yet has better employment. Boston would be a great city to live in, especially for someone adjusting to the United States. BU is in the heart of the city; it's a brief walk to Fenway Park, for instance, and is just across the river from Cambridge.

Notre Dame is a great school, but is too isolated for someone not familiar with the US. Boston College is ranked lower than BU and isn't as conveniently located. Emory is located in Atlanta, which I think would be a culture shock and not as convenient to live in compared with Boston.

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for all your advice. What kind of a culture shock do you think Atlanta will be?

googado wrote:

UFMatt wrote:Boston University. Why? It's tied with Emory for highest ranking, yet has better employment. Boston would be a great city to live in, especially for someone adjusting to the United States. BU is in the heart of the city; it's a brief walk to Fenway Park, for instance, and is just across the river from Cambridge.

Notre Dame is a great school, but is too isolated for someone not familiar with the US. Boston College is ranked lower than BU and isn't as conveniently located. Emory is located in Atlanta, which I think would be a culture shock and not as convenient to live in compared with Boston.

Good luck with your decision.

Thanks for all your advice. What kind of a culture shock do you think Atlanta will be?

Actually, Boston has better employment in NLJ250. Atlanta only has a few firms on the NLJ250 and is full of small/medium sized firms that employ a significant number of Emory grads. If you are dead set on BIGLAW only and not just private, well paid, employment then go to BU. Otherwise employment is similar.

As far as Atlanta being a culture shock. I don't know where that statement comes from. Atlanta is extremely cultural. Large Indian, Asian, Korean, and Pakistani populations as well as African American and Hispanic. Atlanta is in the south, but it is hardly southern if that is what UFMatt is referring to.

td6624 wrote:

googado wrote:
For example, because Boston College is called a "college," people generally will regard the school as a 2-year institution. I know it is an excellent & prestigious institution, but because it is called a College, it's just not that well-regarded.. To be honest, many don't even know that BC exists. BU, on the other hand, is a bigger school, and is ranked around #50 in the world college rankings.. Emory is well-regarded as well I think.. As for ND, I like the school and how they are religious and all, but like I said, no one around seems to think that it is a good school..

BC and ND are pretty well known nationally as good schools. I chose BU in the poll, but this whole paragraph is just not accurate in the slightest.

Edit: Unless you mean international name recognition, but that wasn't the impression I got.

Lol that made me laugh. Where do people come up with these things?

Atlanta can be what you make of it. There are many areas that are accesible to Emory to live in. Consider the amount of travel you will be doing as well - the Atlanta airport makes travel very convenient.

Assuming money is not a factor, you should go to the school in the region you want to work.

If you want to work in the north east, go to BC.

If you want to work in the south, go to Emory.

If you want to work in the mid west, go to ND.

Between BC and BU, its just a difference of fit. BC has slightly better placement statistics in big law firms, while BU has a slightly higher US News ranking. Not too much of a difference between these two (although I think BC is still more nationally recognized given the prestige of the institution as a whole).

start telling people that, in America, "college" =/= 2 year school

Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

BigLawyer wrote:Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

Internationally, College and University are absolutely not the same thing. Step outside the box for a second and think about it. If this student takes his degree back to his home country, where "colleges" are associated with a lower level of learning than "universities," then that will have a very real affect on his job prospects.

GeePee wrote:

BigLawyer wrote:Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

Internationally, College and University are absolutely not the same thing. Step outside the box for a second and think about it. If this student takes his degree back to his home country, where "colleges" are associated with a lower level of learning than "universities," then that will have a very real affect on his job prospects.

But you're talking about Boston College, not some random po-dunk college in a random town. I seriously doubt there is an employer worth working for that has never heard of Boston College.

BigLawyer wrote:

GeePee wrote:

BigLawyer wrote:Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

Internationally, College and University are absolutely not the same thing. Step outside the box for a second and think about it. If this student takes his degree back to his home country, where "colleges" are associated with a lower level of learning than "universities," then that will have a very real affect on his job prospects.

But you're talking about Boston College, not some random po-dunk college in a random town. I seriously doubt there is an employer worth working for that has never heard of Boston College.

Think again. Boston College is not some beacon of intellectual acumen and prestige, it is a decent university. But people in Europe, for example, probably wouldn't recognize it.

GeePee wrote:

BigLawyer wrote:

GeePee wrote:

BigLawyer wrote:Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

Internationally, College and University are absolutely not the same thing. Step outside the box for a second and think about it. If this student takes his degree back to his home country, where "colleges" are associated with a lower level of learning than "universities," then that will have a very real affect on his job prospects.

But you're talking about Boston College, not some random po-dunk college in a random town. I seriously doubt there is an employer worth working for that has never heard of Boston College.

Think again. Boston College is not some beacon of intellectual acumen and prestige, it is a decent university. But people in Europe, for example, probably wouldn't recognize it.

I work at an international law firm and we work with Boston College people all the time. We know the school, the name, the reputation. This is not an issue for BC, though I agree that it may be an issue for a small employer regarding an insittution that does not have the same name recognition as BC.

BigLawyer wrote:

GeePee wrote:

BigLawyer wrote:Yeah, its pretty herendous to think that some people think college in an institutional name means anything. The only thing it likely means is that the name Boston University was already taken back in the 1800s.

Internationally, College and University are absolutely not the same thing. Step outside the box for a second and think about it. If this student takes his degree back to his home country, where "colleges" are associated with a lower level of learning than "universities," then that will have a very real affect on his job prospects.

But you're talking about Boston College, not some random po-dunk college in a random town. I seriously doubt there is an employer worth working for that has never heard of Boston College.

To people in OP's county, Boston College absolutely might be some "po-dunk college in a random town." Judging by OP's previous comments, it seems that this is likely the case where he comes from, and where he wants to eventually return to.

GeePee: I completely agree. "College" even in the UK is basically a prep-school (almost high school) for people who want to continue on to get a "university" degree. Entirely separate institutions.

Here is the problem with that assessment: "Which school is best for an international student, non-trad (I'm 28) to get in biglaw?"

The OP wants "BigLaw." He isn't trying to work for some mom-and-pop firm in Guam. College at the end of Boston College is definitely not going to have any affect at any "biglaw" type law firm. If anything, it will only help him.

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... hool-.html

googado wrote:My goal is to gain 3~4 years of experience at biglaw (or clerkship initially), and after a couple of years, come back to my home country as a member of the biglaw or get a job at a local lawfirm with the experience. I am aware that BU/BC has better biglaw placement than ND, and ND than Emory.. but I also need to think about my family, COL, and the overall prestige of the school for when I come back to my home country.

[The international name recognition is] kind of what I meant.. the name recognition in my home country cuz people don't know that much about U.S. schools except for the extremely prestigious.

BigLaw is only one part of what OP said he wants. He also said:
-He wants to go back to his home country and work at a big firm, or get a job at a "local law firm"
-he wants to ensure that the school he chooses has "overall prestige" for when he goes back to his home country
-People in his home country may regard the "College" in Boston College as indicating a 2-year institution

UCLAtransfer wrote:

googado wrote:My goal is to gain 3~4 years of experience at biglaw (or clerkship initially), and after a couple of years, come back to my home country as a member of the biglaw or get a job at a local lawfirm with the experience. I am aware that BU/BC has better biglaw placement than ND, and ND than Emory.. but I also need to think about my family, COL, and the overall prestige of the school for when I come back to my home country.

[The international name recognition is] kind of what I meant.. the name recognition in my home country cuz people don't know that much about U.S. schools except for the extremely prestigious.

BigLaw is only one part of what OP said he wants. He also said:
-He wants to go back to his home country and work at a big firm, or get a job at a "local law firm"
-he wants to ensure that the school he chooses has "overall prestige" for when he goes back to his home country
-People in his home country may regard the "College" in Boston College as indicating a 2-year institution

srsly.

biglawyer, are you actually reading the thread

Read it. I don't think you understand. I'll say this one last time. He wants Biglaw. Regardless of what country he is in or what the common people of his country think, there isn't a single V100 firm that has never heard of Boston College. Not one. If he wants BigLaw, he wants a V100 firm. All V100 firms have heard and know about Boston College.

I know this is difficult for you, but please try to understand the question. He wants to know "[W]hich school is best for an international student, non-trad (I'm 28) to get in biglaw?"

The answer to this question is still it depends. But the point of the discourse of the last few posts is that BC and BU are not going to be confused by any firm that qualifies as BigLaw. Statistically, those firms would actually prefer the College over the University, given the recent statistics of biglaw placement.

(I seriously can't believe I had to explain this to you again.)