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I was curious to hear from current students/recent grads who had to make this decision. Did any of you wish you had picked the other in retrospect? If so, why?

As the name suggests, I'm a 1L at NYU. I have absolutely no regrets about my decision. While I cannot speak to the experience at Columbia, I can tell you that you'd be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable place to attend law school. My peers and professors are phenomenal and the Village is a place that everyone needs to live at least once.

The schools are almost identical in the opportunities that they provide - the intangibles will color your experience. With that said, I believe that everyone who is fortunate enough to be making this decision should visit both schools and see which one feels like a better fit.

Likewise picked NYU over CLS, and am elated with my choice. I'll admit, I might be saying the same thing if I'd picked CLS, but I really, really enjoy my school. If I were #1 in my class, and offered the opportunity to transfer to any school with 100% scholarship, I think I'd stay here.

I really enjoy CLS and don't regret the decision as all. I'd say sentiments among my classmates are pretty similar, as are those of most of the NYU students I know.

I think very few people regret making this decision - the only people that are unhappy are probably those that are unhappy with law school generally. The schools are so similar that two of the biggest sources of potential regret (location and job prospects) are non-issues. It really comes down to personal preference and "feel."

thanks for taking the time to respond

after visiting both schools, i think nyu is a better personal fit for me. however, i am worried that if i decide to seek a career outside the legal sector in the future (ie consulting), columbia's name might carry me further. do you think this is a legitimate concern? or do you think employers outside the legal sector will be aware of nyu's reputation?

I'm no expert but I would tend to believe clients would be more interested in your prior experience as a consultant more than the law school you attended.....and if they are going around checking law degrees they should be pretty aware of a Columbia and \ NYU JD's prestige

I do regret going to Columbia, but only because I picked the name brand over lots of money at a lower ranked t-14. Now that I have no SA and no reasonable prospect of employment anytime soon, I wish I hadn't taken on so much debt.

Median btw

jobless2Lguy wrote:I do regret going to Columbia, but only because I picked the name brand over lots of money at a lower ranked t-14. Now that I have no SA and no reasonable prospect of employment anytime soon, I wish I hadn't taken on so much debt.

Median btw

Are you representative of the vast majority of other median students at Columbia or an exception?

gossipgirl wrote:

jobless2Lguy wrote:I do regret going to Columbia, but only because I picked the name brand over lots of money at a lower ranked t-14. Now that I have no SA and no reasonable prospect of employment anytime soon, I wish I hadn't taken on so much debt.

Median btw

Are you representative of the vast majority of other median students at Columbia or an exception?

I know that about half of my friends are working public interest and government jobs this summer that they didn't want. However, I have no idea what their grades are because we don't talk about it.

To be fair, I did get an unpaid internship with a state agency this summer, but it's unlikely that that will lead to permanent employment. It's not an "offer track" internship.

jobless2Lguy wrote:

gossipgirl wrote:

jobless2Lguy wrote:I do regret going to Columbia, but only because I picked the name brand over lots of money at a lower ranked t-14. Now that I have no SA and no reasonable prospect of employment anytime soon, I wish I hadn't taken on so much debt.

Median btw

Are you representative of the vast majority of other median students at Columbia or an exception?

I know that about half of my friends are working public interest and government jobs this summer that they didn't want. However, I have no idea what their grades are because we don't talk about it.

To be fair, I did get an unpaid internship with a state agency this summer, but it's unlikely that that will lead to permanent employment. It's not an "offer track" internship.

That's terrifying. How did OCI go for you? What was your firm-picking strategy?

jobless2Lguy wrote:I do regret going to Columbia, but only because I picked the name brand over lots of money at a lower ranked t-14. Now that I have no SA and no reasonable prospect of employment anytime soon, I wish I hadn't taken on so much debt.

Median btw

Don't you still have the option of going the public interest route? Columbia/NYU's LRAP combined with IBR makes the debt a lot more manageable, if not downright negligible.

imchuckbass58 wrote:I really enjoy CLS and don't regret the decision as all. I'd say sentiments among my classmates are pretty similar, as are those of most of the NYU students I know.

I think very few people regret making this decision - the only people that are unhappy are probably those that are unhappy with law school generally. The schools are so similar that two of the biggest sources of potential regret (location and job prospects) are non-issues. It really comes down to personal preference and "feel."

Since I couldn't have said it better myself, +1 to this.

-CLS 1L

I regret going to NYU but I think that's mainly because I lived on the UWS/morningside for 6 years and moved down here for a change. I was thinking about transferring, but I don't think I would like CLS any better per se(I think I just find it hard to get on with law students in general...everyone's too serious/awkward for me). I'm just gonna move back up to Morningside and commute.

I think that generally one school or the other will have a better feel for you. I never even looked at CLS, I just went to NYU and I probably should have actually visited.

sophie316 wrote:I regret going to NYU but I think that's mainly because I lived on the UWS/morningside for 6 years and moved down here for a change. I was thinking about transferring, but I don't think I would like CLS any better per se(I think I just find it hard to get on with law students in general...everyone's too serious/awkward for me). I'm just gonna move back up to Morningside and commute.

I think that generally one school or the other will have a better feel for you. I never even looked at CLS, I just went to NYU and I probably should have actually visited.

I remember you talking about transferring not too long ago. Is it really just the Village that you don't like, or your classmates, or what--why so unhappy?

Renzo wrote:

sophie316 wrote:I regret going to NYU but I think that's mainly because I lived on the UWS/morningside for 6 years and moved down here for a change. I was thinking about transferring, but I don't think I would like CLS any better per se(I think I just find it hard to get on with law students in general...everyone's too serious/awkward for me). I'm just gonna move back up to Morningside and commute.

I think that generally one school or the other will have a better feel for you. I never even looked at CLS, I just went to NYU and I probably should have actually visited.

I remember you talking about transferring not too long ago. Is it really just the Village that you don't like, or your classmates, or what--why so unhappy?

Oh I don't know, i think it's a combination. I haven't really met anyone that I relate to...I have people I will talk to at school but none that I really hang out with outside of it/could see myself being long term friends with(maybe 1 or 2). I really hate living down here, but that can be remedied by commuting. I've found NYU's advising for international students severely lacking(read: useless), and honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after graduation if I decide I don't want to work at a firm...I think CLS would be better for this, but am leaning towards the costs of transferring outweighing the benefits, esp if I do well this semester and would MAYBE have the chance to grade onto LR.

sophie316 wrote:

Renzo wrote:

sophie316 wrote:I regret going to NYU but I think that's mainly because I lived on the UWS/morningside for 6 years and moved down here for a change. I was thinking about transferring, but I don't think I would like CLS any better per se(I think I just find it hard to get on with law students in general...everyone's too serious/awkward for me). I'm just gonna move back up to Morningside and commute.

I think that generally one school or the other will have a better feel for you. I never even looked at CLS, I just went to NYU and I probably should have actually visited.

I remember you talking about transferring not too long ago. Is it really just the Village that you don't like, or your classmates, or what--why so unhappy?

Oh I don't know, i think it's a combination. I haven't really met anyone that I relate to...I have people I will talk to at school but none that I really hang out with outside of it/could see myself being long term friends with(maybe 1 or 2). I really hate living down here, but that can be remedied by commuting. I've found NYU's advising for international students severely lacking(read: useless), and honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after graduation if I decide I don't want to work at a firm...I think CLS would be better for this, but am leaning towards the costs of transferring outweighing the benefits, esp if I do well this semester and would MAYBE have the chance to grade onto LR.

That's right--I forgot about the international student aspect of your dilemma.

I sympathize with your feelings of not connecting with people. I have a very different background than most (all?) of our classmates, and it makes it hard to really relate. It doesn't help that I'm just enough older to make it hard to relate to 22 year-olds with no life experience. For better or worse, I have resigned myself to never having friends again, since I am most definitely headed to a firm (at least for some years) and I think it will only get worse there.

I'd also be really interested in any info current students could provide since I'm struggling with a similar decision. CLS felt like a better fit for me but I really liked NYU as well.

For CLS students: People at NYU really seem to press the idea that CLS is more competitive (or as they say: cutthroat) and that professors are not very approachable at CLS... thoughts? Any info about QOL in Morningside Heights would be appreciated as well.

NYU Students: Any comments on the "sense of community" at NYU would be great. I didn't get the sense of communal activity at NYU within many of the law school buildings. Also, are there outdoor running routes near NYU (Riverside Park was one of the seemingly irrelevant factors I liked about CLS).

As most people point out, I'm pretty sure the academic differences are fairly negligible, but any info you want to provide there as well would also be appreciated.

EDIT: I'm going into law school with no set plan of what type of law I want to practice (though I would like to practice in CA in the long-run)

I've been lucky enough to meet amazing people at both CLS and NYU, and if I were an applicant with a snap decision to make, I do believe I would be in trouble. I can't honestly say that the stress level seems higher at one than at the other, because my friends do an admirable job of managing their stress-- better than I do. I had some preconceived notions about both T14s when I started at Fordham, but I have long since been disabused of my silly ideas.

I do want to speak to Sophie's comment, because I think she raises an interesting point. In my experience, it's easier to make friends with law students with whom one is not in direct competition. For me, this means people in other sections or at other schools. I adore my sectionmates, but when I am extremely stressed out and need to go do something fun, I find myself turning to people I don't see every day in torts. It's just hard, emotionally, because of what the curve does to us. I don't think it's wrong, nor does it say anything about quality of life at the school in question. I am close to some of my sectionmates, but if I'm worried about finals, I take it uptown (or downtown, or out of NYC altogether.) I understand what Sophie is getting at.

I'll now leave this to those who properly belong in this thread.

KG_CalGuy wrote:For CLS students: People at NYU really seem to press the idea that CLS is more competitive (or as they say: cutthroat) and that professors are not very approachable at CLS... thoughts? Any info about QOL in Morningside Heights would be appreciated as well.

I haven't found either to be true. Most of my classmates are friendly and supportive, and although I don't frequently contact profs outside of class, when I have I've found the profs very responsive. I heard the very same rumors last spring, but my visit to CLS's accepted students program eased my fears, and I remain very happy with my decision to attend CLS.

As for Morningside Heights: the upside of Morningside is that it isn't downtown; the downside of Morningside is that it isn't downtown. I love it up here - it's a bit slower-placed than much of the rest of the city, and it has a neighborhood feel. The downside is, if you want to head downtown for the night, you have to spend some time on the subway or in a cab. I'm very happy living way uptown in exchange for the relative peace and quiet of Morningside Heights, but that's very much a personal preference. I don't mean to suggest the Village is a zoo - it isn't - but it is undeniably a bit busier than Morningside Heights. Each neighborhood has it ups and its downs, and choosing b/w the two is very much a matter of personal preference.

sophie316 wrote: I've found NYU's advising for international students severely lacking(read: useless), and honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after graduation if I decide I don't want to work at a firm...I think CLS would be better for this, but am leaning towards the costs of transferring outweighing the benefits, esp if I do well this semester and would MAYBE have the chance to grade onto LR.

This is mildly surprising, since I believed NYU to have excellent support for all kinds of PI careers.

I'm intrigued that median at CLS didn't get any employment, and sorry to hear that.

As far as picking NYU, I'm very pleased with the decision. I think apart from Yale (and potentially Harvard/Stanford, but for those not as sure), there is no other law school I'd rather be at. We have potentially the best location (maybe Berkeley is up there with us) and top-notch faculty. The school also feels like it's always on the rise. I encourage anyone who gets in to consider it.

Also, are there outdoor running routes near NYU (Riverside Park was one of the seemingly irrelevant factors I liked about CLS).

I run at Hudson River Park - if you live in D'Ag it's probably a 10-ish minute walk. I live further west so it's very convenient for me.

As for the thread topic, I didn't apply to Columbia and have no regrets

dbt wrote:I'm intrigued that median at CLS didn't get any employment, and sorry to hear that.

I don't know what others have seen, but in my section the only people who seemed to have EIP trouble were trying to get DC or California but didn't have honors (honors is top 1/3--I don't pretend to know anyone's grades). I only know one person who aimed for NY and struck out, and that person unfortunately makes a very awkward first impression.
It sucks in any case, but I don't think it's been quite as bad as the previous poster suggests.

I love NYU.

singingvontrapp wrote:

sophie316 wrote: I've found NYU's advising for international students severely lacking(read: useless), and honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after graduation if I decide I don't want to work at a firm...I think CLS would be better for this, but am leaning towards the costs of transferring outweighing the benefits, esp if I do well this semester and would MAYBE have the chance to grade onto LR.

This is mildly surprising, since I believed NYU to have excellent support for all kinds of PI careers.

The problem there being that I need sponsorship for a visa if I want to stay in the US and PI places generally don't sponsor, and NYU's alumni network outside the US isn't that large. If I want to stay in the US, I pretty much need a firm to sponsor me, and I'm a little nervous about my ability to get a PI job overseas. For US citizens however, they are excellent.