Top Law Schools

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May depend upon where you want to live & work.

CanadianWolf wrote:May depend upon where you want to live & work.

I'd be willing to go anywhere in the country. I'm shooting for biglaw, but would definitely want/take a federal clerkship for a year+ first.

how much money from Michigan? Are you in-state at Berkeley? And can you negotiate money out of NYU?

Between Michigan and Berkeley, I would choose the cheaper option which is likely Michigan in this case, unless you know you want Cali/SF and don't otherwise have connections to Cali/SF.

Between Michigan/NYU, I might pick NYU depending on your goals but this should depend on the money difference between the two schools. I would not pay more than 40K extra for NYU over Michigan/Boalt, but that's just my risk preference.

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Did you get in at both NYU and Berk? Your profile says otherwise. I have the same numbers in your profile +1 LSAT point and am waiting on NYU (UR since 10/22 so most likely waitlist). Just curious.

There is absolutely no reason to go to Boalt or NYU for sticker when you have a scholarship at Michigan unless you want to work in California or you are 100 percent certain you want to work in NYC.

$ contingent on grades?

Cade McNown wrote:$ contingent on grades?

I don't think any T14 requires anything other than good academic standing (i.e. don't fail out and don't cheat).

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Tagged.

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I'm debt averse so I would follow the $$. Big Law from Mich is really doable, although NYU is better connected

Bummer that it's only a hypothetical -- those would be some solid options. With a 3.5 I think your shot at Boalt is basically zip, and I'm not sure about NYU (I had the same LSAT but a significantly higher GPA, and you're at this year's LSAT median and below their median GPA). My love for NYU is unreserved and I'd probably recommend coming here over Mich if you're after BigLaw. Anecdotally, I know somebody from the SF region who went to NYU then returned to biglaw in the Bay Area.

reversejinx wrote:

dabbadon8 wrote:Did you get in at both NYU and Berk? Your profile says otherwise. I have the same numbers in your profile +1 LSAT point and am waiting on NYU (UR since 10/22 so most likely waitlist). Just curious.

No I haven't heard from either, which probably means at this point that I'm going to be WL or dinged at both. TT's just a fun hypothetical I had bouncing around my head. I'm also trying to tease out how much, if any, of a disadvantage I'll be at trying to break into the NYC or California markets with a JD from Michigan.

Ha, well alright. I guess I'll be seeing you in michigan then.

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I faced an identical decision about a month ago. With a 45k offer in hand from Michigan and an acceptance to Berkeley, I had the option of withdrawing my ED application to NYU and opting for either of the former two. I ended up sticking with my commitment to NYU and was accepted about a week later. However, if I was looking at a half or full Darrow, I probably would've gone the other way (despite my Ann Arbor wariness).

That said, I have zero interest in BigLaw and preferred NYU primarily because of its PI institution support and reputation (also, I like NYC). It does seem, however, that the lower T14 have taken a larger hit in terms of BigLaw placement ITE compared with the T6 (ostensibly due to geographical disadvantages). Also, though I love Berkeley and its philosophy, I question the utility of the alternate grading system for those shooting for BigLaw.

vicuna wrote: However, if I was looking at a half or full Darrow, I probably would've gone the other way (despite my Ann Arbor wariness).

That said, I have zero interest in BigLaw and preferred NYU primarily because of its PI institution support and reputation (also, I like NYC). It does seem, however, that the lower T14 have taken a larger hit in terms of BigLaw placement ITE compared with the T6 (ostensibly due to geographical disadvantages). Also, though I love Berkeley and its philosophy, I question the utility of the alternate grading system for those shooting for BigLaw.

All good points, thanks.

Hey I am very interested in what everyone has to say.

I have been accepted to NYU and Michigan with 45k. I want to do nyc biglaw, but not sure if I really like the idea of going to school in nyc (lack of a campus, social community, etc...).

I am wondering how big of a difference for getting a biglaw job in nyc going to NYU would make. Obviously it would help, but is it actually much tougher at Michigan?

NYU is leaps and bounds superior to Michigan at placing students at big firms in NYC.

I'm not sure 45k would be enough to sway in favor of Michigan.

A&O wrote:NYU is leaps and bounds superior to Michigan at placing students at big firms in NYC.

I'm not sure 45k would be enough to sway in favor of Michigan.

What about 54k?

GMVarun wrote:how much money from Michigan? Are you in-state at Berkeley? And can you negotiate money out of NYU?

Between Michigan and Berkeley, I would choose the cheaper option which is likely Michigan in this case, unless you know you want Cali/SF and don't otherwise have connections to Cali/SF.

Between Michigan/NYU, I might pick NYU depending on your goals but this should depend on the money difference between the two schools. I would not pay more than 40K extra for NYU over Michigan/Boalt, but that's just my risk preference.

I agree with this guy. Also, between NYU and Michigan, NYU probably only has an edge on michigan in NYC. Anywhere else, its probably more of a wash. But either way, choose whichever school you feel more comfortable at.

dabbadon8 wrote:

A&O wrote:NYU is leaps and bounds superior to Michigan at placing students at big firms in NYC.

I'm not sure 45k would be enough to sway in favor of Michigan.

What about 54k?

There's not some magical answer to this. Michigan knows its a bit behind NYU and that's why they offer just about the right amount of money to make it basically the same in terms of value... Keep in mind that with 54k, you also have about 10k less in living each year to think about. Personally I don't think this tips the scale too far in Michigan's favor, I think it more or less equalizes it when you consider all the added benefits of being in NYC in terms of professional opportunities/connections.

To be honest, with around 50k from Michigan (15ish a year) I would still pick NYU but that's only because I would much rather spend my next 3 years in NYC. If you have a preference towards Ann Arbor types of towns, obviously Michigan becomes a great option. But 45k by no means makes Michigan the better choice regardless... it just comes down to living preferences at that point. And how much weight you put on "big-law" opportunities.

A&O wrote:NYU is leaps and bounds superior to Michigan at placing students at big firms in NYC.

FTFY.

NYU is definitely better, but "leaps and bounds" is some pretty ridiculous hyperbole.