Top Law Schools

Hi,folks.
Have been accepted to both Boston U. and George Washington.
Which school could give me better job prospective?Thanks for your input.

if money is no issue, i would pick GW because of your interest in IP, and GW has a very good reputation in this area.

if money is no issue i would move to las vegas










seriously though i would visit both, boston and dc are wildly different

Don't ever go to a school with the intent to transfer. There are too many very smart people at both of those schools to make it certain that you will do well enough to transfer. I know many insanely bright people who got median grades. Def a bad idea to go in with the intent of transferring. You can't control much of how you do in law school. But you can control exactly how you do on the LSAT. If you want a T14 school, study for the LSAT until you get a score high enough to get you in. If BU or GW suits your future goals, then go for it since both are great schools.

I'm in the exact same boat and I've spent the past month reading up on Boston and DC. I plan to visit soon to get a better idea, but, here's a bit on wha I've gathered so far...


COST -
Boston has a way lower COL than DC, plus GW's tuition is higher than BU's. (your financial aid package would be the tie-breaker here).

Quality of Life -
Boston and DC are both great cities for 20-somethings, which is attractive to me. Both have cool areas and lots of things to do (bars, restaurants, touristy stuff).

Student Body
BU's is smaller than GW's, but I guess GW's is more diverse.

Rankings -
both are peer schools, although if you're looking at Int'l Law or IP law, I think GW wins. GW is ranked 20th and BU is ranked 22nd, but historically it seems like they're pretty neck and neck.

Professors -
Princeton Review ranked BU's professors #1, but GW has pretty big names as well.

Career Prospects - it all depends on what you're more interested in down the line. I imagine if you're more into government, GW wins by virtue of being in DC and near hundreds of gov agencies/NGOs.

Study Abroad - I'm interested in International law, so GW is attractive, but BU has more study abroad programs in more locations.


BU has a cooler gym and good Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools (which is something I wanna continue doing), cheaper tuition/COL, and programs that I'm really interested in (dual MA/concentrations in Business Orgs, study abroad). So, at the moment I'm leaning towards BU. But if I get any $ from GW (not likely), it might tip the scales.

I gotta admit though, if it was on acceptance packages alone (but it's not) GW wins hands down. Their envelope/viewbook was amazing.

I guess it all boils down to what you wanna do long term and which place (DC/Boston) fits your personality/wallet/expectations of a city. I'm taking everyone else's advice and visiting to get a better feel.

lol @ intl. law. That's not a type of law. At least not without qualifiers such as "intl. M&A" or "intl. criminal prosecution." If you want to do French law, got to school in France, not GW, etc.

Dumbest comment ever by radlaw. International law is a type of law, with various subdivisions. There are many scholars in that field.

uh oh

rad law wrote:lol @ intl. law. That's not a type of law. At least not without qualifiers such as "intl. M&A" or "intl. criminal prosecution." If you want to do French law, got to school in France, not GW, etc.

what if i want to sue the pope?

Boston is quickly becoming an IP powerhouse, especially for Biomed. And honestly, visit GWU, it sucks, BU is heaven.

Anyways, I've visited both schools and in terms of facilities GW wins hands down. The law school building at BU is falling apart, while GW's is really nice. I didnt see the gym at BU, but the gym at GW is the best i've seen so far. GW is really good in IP and Int'l Law, one of the former judges of the International Court of Justice is a professor at GW, as well as Sean Murphy, a leading scholar in that field who has represented Kosovo and other countries before the ICJ.

DC and Boston aren't that different. Boston is a bigger city, but both are full of young professionals, very fun cities. Visit both and see which one you like better.

Edit: I got into BU, but didnt get into GW (I visited before applying). I wish I had though, cause I would have chosen GW hands down.

DorianGray89 wrote:The law school building at BU is falling apart, while GW's is really nice.

Cupidity wrote:visit GWU, it sucks, BU is heaven

???

this is gonna be a tough decision for me too. I got deferred at GULC and Cornell, and got placed on hold at Northwestern. Honestly though I think it's gonna be between GW and BU.

I've also been reading the sections where current 1L's have been sharing their experiences (thanks, Cupidity - you've been a huge help thus far!), and it seems like both schools are great.

For those that visited both cities though, were there any key moments or factors that swayed you one way or another? (i.e., climate/restaurants/vibe of city/traffic/gym/convenience/cost)

haveaniceday111 wrote:this is gonna be a tough decision for me too. I got deferred at GULC and Cornell, and got placed on hold at Northwestern. Honestly though I think it's gonna be between GW and BU.

I've also been reading the sections where current 1L's have been sharing their experiences (thanks, Cupidity - you've been a huge help thus far!), and it seems like both schools are great.

For those that visited both cities though, were there any key moments or factors that swayed you one way or another? (i.e., climate/restaurants/vibe of city/traffic/gym/convenience/cost)

I had comparable scholarships to both of these schools. BU charges less in tuition, and has a much lower cost of living since it is close to the suburban areas surrounding Boston. Honestly, rent into too bad if you find a roommate. But what swayed me more than anything else is the city "hierarchy" in Boston and DC. In DC, GULC is king, and many people who go there did so for the sole purpose of breaking into DC, politics, etc. Thus, you get this market that is saturated with a huge number of grads from a higher-ranked school, all intent on staying.

But in Boston, BU is only second to Harvard. But the good thing about Harvard is its mobility. Many of the kids want to leave, and they have the ability to do so. Tons of Harvard grads take the very best jobs in all the best cities like NY, Chicago, etc. Sure, a solid chunk stays in Boston, but its a far cry from the number of GULC grads dead set on staying in DC. I also liked the fact that BU had half the number of students as GW if I remember correctly. I like the close-knit and tight atmosphere we have at BU, and I'm not sure people at GW get that, though I can't say for sure.

Cupidity wrote:B And honestly, visit GWU, it sucks, BU is heaven.

lol not having went on official tours of either I find that really hard to believe from what I have seen.

DorianGray89 wrote:Dumbest comment ever by radlaw. International law is a type of law, with various subdivisions. There are many scholars in that field.

Hey cool semantics story bro.

http://www.annaivey.com/iveyfiles/2008/ ... e_the_hype

Best summary about why you should not go to law school hoping to specialize in "intl. law," whatever that is.

androstan wrote:

DorianGray89 wrote:The law school building at BU is falling apart, while GW's is really nice.

Cupidity wrote:visit GWU, it sucks, BU is heaven

???

BU's tower is actually kinda cool, but I'll admit it isn't exactly a selling point. BU's gym is top ranked in the country, if you want a gym fight we win hands down. What i'm talking about though is student culture, professors, Career Services. We have one of the hardest working CDO's out there, which more than compensates the for the 2 point difference in rank. Seriously, visit both, you'll want to be here.

They are both regional schools. Do you want to work in Boston or DC?

174 wrote:They are both regional schools. Do you want to work in Boston or DC?

TITCR

I wouldn't say the tower is "falling apart". Its very much a neutral point to us. Sure, it isn't picturesque and it isn't something I brag about to people. But at the same time, it doesn't hinder our academic experience in any way. In fact, the building has everything we require, and they are constantly altering and updating areas of the inside to better meet student needs. It may be ugly and outdated, but it definitely doesn't detract from the experience.

BU>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GW

/thread

rad law wrote:

DorianGray89 wrote:Dumbest comment ever by radlaw. International law is a type of law, with various subdivisions. There are many scholars in that field.

Hey cool semantics story bro.

http://www.annaivey.com/iveyfiles/2008/ ... e_the_hype

Best summary about why you should not go to law school hoping to specialize in "intl. law," whatever that is.

That article is about people who think International Law is about international companies, securities and whatnot, and are frustrated to find that it actually is about treaty law, law of armed conflict, law of the seas, etc. Get your facts straight.

DorianGray89 wrote:

rad law wrote:

DorianGray89 wrote:Dumbest comment ever by radlaw. International law is a type of law, with various subdivisions. There are many scholars in that field.

Hey cool semantics story bro.

http://www.annaivey.com/iveyfiles/2008/ ... e_the_hype

Best summary about why you should not go to law school hoping to specialize in "intl. law," whatever that is.

That article is about people who think International Law is about international companies, securities and whatnot, and are frustrated to find that it actually is about treaty law, law of armed conflict, law of the seas, etc. Get your facts straight.

LOL. It's way easier to get a job doing intl. transactions. There is actually demand for people to advise foreign companies on American law (and you don't need to specialize in international law do do it). A mere handful of people in the entire world do the bolded. Most of the American ones went to HYSCCN. Or they're academics, which isn't really doing law.

Incidentally, there's also work defending foreign criminal defendants in US Courts and doing international tax, if you're interested.

JAG corps might do some cool international stuff occasionally but it is much more likely that it would be run of the mill.

AreJay711 wrote:JAG corps might do some cool international stuff occasionally but it is much more likely that it would be run of the mill.

It's fairly run-of-the-mill.