NYU vs Penn Forum

[abg]

NYU is ranked slightly higher but Penn has the Ivy league tag. I feel like these differences are marginal to the point that I should make the decision purely on fit/financial aid, but I'd really appreciate any input to the contrary. I'd also appreciate any specific thoughts on either school that would help in making this decision.

[lawyerwannabe]

Since the two school are similarly ranked and offer very similar job prospects, I would choose UPenn if I had the decision between it and NYU. The main reason: COL. Beyond that, it really would come down to fit and any financial aid/scholarship money that was offered.

[abg]

What does COL stand for? I'm sure it's obvious but I'm not a regular on TLS

[sonervous88]

What does COL stand for? I'm sure it's obvious but I'm not a regular on TLS

Cost of living.

[sonervous88]

BTW i'm currently between NYU Upenn and Columbia and confused out of my mind if anyone has any advice

[eaa1537]

BTW i'm currently between NYU Upenn and Columbia and confused out of my mind if anyone has any advice

+ 1. And I was also invited to apply for a Levy at Penn, which complicates my decision even further. I'm planning on just visiting these schools and then compare any aid I might get from Columbia/NYU with whatever I do end up getting from Penn. Either way I don't think we can go wrong in our decision!

[almightypush]

NYU is ranked slightly higher but Penn has the Ivy league tag. I feel like these differences are marginal to the point that I should make the decision purely on fit/financial aid, but I'd really appreciate any input to the contrary. I'd also appreciate any specific thoughts on either school that would help in making this decision.

[AreJay711]

Overall placement is very similar but I have heard that the very top firms will take more people from CCN than MVP so if you want NYC then NYU might be a better choice. If you want anywhere else it doesn't matter and if you think you might want Philly then Penn is better.

[sonervous88]

BTW i'm currently between NYU Upenn and Columbia and confused out of my mind if anyone has any advice

+ 1. And I was also invited to apply for a Levy at Penn, which complicates my decision even further. I'm planning on just visiting these schools and then compare any aid I might get from Columbia/NYU with whatever I do end up getting from Penn. Either way I don't think we can go wrong in our decision!

I wasn't invited to apply for a "levy" damn lol you were also held at harvard??? what were your scores? looks like we're in similar situations. and ppl keep saying it but i just want to make the best decision you know?

[eaa1537]

I wasn't invited to apply for a "levy" damn lol you were also held at harvard??? what were your scores? looks like we're in similar situations. and ppl keep saying it but i just want to make the best decision you know?

There's a link to my lsn in my profile. I'm trying to not rush into making a decision based purely on rankings or location right now. In my opinion the difference between these schools isn't great enough for me to turn down a substantial offer from one of them just because the other is higher ranked. But I could end up not liking my visits so we'll see what happens.

And to the OP, I would advise you just visit the schools and see if either of them are willing to give you any scholarships. If you've received offers from other schools this would help as leverage. If one of them will offer you money then I'd go with that school, especially because it's more expensive to live in NY. But if neither school will give you aid, then it come down to whether you really want to be in NY/work there after.

[spondee]

The most important question is whether there's a discernable difference in employment prospects (but good luck figuring that out).

So realistically, I'd say significant differences in cost matter most. Then, I'd look to fit, including educational or extracurricular opportunities, location, campus, people, etc. One thing I'd recommend is asking faculty and administration A LOT of questions during ASW. And least are things like USNWR rankings or Ivy membership or other things that may give your self-esteem a warm and fuzzy feeling.

[BeachandRun23]

Not a HUGE difference between the schools, but I think NYU has an advantage in NYC. I'd say for NYC, choose NYU. For anywhere else, choose which ever school you like better.

[jcunni5]

Im thinking Penn lower col and similar big law chances

If ur dead set on an elite NYC firm then NYU but otherwise penn's nlj 250 numbers are usually equal or greater than nyu that might change tho keep an eye out for new nlj numbers coming at the end of feb.

[ahduth]

The Skadden associates I asked told me, once you can go to a top five school (which includes NYU in their book), you shouldn't look outside of those. Although I'm sure you're still getting a top flight education at Penn, it doesn't have NYU's brand name.