Top Law Schools

So my plan is to try out the waitlists (currently at Columbia, and MVP, but mostly hoping for M or P). In the meantime I better put a deposit at either Duke or Cornell. I haven't received my financial aid info yet.

I want to work in NYC after graduation, in the private sector (i.e. biglaw) and I will probably do IP. I realize that Cornell has ridiculously great employment data (esp. in NY) although it is ranked below Duke, but Duke is better in IP.

So I'd love to hear your opinions: is the advantage of Cornell over Duke worth living for 3 years in frozen hell?

EDIT: 54k at Duke and 75k at Cornell
EDIT 2: Duke increase offer to 60k after negotiation; on the other hand, my mother is now quite pro-Cornell due to proximity to home

The job prospects will be only slightly better for Cornell, and both are great. Go where you want to live for three years.

When are the deposit deadlines and why can't you wait to make this decision until you hear whether you get $?

Verity wrote:The job prospects will be only slightly better for Cornell, and both are great. Go where you want to live for three years.

This

Bildungsroman wrote:When are the deposit deadlines and why can't you wait to make this decision until you hear whether you get $?

April 29 for Duke and 1 wk after financial decision for Cornell. I'm a little worried over whether I'd get financial aid info from Duke before April 29 (I was admitted in mid-March and that's when I submitted the scholarship form). But also I think it is possible that Cornell provides me financial info later than Duke's deadline, and Duke's acceptance requires me to withdraw from all other admitted schools.

cornell if you want a slight edge for biglaw in nyc, but then again, i'd rather live in durham

Verity wrote:The job prospects will be only slightly better for Cornell, . . .

You're assuming that the IP job placement from Duke and the IP job placement from Cornell correlate directly to the overall placement rates. I'm not sure that's a valid assumption. I can't speak to how well Cornell does, but I can definitely tell you that the IP students at Duke have done very well on the whole--far better than the general student population. I assume the prospects from each will be roughly equivalent for OP, largely hinging on 1L grades and any specialized background. But I bet you will enjoy the curriculum, the faculty, and the weather better at Duke.

Duke = Cornell, go to the one whose location/people you like more

Cornell does have stronger placement in NYC which is your target market but if the location bothers you that much it's not really worth giving up Duke for.

thank you guys for the comments&votes! It's most likely going to be Duke unless Cornell lures me with much more $ than Duke. For once in my life I'd like to live in a warm place!

Go to whichever school has the best basketball team.

go to the one witha better hockey team

seriously go to where you like it better

ahhhh just got Duke's FinAid decision in the mail, 54k, should I negotiate, is there any hope? I kind of think with my #'s they're already being quite generous...

justhoping wrote:ahhhh just got Duke's FinAid decision in the mail, 54k, should I negotiate, is there any hope? I kind of think with my #'s they're already being quite generous...

You realize that Cornell costs $4k more per year than Duke, right? That difference is negligible, I would take Duke.

PS- Always try to negotiate. Did you send them your Cornell offer in order to get the 54k?

I was in a very similar position a couple of years ago. Tried to negotiate with Duke and got nothing extra. Since you would rather go to Duke, ask for more, then go there no matter what they say to your request. As another poster noted, Cornell is a little more pricey, so the difference is very little in the big scheme of things.

BTW - I would go to either of these schools with the scholarships rather than MVP at sticker.

bdubs wrote: You realize that Cornell costs $4k more per year than Duke, right? That difference is negligible, I would take Duke.

PS- Always try to negotiate. Did you send them your Cornell offer in order to get the 54k?

Duke and Cornell pretty much mailed out their decisions at the same time, so I haven't had a chance for negotiation. I don't know if it's going to help all that much because as you have mentioned, the cost difference. And Duke deposit is due on 29th. I should act fast now.

KMaine: I probably wouldn't take MVP at sticker, but I'm the "what-if" type of person. What if they will offer me some aid when they take me off the waitlist? I'm a wishful thinker...

Thanks for the comments/votes everyone!

I voted for Duke because some current Cornell law students have privately complained about an overly competitive atmosphere. But there is no wrong choice, just different environments. Visit both before deciding, if feasible. Otherwise consider the weather & regional placement.

Even though Cornell is giving 21k more, if you factor in the higher tuition and COL it's probably equal. I would say choose the school where you would be happy living at. NYC is the easiest market to break into + you have IP background so I don't think either of these choices are bad.

thanks again for the response! and i just sent in my 1st negotiation e-mail at noon asking whether Duke would consider matching and with whom I should speak. Will let you guys know the results since it might be helpful.

after negotiation with Duke I managed to get 6k more. At the same time my mother is now becoming quite pro-Cornell because it's close to home. I don't know what to think anymore and have basically the rest of today and tomorrow to decide!

edit: wow so many typos