NYU v CLS for Gov/PI? Forum

[gnomeo]

Have to make the call between these two. Would like to go into "international" or "environmental" law if possible, but am only confident that Biglaw is not for me. NYU certainly seems to take more pride in its public interest programs and support, but CLS seems to be trying to catch up and has more prestige, perhaps especially if I don't want to stay in the northeast long-term. NYU seems a little stronger in the broad areas I mentioned, but CLS has a few interesting programs. Assuming roughly equal debt at both schools, what's the best move?

[Ty Webb]

Do you prefer the Village or Upper Manhattan?

[mst]

Do people really make these kind of decisions based off which TLS Bar Graph Poll bar is longer? Kinda stupid.

It sounds like you already know what school is the better PI school. Let me just say this: if it's prestigious PI/GOV stuff youre going after theyre going to be well aware of how good NYU is... you won't need the ivy league name. youre not going for a doc review job in some backwater Mississippi personal injury firm here...

[thunderflesh]

Go wherever you'll be happiest. I doubt that there are any jobs you could get at one school that you couldn't get at the other.

[nyf]

Go wherever you'll be happiest. I doubt that there are any jobs you could get at one school that you couldn't get at the other.

This is absolutely correct.

[ahduth]

I still wonder about these posts, after Columbia students wrote up a petition last year protesting the inadequacy of the PI support. CLS had to put PI front and center in their presentation at ASW to try and reassure people that the program wasn't a total disaster. There is a minority who say they're happy with PI at Columbia, but there seems to be a rather vocal majority who is not.

I guess the Columbia name really is a powerful draw, even for people looking to do PI.