Top Law Schools

Hi! This is actually the first time I'm posting on TLS, even though I've been an avid reader for the past several months.
Thus far, Cornell and Georgetown are the only T14 schools I've gotten into.
(Got into Cornell in late March, and got off the waitlist at Georgetown just this month.)
Neither is giving me any $, but I'm pretty set on choosing between these two (unless I miraculously get off the waitlist at Michigan).

To give you some background about myself....
I'm a foreign student, and while I cannot predict the future, my dream is to join an international organization or an NGO dedicated toward international development and human rights.
While this criterion alone makes Georgetown a very attractive option (due to its location in the D.C.), I am not ruling out Big Law just yet, as it is my personal belief that those who are capable of working in the private sphere would also be at a much stronger standing later on to contribute to public interest.
So the difference between the two in terms of job prospect at major law firms is also an important criterion for me.
Lastly, I am slightly concerned about the large student body at Georgetown.
I'm actually very interested in what you guys have to say on this last point.
Do you think the large size is a negative factor in terms of excelling academically or getting a job?

While I AM leaning toward Georgetown, would love to hear what you guys think before I make my final decision in the weeks ahead.
Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you guys!

For what you're interested in, it sounds like DC's location would give you the chance to get internships during the academic year and build the connections you need to get into that legal area.

I'd try and ask both schools for some money though, it never hurts to ask and both of them at sticker are going to leave you in huge amounts of debt. (Although I don't know if being an international student excludes you from financial aid)

Moxie wrote:For what you're interested in, it sounds like DC's location would give you the chance to get internships during the academic year and build the connections you need to get into that legal area.

I'd try and ask both schools for some money though, it never hurts to ask and both of them at sticker are going to leave you in huge amounts of debt. (Although I don't know if being an international student excludes you from financial aid)

Thanks for your quick input, Moxie!
Unfortunately, Cornell already turned down my request for grants/loans.
I am actually thinking about making similar request to Georgetown...
As you said, I guess it never hurts to try.

Georgetown's size & location offers more options to the undecided. Cornell is best suited, in my opinion, for those intensely focused on securing a position in biglaw.

Do you want a big city or a quiet smaller town? Do you want to be able to pay back your loans through a few years of biglaw? Dunno how gtown does bar review, but cornell pays for your booze through Bartabs

My apologies for the late replies.
I'm in Asia right now, and I'm afraid I was deep asleep when you guys posted replies...

CanadianWolf wrote:Georgetown's size & location offers more options to the undecided. Cornell is best suited, in my opinion, for those intensely focused on securing a position in biglaw.

Well... I guess this is exactly why I am attracted to Georgetown despite Cornell's name value and allegedly stronger job prospect in the NYC market...
I guess I'm trying to be as pragmatic as possible in my decision.
From everything I've read on TLS thus far, graduates of both law schools seem to target the NYC market a lot... (perhaps due to the fact that D.C. market is very tough to crack?)

In terms of securing a job in New York, how much of an advantage do you guys think the Cornell degree will have over that of Georgetown?

clone22 wrote:Do you want a big city or a quiet smaller town? Do you want to be able to pay back your loans through a few years of biglaw? Dunno how gtown does bar review, but cornell pays for your booze through Bartabs

While I am interested to learn what it would be like to live in a big city in the US, I am not too concerned about the general environment. As for the biglaw option, I am pretty certain that I would try my best to secure a position at major law firms. Definitely not a biglaw-or-bust type though...

CanadianWolf wrote:Georgetown's size & location offers more options to the undecided. Cornell is best suited, in my opinion, for those intensely focused on securing a position in biglaw.

This is the main reason why I chose Georgetown over Cornell.

Cornell - Biglaw
GTown - PI/Gov

The small class size at cornell helps them place a significantly higher percentage of their class in biglaw especially in nyc. For nyc biglaw, cornell seems to have a real advantage. Georgetown has a very differently structured and probably better lrap for those working for gov agencies and non-profit orgs. This is more Georgetown's strength. However for someone who wants to start in private practice but would consider transitioning to something else cornell's lrap is better because it allows you to join the program at any point in your career instead of only right out of school (this probably means within a regular payback period which may be considered 10 years, not sure). So in some ways cornell actually offers you better flexibility if you can get the jobs of course.

Even with self-selection and more attractive government options (better lrap and more access to gov/non-profits/adgencies in dc), cornell's significant edge in nlj250 placement (this year almost twice as good as gtown) can not be easily explained away. (In other years in the past georgetown may have placed only ten or fifteen percent worse than cornell which could more easily be explained by self-selection). But I do not really think that either option really closes any doors... you just have different advantages.