Top Law Schools

Here is my situation:

I am currently committed to Washington University in St. Louis. I've tracked down an apartment, paid two deposits and as of yesterday morning was all set to go. Alas, in the afternoon I found out that I was admitted off the waitlist at Cornell.

Important factors:
-I have 84K worth of scholarship at Wash U, without any kind of challenging GPA minimum
-I have no desire for BigLaw or anything corporate, but I am ambitious and aspire to prestigious government/public interest jobs.
-Eventually, I'm talking 10-15 years down the road, I will probably look to settle on the East Coast. I love the DC area and its suburbs

Would really appreciate an opinion or two, I am struggling a lot with this decision. Thank you!

ebw1080 wrote:I have no desire for BigLaw or anything corporate

Then I wouldn't take Cornell at sticker.

bk187 wrote:

ebw1080 wrote:I have no desire for BigLaw or anything corporate

Then I wouldn't take Cornell at sticker.

+1.

Cornell is really admitting lots of wait-listed people, at least on TLS. Probably lots of early admits are saying "No, thanks."

EDIT: I bet Cornell will also lose this poll.

This seems like a pretty easy choice for Wash U. In the interest of full disclosure though, I am still hoping to get off reserve at Cornell. I have the same offer from Wash U and will be leaning toward Cornell if I get it because I want biglaw, but if I didn't, there's no way I would pay 100k more for Cornell.

Kabuo wrote:This seems like a pretty easy choice for Wash U. In the interest of full disclosure though, I am still hoping to get off reserve at Cornell. I have the same offer from Wash U and will be leaning toward Cornell if I get it because I want biglaw, but if I didn't, there's no way I would pay 100k more for Cornell.

Maybe you are next on the list. Good luck!

Thanks for the responses all. What does everyone make of the prestige factor of Cornell for the purposes of getting jobs in the Federal Government- ie DOJ, US GAO, etc?

Cornell, IMO, will give you way better mobility, especially on the East Coast. I know you said you don't care for Biglaw, but are you saying this to be humble, or do you really want to avoid it? If the latter, then Cornell will still give you much better opportunities (for gov and academia, too), though the debt burden may not compensate for them, so WUSTL may be the right choice. If the former, then don't sell yourself short, and go to Cornell.

Cornell @ sticker is too expensive if you don't want biglaw.

Go to WashU.

Zero desire for anything corporate. Ideal job is working for the Federal government. Also, have interest in academia as well.

I voted for WUSTL. OP did you try to get off the wait list at Cornell or did this totally surprise you?

If you want to be on the East Coast, and you're aiming for prestigious government/PI work, it seems to me that it would make more sense to go to the more prestigious school on the East Coast and take advantage of IBR+PSLF.

OP, since you have no interest in Biglaw, it seems that WUSTL would be the choice; however, prior to making a decision, I'd evaluate how Cornell's LRAP program fits in the picture.

As for Cornell waitlist,total surprise. Didn't send them anything- other than a willingness to stay on the list. I honestly had forgotten about it (Hence the apt in St. Louis) Once again, thanks all for the feedback. Just to note- I do eventually want to be on the East Coast, but I really am talking long term. Am I likely to be so constrained by my first few post-law school jobs that a move to the East Coast is a significantly uphill process?

Do you eventually want to practice law on the east coast?

ebw1080 wrote:Thanks for the responses all. What does everyone make of the prestige factor of Cornell for the purposes of getting jobs in the Federal Government- ie DOJ, US GAO, etc?

In general, federal gov't hiring is way more about work experience and professional contacts than where you went to school.

DOJ and the White House are exceptions, as the Office of Legal Counsel, etc are pretty much as competitive as it gets... the majority are HYS grads. DOD is also hard to get... but I bet they value defense policy specialization more than school prestige.

If you want Capitol Hill, do several internships there and network like crazy.
If you want an agency (DOT, Ed, VA, etc), prestige doesn't matter as much as specializing in that issue area.
I bet you'd need a strong economics background for GAO.

Keep in mind, though, that if you plan on going into the fed gov't, many agencies have great loan repayment programs, and you may be able to get your remaining student loan debt forgiven after 10 years.

jcdc wrote:

ebw1080 wrote:Thanks for the responses all. What does everyone make of the prestige factor of Cornell for the purposes of getting jobs in the Federal Government- ie DOJ, US GAO, etc?

In general, federal gov't hiring is way more about work experience and professional contacts than where you went to school.

DOJ and the White House are exceptions, as the Office of Legal Counsel, etc are pretty much as competitive as it gets... the majority are HYS grads. DOD is also hard to get... but I bet they value defense policy specialization more than school prestige.

If you want Capitol Hill, do several internships there and network like crazy.
If you want an agency (DOT, Ed, VA, etc), prestige doesn't matter as much as specializing in that issue area.
I bet you'd need a strong economics background for GAO.

Keep in mind, though, that if you plan on going into the fed gov't, many agencies have great loan repayment programs, and you may be able to get your remaining student loan debt forgiven after 10 years.

Youll be able to get all your debt forgiven after 10 yrs of government service (at any leve) no matter what, plus some agencies have programs that will help with the already lower IBR payments in those 10 yrs.

Go to Cornell so I can have your WUSTL spot.

What is the total COA for each school ? Although Cornell could be as high as $220,000, I am not sure of COA at WashUStL.

Cornell is having a tough time filling their class this year despite a strong NLJ250 placement year.

The atmosphere at Cornell Law differs substantially than that at WashUStL from what I have heard & read. Have you visited either law school while in session ?

I have the same deal as OP, and I calculated it to be just shy of 100k.

My initial opinion is that WashUStL is the better choice due to lower cost & your lack of desire for NYC biglaw.

My personal financial situation is such that my debt would be 170K at Cornell and about 70K at Wash U. As far as atmospheres, I won't be able to visit Cornell, but I did visit Wash U and really got a good feel. CanadianWolf, what have you read/heard about the atmosphere at Cornell?

With only a $100,000 difference, you have a tough choice.

I've heard & read that Cornell Law is an intense atmosphere. Heavy work load & competitive culture since many are seeking NYC biglaw positions. Cornell law students rated themselves as the hardest working law students in the nation. Read the TLS Cornell Law School profile.

If you want prestigious gov/PI, I'd go with Cornell and take advantage of their LRAP.

This is a question of how much debt you can stomach, since wash u does not beat cornell at anything you want:

east coast= cornell
prestigious govt job= cornell
academia= cornell
lastly, you would be surprised how many employers in NY have not heard of wash u. good luck to you.

A number of my friends (including myself) took Cornell with little or no money over WUSTL full-rides. I think it's probably the best move assuming you're either going to take advantage of loan repayment and/or seeking corporate. Because you want public interest or government work, you qualify. And definitely Cornell has a serious edge over WUSTL for east coast.