ultimate chicago vs columbia thread Forum

[rayiner]

At Columbia, everyone is gunning for NYC, and there's no hope of going to Chicago if that's not your thing.

I think saying there is "no hope" of going to Chicago is a bit strong. Certainly a lower chance than UofC, but (especially with ties) I think people from CLS have at least a fighting chance at Chicago (everything else being equal).

Yes, that is certainly true with ties. Chicago firms usually don't hire without ties though. NYC is about the only market that will hire without any real ties. If you have ties to neither city, going to UofC will establish a tie to Chicago and thus open up an extra market in addition to your home market and NYC.

You need a more credible reason than just going to U of C. Chicago firms grill U of C/NU students very strongly about their ties.

My suggestion would be to start dating a midwestern girl once you get to law school.

[ahduth]

Not sure about the "clinical interests" PI bit with regards to U of C - what does that entail, wanting to work for the John Birch Society? I will admit being a conservative at NYU would probably be a pain in the ass, considering all the "save the world" business that goes on over here. But for anyone who is looking to do public interest work, supposedly the LRAP is top notch, and the support infrastructure at the school is probably an aspect of what embarrassed CLS into putting a "our PI program doesn't suck" presentation at the forefront of their ASW. Can't speak for U of C, but the graduation numbers don't seem to imply that the PI support is terribly developed either.

you are a not-so-subtle troll. I went to ASW and saw none of this. I bet they said one thing and you will be riding it for the rest of your career.

They had an hour long presentation on their PI program immediately following the Dean's introduction - at least at the one I went to, I think CLS had three ASWs if I recall correctly.

But the above poster who talked about cutting your teeth at a big firm, then trying to make a move to a DoJ job, a plaintiff firm, or something else along those lines is a pretty credited strategy. A few years at Sidley on your resume isn't going to hurt you in the long run. There's a "know your enemy" angle there for people who are looking to do certain types of work in particular.

[TaipeiMort]

At Columbia, everyone is gunning for NYC, and there's no hope of going to Chicago if that's not your thing.

I think saying there is "no hope" of going to Chicago is a bit strong. Certainly a lower chance than UofC, but (especially with ties) I think people from CLS have at least a fighting chance at Chicago (everything else being equal).

Yes, that is certainly true with ties. Chicago firms usually don't hire without ties though. NYC is about the only market that will hire without any real ties. If you have ties to neither city, going to UofC will establish a tie to Chicago and thus open up an extra market in addition to your home market and NYC.

You need a more credible reason than just going to U of C. Chicago firms grill U of C/NU students very strongly about their ties.

My suggestion would be to start dating a midwestern girl once you get to law school.

So true. I had 10 callbacks from the median in 9 markets. NONE were in Chicago (and I interviewed with eight to ten Chicago offices). The only people I know with Chicago offers at UChicago are law review grade-ons, Midwesterners, and transfers.

[Old Gregg]

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