Georgetown vs. Columbia (next year) Forum

[carey.love]

Hey Guys!!!

I had a quick question for you all--could really use some advice here. My decision comes between attending Georgetown this upcoming Fall, or postponing law school for another year and attending Columbia. I know this sounds like an unusual situation, but instead of questioning how I know I would get into Columbia next year, please just help me out a little and answer under this hypothetical which I firmly believe to be true.

I would REALLY appreciate it...and also, any feedback as to your reasoning would be awesome too.

Thanks a lot!

[smokeylarue]

First of all, banking your life on a hypothetical much higher LSAT is never a good idea. However, retaking and waiting out a cycle is never the worst option in the world if you think you can do better. If this choice was actually real, its a no brainer worth sitting out the year to me. Columbia >> Georgetown.

[carey.love]

Why is it a no-brainer? I love both DC and NYC, so I would be happy in either place.

Does Columbia produce better job prospects, first year salaries, what makes it so much better?

Also, would you say the same thing if I replaced Georgeown with UVA or Penn?

Thanks!

[eaper]

Why is it a no-brainer? I love both DC and NYC, so I would be happy in either place.

Does Columbia produce better job prospects, first year salaries, what makes it so much better?

Also, would you say the same thing if I replaced Georgeown with UVA or Penn?

Thanks!

Wait a year for Columbia. Even if UVA or Penn, wait a year, get a job, go to Columbia. Waiting a year will give you time to pay off debt/save money to pay off future debt, think about what you're going to do, fill our your resume, and make connections. Columbia will also just put you in a better position then GTown, UVA, or Penn. Unless you're dead set on going now, you should wait.

[abccc]

Why is it a no-brainer? I love both DC and NYC, so I would be happy in either place.

Does Columbia produce better job prospects, first year salaries, what makes it so much better?

Also, would you say the same thing if I replaced Georgeown with UVA or Penn?

Thanks!

Wait a year for Columbia. Even if UVA or Penn, wait a year, get a job, go to Columbia. Waiting a year will give you time to pay off debt/save money to pay off future debt, think about what you're going to do, fill our your resume, and make connections. Columbia will also just put you in a better position then GTown, UVA, or Penn. Unless you're dead set on going now, you should wait.

I am curious about this as well. Obviously, not in the same situation, but just wondering if Columbia is really that much better than UVA, Penn, Gtown as the previous poster suggested?

Can anyone give a little insight into this? I understand the name seems like it may carry more weight at first impression, but what exactly does going to Columbia give you as an advantage over these others schools?

[Nobody]

The kind of legal employment that most people here are interested in (that is, the kind that lets you feed yourself) is based around a model of doing on campus interviews and hiring freshman classes of recent graduates each year. If you miss that one shot, you're pretty much out of the running and have to manage to figure something out on your own. More firms come to Columbia and hire deeper into the class. This is because of a lot of reasons, but the practical effect is that a greater percentage of the class gets the kind of jobs that justify the expense of law school.

If you really do have a choice between Georgetown and Columbia, it's a no brainer, unless maybe Georgetown was offering a LOT of money. Also, to the OP, you really shouldn't think of this as a choice between DC and New York, since DC is so competitive that Georgetown doesn't place very well there.

And yes, UVA and Penn also offer markedly better prospects than Georgetown, for more or less the same reason. Georgetown has a smallish endowment that doesn't let it throw money around, too big of a class size, and it's home market is in the most competitive hiring environment in the country, which negates any advantage it might otherwise have there.

The anti-Georgetown mood on this board can be a little overblown on this board, and it's still a very good school in the grand scheme of things, but, in terms of setting you up for employment after graduation, it's really not in the same league as Columbia. Accepting the premise that you really do have a choice between the schools, Columbia is what you want.