Choosing between Yale and Stanford Forum

[Almost1L]

The topic says it all. Go!

Pluses, minuses, throw it all on the table.

[txdude45]

The topic says it all. Go!

Pluses, minuses, throw it all on the table.

edit: woosahhhh

[ndirish2010]

The general rule is that Yale is the answer to any question on TLS. I could see going to Stanford if you really just wanted to work in CA.

[spicyyoda17]

Of the few folks that I know that chose Stanford over Yale, it was due to special circumstances, such as having a family and liking the environment/housing at Palo Alto better, wanting to remain in CA long-term, etc.

It appears that the general consensus is not to turn down Yale, but I do think for some Stanford may be a better fit depending on personal circumstances.

[vzapana]

i know some people who chose S over Y because new haven wasn't a fit. one SLS student i know, a Y undergrad who also got into YLS, said she just didn't feel safe in the city. new haven does have a very high violent-crime rate. (--LinkRemoved--)

[ManOfTheMinute]

Of the few folks that I know that chose Stanford over Yale, it was due to special circumstances, such as having a family and liking the environment/housing at Palo Alto better, wanting to remain in CA long-term, etc.

It appears that the general consensus is not to turn down Yale, but I do think for some Stanford may be a better fit depending on personal circumstances.

TITCR

[Almost1L]

I am aware of the general consensus on TLS.

However, can anyone provide any actual list of
Advantages and disadvantages? I have searched
For this extensively. I do not have any "special circumstances"
So I am asking point blank for advantages and
Disadvantages.

Thanks!

[star fox]

Are you more of an East Coast or a West Coast kind of guy (or girl)? Those are both terrific schools, obviously, so you can't go wrong either way. If you want to work in New York or any other eastern timezone go to Yale, if Cali or the west coast is more your thing go to Stanford.

Just my two cents.

[Almost1L]

From the east coast. I've spent a little
Bit of time in the bay and loved it. But I can't
Say whether I'm one type of guy or the other.

In which case I still need tangible differences.

E.g clerkships, student attitudes, atmosphere,
Professor quality, job prospects, quality of life,
Etc. etc. definitely looking for whatever you
can all throw out there!

[052220151]

You're set either way. Choose Stanny because Palo Alto>>>>>>>>>>New Haven.

[spicyyoda17]

Employment: Slight-edge Y > S
If you want government work or federal clerkships, Yale is #1, but Stanford is close behind; this holds true for Academia as well. However, both schools place extremely well in these fields (relative to other schools).
If you want BigLaw, both are strong.
Stanford will place slightly better in the West and Yale slightly better in the East, but a big part of that is self-selection.

Grades/Academics: Slight-edge Y > S
In terms of clinics and programs, both schools are strong, so it depends on what interests you plan on pursuing.
As for grades, both have a more relaxed grading scale, although Yale has no grades for first semester 1L.
Yale is known to be more theoretical, which some people like and some people don't.

Quality of Life: Edge S > Y
Although this is a matter of "fit," the weather and surrounding area of Palo Alto is known to be more enjoyable than that of New Haven. As a student, both schools will provide opportunities to be challenged, meet interesting people, and explore your career and personal interests.

Prestige: Slight-edge Y > S
Both schools offer a nice brand name for law school, but Yale carriers slightly more weight in the legal community.

Cost: Even
Stanford is a little more expensive than Yale, but Stanford also generally offers slightly better aid, which tends to offset the additional costs. The cost question will depend on personal circumstances, but overall, there is generally not a huge discrepancy when calculating the 3-yr total COA.

[vzapana]

Employment: Slight-edge Y > S
If you want government work or federal clerkships, Yale is #1, but Stanford is close behind; this holds true for Academia as well. However, both schools place extremely well in these fields (relative to other schools).
If you want BigLaw, both are strong.
Stanford will place slightly better in the West and Yale slightly better in the East, but a big part of that is self-selection.

Vault does give Stanford a higher employability rating in terms of firm hiring. (http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/edu ... aw-ranking - Stanford is ranked #1, while Yale is ranked #10)

[Ti Malice]

Visit both during ASW (since they didn't stupidly schedule them at the same time this year) and see what you think. Yale was a pretty easy choice for me.

I can't overstate the positive impact on QOL and the general atmosphere of starting off with an ungraded semester. I also hate the idea of the quarter system. Having only one semester of required courses is another huge plus. Northern California certainly beguiles (not so much Palo Alto), but New Haven is not nearly as bad as I expected. I certainly prefer living in East Rock to the idea of living in Munger, but that's a personal thing. Job prospects from both are stellar. YLS traditionally outperforms everyone on clerkships, though SLS had a great year last year. I think part of that had to do with the fact that SLS (and GULC) went off-plan last year, to their students' benefit, while other schools did not; it remains to be seen if they will continue to perform at the same level. If you have any interest in legal academia, YLS is the easy choice. YLS has a larger, more diverse clinical program. No one can compare professor quality (if you're referring to teaching ability), because no one has attended both schools. I think it's a safe guess that both places have talented instructors as well as a few people who should never be allowed to teach a class.

I'm sure there are areas where SLS is stronger, but I'm not really the person to ask, because YLS is stronger in all of my areas of interest. But you can't really go wrong here. Visit them both.

[rickgrimes69]

Yale has marginally better employment prospects in general. Stanford is marginally better for CA and has better QOL. You knew both of these things already.

/thread

[Almost1L]

Thanks for the responses so far everyone! So helpful!

I guess I am still failing to see the leg up that yale has other than "marginally better" employment.

And people seem to be giving a decent amount of weight to qol at Stanford.

In which case, are people mainly choosing Yale for prestige and academia?

What exactly am I missing here. As the poster above me mentioned that I pretty much knew those things already.

[Ti Malice]

I guess I am still failing to see the leg up that yale has other than "marginally better" employment.

In which case, are people mainly choosing Yale for prestige and academia?

What exactly am I missing here. As the poster above me mentioned that I pretty much knew those things already.

I can't overstate the positive impact on QOL and the general atmosphere of starting off with an ungraded semester. I also hate the idea of the quarter system. Having only one semester of required courses is another huge plus. Northern California certainly beguiles (not so much Palo Alto), but New Haven is not nearly as bad as I expected. I certainly prefer living in East Rock to the idea of living in Munger, but that's a personal thing. Job prospects from both are stellar. YLS traditionally outperforms everyone on clerkships, though SLS had a great year last year. I think part of that had to do with the fact that SLS (and GULC) went off-plan last year, to their students' benefit, while other schools did not; it remains to be seen if they will continue to perform at the same level. If you have any interest in legal academia, YLS is the easy choice. YLS has a larger, more diverse clinical program. No one can compare professor quality (if you're referring to teaching ability), because no one has attended both schools. I think it's a safe guess that both places have talented instructors as well as a few people who should never be allowed to teach a class.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I am not an expert on choosing between Yale and Stanford. But really, it's not like either is a bad choice. It sounds to me, OP, like you're looking for someone to give you permission not to go to Yale? In which case: you can turn down Yale and go to Stanford. It's really okay. (If that makes you think, "But I WANT to go to Yale!", then go to Yale.)

[ph14]

Where would you rather live for 3 years? There's no wrong answer.

[francesfarmer]

New Haven is a raging shithole.

[Almost1L]

haha, mouse it appears you have hit it slightly on the head.

I was slightly trolling to see what the general consensus would be on choosing Stanford over Yale.

You caught me.

[francesfarmer]

haha, mouse it appears you have hit it slightly on the head.

I was slightly trolling to see what the general consensus would be on choosing Stanford over Yale.

You caught me.

I applaud you for making the right choice for yourself and ignoring the rankingswhoring that goes on around here.

[nebula666]

If you want to clerk, I would probably lean towards Yale but in any other case, go where you are happiest.

[southwick]

I think that one thing that remains to be said is that people go to Yale because the yield is so high. That is, if you go to S or H, the assumption is that you didn't get into Y. And, given Yale's yield and small number of acceptances, that's probably true. I don't think there's any value-added from Y that you're not going to get from H or S, but the fact remains that getting into Y is so exclusive that it's a very strong signal (to employers, government, judges, whatever) that you were an extremely qualified candidate. People trust law school admissions offices.

I say this as someone who made this decision last year and chose Stanford (and not looking back). It was absolutely the right decision for me, but as a Yale student told me, if you make that decision, you have to be okay with not telling people you got into Yale. She was right, and that's a hard signal to be okay with not making.

[Almost1L]

Southwick,

I definitely am not looking for bragging rights. I don't have any special connection to Stanford either. I just
feel like I would get a better qol there and be more focused. PM if you can talk.

Thanks.

[cinephile]

New Haven is a raging shithole.