Penn vs Columbia vs NYU in Student life Forum

[homie1515]

I am wondering which of these schools I would fit into more? Can someone please describe the student life at each of them (i.e. what do students wear (pretty vs. high fashion), do they go out, is it very overtly competitive, is there camaraderie, is there a campus feel, etc?)

edit: and the quality of women at the schools would be nice information as well... lol

[Bronck]

The same general set of admittees will be choosing amongst the three schools. I go to CLS, have visited NYU (but not Penn) and they felt similar enough. Unless CoA is equal or comparable, then this shouldn't factor into your decision.

[homie1515]

so you think my decision should be solely financial? But the problem is I will be EDing to these schools (well either Columbia or NYU & Penn ED2) so i probably wont be getting any money.

[sinfiery]

NYU is like an art school UG vs that of two ivies. Cmon now.


I'm definitely factoring student life into where I end up for what It's worth

[westphillybandr]

1L at Penn-- Student Life is pretty active. People are social and want to get involved . The law school also has a pretty good relationship with the other grad schools. Faculty is very supportive and there is a ton of interaction outside of class. I also think Philly is the ideal city in which to attend graduate school. I would recommend visiting if you can. Feel free to PM me with any questions you might have.

EDIT: I'm of the opinion that student life should definitely factor into your decision. Sure, doing well and having a great job are the goals. However, student life impacts your mental health which in turn impacts how you perform. Also building relationships in law school will, to a lesser extent, impact your career long term and student life facilitates that. Student life isn't a big factor but, in my opinion, it is good that you are thinking about it.

[LRGhost]

Bro, it's fungible. They're all in big cities and the students are largely the same.

[izy223]

Village > then morningside hieghts and philly

[homie1515]

Village > then morningside hieghts and philly

Im assuming morningside heights is where NYU is?? Or would that be Columbia?

[LRGhost]

Village > then morningside hieghts and philly

Im assuming morningside heights is where NYU is?? Or would that be Columbia?

CLS.

Again dude, it's really splitting hairs. It's not like you won't be able to hang out with other people. You can try to differentiate the people who go to NYU/CLS/UPenn, but it's mostly the same applicant pool.

[izy223]

Village > then morningside hieghts and philly

Im assuming morningside heights is where NYU is?? Or would that be Columbia?

CLS.

Again dude, it's really splitting hairs. It's not like you won't be able to hang out with other people. You can try to differentiate the people who go to NYU/CLS/UPenn, but it's mostly the same applicant pool.

TITCR Im at NYU now and I love it I have a friend in CLS who loves it. Both of us insist we made the right choice and our QOL is better. One of us is wrong, we both think its the other.

And thats the difference in Student life in a nutshell.

[homie1515]

thanks for your input

[bobr]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

[mvonh001]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

and thats assuming the OP wants to live in NY... I wouldn't, but for Columbia, I would probably make the exception (IDK about NYU though)

[timbs4339]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

As a former CLS student, it's hard to think there's really any discernible difference aside from the CW that is repeated each year on TLS (and before that XO and PR) + confirmation bias. The schools are choosing between the same group of people. Students were not competitive or ruthless, and aside from a few outliers you'd find in any group of people, most were not socially awkward or weird. I used to go to ASW and people would say "wow everyone I met seems so normal." When you go into a ASW expecting to find certain behaviors or personalities you tend to notice these more.

The only major difference in "student life" is the area where you want to live. Spend at least half a day in the Village and Morningside. Check out supermarkets, restaurants, bars, parks. Where do you think you'd be happiest.

[bowser]

I generally agree applicant pools are about the same. I go to CLS and have met a decent # of NYU people, so I'll throw in a few wrinkles:

Columbia has an actual campus, where 90% of the class will be living for 1L and probably 2L years. NYU's campus is basically integrated into the Village. Location-wise NYU is better if you like good eats, access to hip neighborhoods, options for going out, etc. But I enjoy having a campus myself. I don't enjoy lugging myself all the way back to Morningside Hts when I'm out late downtown.

Columbia does a ton of school-oriented stuff which many people participate in. Bar Review is very popular; halloween party, PILF auction...all of these are well-attended, and one reason is everyone lives so close. I get the vibe the NYU student body is a little more diffuse (fewer people choose to live in school housing), probably due to lack of a campus. More people live off-campus in Brooklyn or whatever. But I'm sure NYU runs great events, too; people just may be less inclined to attend because they have other stuff going on.

Finally, and this is the most salient thing for me: I do think CLS skews slightly younger. I think CLS has the youngest student body of the T-14 (not by anything dramatic, but a somewhat higher % are straight through). There aren't a lot of 26-30 year olds here. The typical profile here is someone who worked for a year or two out of college, or is straight through.

[Nelson]

These schools are totally interchangeable in terms of student body. Your day-to-day routine will be very similar at all three.

[OutCold]

I'll speak to Penn.

The student body is really friendly, not the stuffy Ivy crowd that might be the case with the undergrad. I went to a public state school for undergrad, and I fit in just fine. It's a small class, and most people know each other at least tangentially. Perhaps that lends itself to a being a bit more like high school, but I spend a healthy dose of my time with my SO's group of friends at another grad school in the city, so I can't really comment on that aspect.

There is literally no competitiveness that I have run into. I missed a class 1L year and was met with unsolicited notes from several people. Everyone shares outlines, and everyone reminds each other of deadlines. The majority of the class gets good jobs, and there is class ranking until graduation, so nobody really knows where anyone stands. Even Law Review is less than half grade on, so no accurate conclusions can be drawn. Don't worry about what people wear... I promise that by the time finals roll around 1L year, you will look haggard in whatever you decide to throw on.

Philly itself is actually a lot better than people make it out to be. In fact, I grew up outside NYC, and I really can't pick a favorite. The village is the village, and there aren't many places like it. However, if you live in Center City Philly, the law school is easily accessible, and there a ton of great restaurants and bars right outside your door. The rents are much, much lower than the village, and everything is generally more affordable, even in the nicest areas of CC (Rittenhouse, etc). You can also opt to live in University City around the majority of your classmates, and it is much more affordable.

Playing the odds, you'll probably end up in NYC after school anyway. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

[homie1515]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

and thats assuming the OP wants to live in NY... I wouldn't, but for Columbia, I would probably make the exception (IDK about NYU though)

Exactly right, I dont want to live in NY... In fact, I would like to never have to live in NY, but i know that is not realistic considering I want biglaw. I have significant ties and connections to miami/florida in general, so maybe ill end up there. However, that being said, I would go to NY if i was going to get the best education and have the most sanity while i was there, but it seems to me, as far as i can tell, that Penn may be a better fit for me. Thanks everyone for their input, it was greatly appreciated.

Now my next question would be do you think i have a shot there ED 1 with a 3.4/3.5 - 170? Or do i need to retake and score above a 172? Ill be applying next cycle on day 1.

Financially I am fine and will have the cost covered by a family member, so I don't really care about money, meaning I wont retake the lsat if you think im good to go acceptance wise, but stil lacking to get any financial support...

Thanks

[SportsFan]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

and thats assuming the OP wants to live in NY... I wouldn't, but for Columbia, I would probably make the exception (IDK about NYU though)

Exactly right, I dont want to live in NY... In fact, I would like to never have to live in NY, but i know that is not realistic considering I want biglaw. I have significant ties and connections to miami/florida in general, so maybe ill end up there. However, that being said, I would go to NY if i was going to get the best education and have the most sanity while i was there, but it seems to me, as far as i can tell, that Penn may be a better fit for me. Thanks everyone for their input, it was greatly appreciated.

Now my next question would be do you think i have a shot there ED 1 with a 3.4/3.5 - 170? Or do i need to retake and score above a 172? Ill be applying next cycle on day 1.

Financially I am fine and will have the cost covered by a family member, so I don't really care about money, meaning I wont retake the lsat if you think im good to go acceptance wise, but stil lacking to get any financial support...

Thanks

If you don't want to live in NYC, why'd you even ask the question?
With a 3.4/3.5 - 170 you'd be in at Penn with ED, but probably not at NYU or Columbia anyway.

[homie1515]

Thread is pretty pertinent to me as these are the three schools I am currently trying to sort out. I am currently leaning towards CLS but can hand over some advice I've heard from current students and research.


Columbia - competitive, but ruthlessness is overstated. Clearly the most prestigious of the 3, but at this point how much does this matter?..
NYU - more PI focus than CLS, but more similar to CLS than anything else. Have to make a concerted effort to differentiate NYU and Columbia.
Penn - great job prospects and amicable student body. Only real downside compared to the aforementioned schools is location isn't NYU.

My 2c. Hope that helps a bit.

and thats assuming the OP wants to live in NY... I wouldn't, but for Columbia, I would probably make the exception (IDK about NYU though)

Exactly right, I dont want to live in NY... In fact, I would like to never have to live in NY, but i know that is not realistic considering I want biglaw. I have significant ties and connections to miami/florida in general, so maybe ill end up there. However, that being said, I would go to NY if i was going to get the best education and have the most sanity while i was there, but it seems to me, as far as i can tell, that Penn may be a better fit for me. Thanks everyone for their input, it was greatly appreciated.

Now my next question would be do you think i have a shot there ED 1 with a 3.4/3.5 - 170? Or do i need to retake and score above a 172? Ill be applying next cycle on day 1.

Financially I am fine and will have the cost covered by a family member, so I don't really care about money, meaning I wont retake the lsat if you think im good to go acceptance wise, but stil lacking to get any financial support...

Thanks

If you don't want to live in NYC, why'd you even ask the question?
With a 3.4/3.5 - 170 you'd be in at Penn with ED, but probably not at NYU or Columbia anyway.

Because I said i wouldn't mind living there for a better education and more sanity...

[thelawyler]

With your numbers, ED to Penn. You probably wouldn't get CN as you're below both medians, but you have a great shot at Penn. And given your preference against NYC, you might actually prefer Penn anyways.

[homie1515]

With your numbers, ED to Penn. You probably wouldn't get CN as you're below both medians, but you have a great shot at Penn. And given your preference against NYC, you might actually prefer Penn anyways.

Thanks, lets hope your right come this october. Do you recommend i write the optional essays (I probably will despite what you say)? lol

[thelawyler]

With your numbers, ED to Penn. You probably wouldn't get CN as you're below both medians, but you have a great shot at Penn. And given your preference against NYC, you might actually prefer Penn anyways.

Thanks, lets hope your right come this october. Do you recommend i write the optional essays (I probably will despite what you say)? lol

Yes, write those essays.

I say good chance because I expect medians to fall. Maybe they won't. But in previous cycles, 3.5/171 with ED to Penn was almost a lock. If applicants drop like crazy next year (and they expect their median to drop to 169 because of it), you have a great shot. If not, I haven't looked up the numbers but I think there's a reasonable shot.

I say don't ED to NYU/CLS because once you get waitlisted/rejected, you'll regret that you did when you could have locked down Penn. You're not getting scholly money from any of these schools (or other T14s) anyways. And if you do, it'll be small money.

Also, retake in June.

[homie1515]

With your numbers, ED to Penn. You probably wouldn't get CN as you're below both medians, but you have a great shot at Penn. And given your preference against NYC, you might actually prefer Penn anyways.

Thanks, lets hope your right come this october. Do you recommend i write the optional essays (I probably will despite what you say)? lol

Yes, write those essays.

I say good chance because I expect medians to fall. Maybe they won't. But in previous cycles, 3.5/171 with ED to Penn was almost a lock. If applicants drop like crazy next year (and they expect their median to drop to 169 because of it), you have a great shot. If not, I haven't looked up the numbers but I think there's a reasonable shot.

I say don't ED to NYU/CLS because once you get waitlisted/rejected, you'll regret that you did when you could have locked down Penn. You're not getting scholly money from any of these schools (or other T14s) anyways. And if you do, it'll be small money.

Also, retake in June.

Thanks, you've been very helpful.

[thelawyler]

With your numbers, ED to Penn. You probably wouldn't get CN as you're below both medians, but you have a great shot at Penn. And given your preference against NYC, you might actually prefer Penn anyways.

Thanks, lets hope your right come this october. Do you recommend i write the optional essays (I probably will despite what you say)? lol

Yes, write those essays.

I say good chance because I expect medians to fall. Maybe they won't. But in previous cycles, 3.5/171 with ED to Penn was almost a lock. If applicants drop like crazy next year (and they expect their median to drop to 169 because of it), you have a great shot. If not, I haven't looked up the numbers but I think there's a reasonable shot.

I say don't ED to NYU/CLS because once you get waitlisted/rejected, you'll regret that you did when you could have locked down Penn. You're not getting scholly money from any of these schools (or other T14s) anyways. And if you do, it'll be small money.

Also, retake in June.

Thanks, you've been very helpful.

No problem. And to further reinforce my point, myLSN's analysis of 170 with a 3.2-3.5 GPA range, ED only: 90% chance even with a 170 median.

http://www.mylsn.info/6n44ue