Top Law Schools

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I voted NYU. These are tough choices to make, but Cornell and NYU are both NYC-centric. While NYU has a high COL, Cornell's tuition is one of the highest in the T14. I think in this case the extra cost at NYU is worth it. You'll get everything you can get from Cornell plus a great LRAP (if that's your thing), and better placement.

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def do penn for that 60% NLJ placement. who cares about sticker...thats what PAYE is for.

I don't think $45,000 is enough of a difference to choose Cornell here. I would also throw in all the usual caveats about paying sticker at ANY law school and be certain you really want to do that if you have to borrow all of that money. I think NYU versus Penn is a toss-up. I continue to believe NYU has a bit of an edge over Penn for NYC biglaw, but I certainly can't prove it, the fact that Philly is cheaper mitigates it, and I'm not unbiased. I'd base this decision mainly on your preference for location and school size, I think those are going to be the major distinctions.

The tax consequences of doing something like PAYE (for a private sector career) make it completely crazy to rely on if you're planning on borrowing $250,000+.

What's your COA for each?

This. Cornell's tuition is stoopid high (though of course all they all are). But it might not be that much of a discount depending.

At face value, all the options seem similar enough. Since you prefer NYUs intangibles, go to NYU.


Does Upenn land as preftigous biglaw gigs as NYU btw? Or do we have no idea?

But before anything, try to negotiate.

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sinfiery wrote:At face value, all the options seem similar enough. Since you prefer NYUs intangibles, go to NYU.


Does Upenn land as preftigous biglaw gigs as NYU btw? Or do we have no idea?

But before anything, try to negotiate.

The consensus seems to be that NYU places better into V10 firms, but I haven't seen any hard numbers on it

Greeno wrote:

sinfiery wrote:At face value, all the options seem similar enough. Since you prefer NYUs intangibles, go to NYU.


Does Upenn land as preftigous biglaw gigs as NYU btw? Or do we have no idea?

But before anything, try to negotiate.

The consensus seems to be that NYU places better into V10 firms, but I haven't seen any hard numbers on it

On some level it's a volume and access thing. If you want to go work at Davis Polk, you can be one of the 100 NYU students they give callbacks to or one of the 20 (? just guessing) Penn students they give callbacks to. Even if on a per capita basis the numbers ultimately aren't that different, all the top NYC firms recruit dozens of NYU students and it strikes me as easier to get swept up in one of those waves and get an offer at one of them. Top 1/3 gives you a pretty reasonable shot at a V10ish firm, I'd be surprised if that will get you a look at Skadden from Penn, though I could be wrong.

Greeno wrote:
Thanks for the responses

I have no substantial savings coming out of undergrad, so whatever the most recent estimates of sticker cost are for NYU and Penn. Obviously, I'd try to keep down living costs wherever I go, but I don't have any advantages in that department (i.e. no family in the area or anything like that). I know Cornell raised tuition this year, not sure about the other two. Cornell is estimating cost at $77k. So pre-interest it'd be around 185k for Cornell vs. $235k+ for NYU/Penn.

I'm a big fan of Cornell (disclosure: 3L at Cornell here), and I think it's close, but unless you get a little more money from Cornell I'd probably go with NYU. The same firms are in play, more or less, but the numbers are just a bit better. Another $15k from Cornell would tip the scales for me, though.

Others have answered NYU as the clear choice here as I would have, but in response to your "at what point do I accept Cornell $" question, I would say if Cornell bumped you to $25K/year to zip from NYU, it would be in range. anything below that and the opportunity cost is in NYU's favor.