Top Law Schools

Thanks all!

On a general cost-benefit id say duke, but if its really that important to you and u can stomach the cost, then nyu and cls are both very good schools. If u hurry and sign those marriage documents u can both look at married couple living spaces offered by the schools and see who gets the better deal. May save u some money

Duke seems like the right call here. It is also quite prestigious and won't dilute your UG degree. Real lawyers don't pay much attention to USNWR anyway -- there was a friendly discussion at work the other day about whether Penn Law is "top 10" or not. Everyone agreed it was parochial and placed mostly in Philly haha.

I really can't give any advice on the fiancee situation, but my general advice here (NYU/CLS at sticker, Penn at 60k, and Duke at 67k) is Penn.

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go to CLS have your husband go to NYU - i feel like its healthier if you guys are in dif school PLUS double networking (I have absolutely no statistical evidence for this its just a gut feeling that it may be awkward if you and your wife are competing for the same jobs) , and live in a midtown 1 bedroom which is in the middle and cheaper then both NYU and CLS dorms.

good luck

CLS/NYU fits most of the criteria. It is the only logical choice. Prestige is a criteria for working internationally. If that is your goal, it's a no-brainer.

Does your fiance have any number above Penn's 75th? If so, there is a good chance of getting off the WL. Otherwise, probably not. Of course, even if he sits, retakes, and EDs next year, he won't likely get any money. So, at best, you save $60k, but he is still in Philly in his 3L, while you are (hopefully) overseas working.

btw: And as URM, I would be shocked if CLS doesn't give you some money.

At the same time, the idea of, between the two us, going half a mil in debt scares the crap out of me.

The simple solution is for you both to sit for a year, and for you both to retake. While you can't fix your below average GPA (for an Ivy), you can boost your money chances by clearing 170.

Big Dog wrote:CLS/NYU fits most of the criteria. It is the only logical choice. Prestige is a criteria for working internationally. If that is your goal, it's a no-brainer.

I agree, if money was not a factor, that CLS/NYU is the best option. But a combined $500K+ of debt upon graduation? Columbia just does not hand out international human rights law jobs.

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I think you should go to Columbia and your fiance to NYU. If you want to work abroad, especially in UN or other int'l orgs, names really matter. For those jobs you need to have connections (and in some cases it's all about having the right connections) and going to Columbia and living in NYC will give you far more chance to network. Duke is yet to have much name recognition outside the States and its alumni network in international law is not as strong as Columbia. If you are applying for fellowships and other scholarships, the name Columbia will give you higher chance of obtaining them too.

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aiaea wrote:their international law curriculum is only so-so.

Flame.

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Both of you should retake the LSAT. You both are clearly bright (Ivy-undergrad) and have PLENTY of room for improvement on the LSAT.

I'd deposit at CLS and NYU, sign-up for the June LSAT, see if you do better, and then decide if you want to wait a cycle, or if you get more money/off waitlists this cycle.

aiaea wrote:I thought Duke's prestige was mostly in the South?

*beats head against wall*

No. Just no.

Both my fiance and I want to end up in NYC in the long-term.

Duke is an NYC feeder school, and NYC is by far the easiest city to get from Duke. About a third of its class goes to New York. A fifth goes to DC, a fifth goes to California, and a fifth stays in the South (mainly Texas and North Carolina, but those people usually have ties). But pretty much all of them have New York as an option.

Also, Duke's name recognition factor isn't high internationally (which matters for me for UN jobs), and their international law curriculum is only so-so.

Nonsense, their program is really solid... especially if you're in the JD/LLM program. That said, Columbia and NYU are two of the four best, and the UN is within a few miles of both schools. Yes, Columbia has more name recognition internationally, but if you think NYU has more than Duke, you have clearly never been an NYU law student. My Eurofriends could not understand why I took NYU over Duke and Georgetown.

That said, I think Columbia and NYU are the right picks here for you based on what you've written.

FWIW I would go with Duke. But I could see an argument for Penn if your fiance is willing to re-apply ED (presumably with a higher LSAT). Sure it's not guaranteed he'll get in, but if he doesn't, I don't think it'll be because the applicant pool got stronger...all signs point to next cycle being at the same level or easier than this one.

fluffythepenguin wrote:Both of you should retake the LSAT. You both are clearly bright (Ivy-undergrad) and have PLENTY of room for improvement on the LSAT.

I'd deposit at CLS and NYU, sign-up for the June LSAT, see if you do better, and then decide if you want to wait a cycle, or if you get more money/off waitlists this cycle.

Duke or this.

As long as you realize the most likely outcome is going to be 3 years of biglaw each to pay off your debt (320k) at Duke and about5 years each at NYU with about 535k debt.
Also, one or both of you could possibly strike out. Unlikely, but still.


International human rights is a difficult field to get into and you will be competing versus the top of the class HYS students from what I can tell for these jobs. So feel comfortable with your backup (most likely outcome) plan.


Duke is the right financial decision but to follow your dream, the added debt versus benefit isn't the end of the world.

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