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I have yet to hear about $$ from Columbia, but expect to get no assistance given my #s and family resources (enough to not get need-based aid but not so much the cost of LS in NYC will be easy to shoulder). I received a 72K (24K/year) Dean's Scholly from Duke. I'm interested in constitutional law, and aspire to have a federal clerkship. I know that, personally, I will have a better quality of life in Durham than in NYC, but I'm not sure if that plus the money is enough to choose Duke over CLS. Help!!

For CLS you've listed (abstractly) what you're paying for tuition, and for Duke you've written what they're giving you. It would be more useful if you just listed your total COA at both.

Ti Malice wrote:For CLS you've listed (abstractly) what you're paying for tuition, and for Duke you've written what they're giving you. It would be more useful if you just listed your total COA at both.

Good point. Thanks for pointing this out! I anticipate COA CLS would be about $150k more than COA Duke. Yikes! Running those numbers just made my decision a lot easier (assuming CLS does, in fact, not offer me any $).

Audeamus wrote:

Ti Malice wrote:For CLS you've listed (abstractly) what you're paying for tuition, and for Duke you've written what they're giving you. It would be more useful if you just listed your total COA at both.

Good point. Thanks for pointing this out! I anticipate COA CLS would be about $150k more than COA Duke. Yikes! Running those numbers just made my decision a lot easier (assuming CLS does, in fact, not offer me any $).

Yep, no question at all that Duke wins with a cost difference that big.

Audeamus wrote:I know that, personally, I will have a better quality of life in Durham than in NYC, but I'm not sure if that plus the money is enough to choose Duke over CLS. Help!!

It is.

With 0 from cls, unless you have an overwhelming personal reason to be in NYC which it appears you dont, Duke is a clear winner. Enjoy!

So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

that shit cray

helix23 wrote:

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

that shit cray

+ a billion. I feel a little weird posting about it here (and please know that I will be making every effort to pay this person back financially even though they aren't asking for that) but I'm so torn that I need some outside advice. I'd much rather be in Durham than in NYC, so with $$ factored in my choice was pretty clear. Now that a financial angel has swooped in, my decision is so much harder. Is CLS such a better school than Duke that my geographic preference should be irrelevant? (sh*t, I can't believe how lucky I am to even have this become a dilemma).

If your benefactor is totally cool with paying $250,000, then go Columbia.

Have you ever had a chance to look at the Columbia campus? It's not at all like Duke, but it's also somewhat removed from the city and not as "New York-y" as you might fear. With your relative's offer on the table I'd definitely get a feel for both, knowing you can follow that instinct entirely.

helix23 wrote:

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

that shit cray

It happens more often than people think. OP, enjoy CLS.

Eh, I'd help save that awesome family member ~100k and still go Duke.

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

wow, that's amazing. Wish I had a family member that generous (or who even had the money to be so).

Yes, definitely go to Columbia then, unless you have very strong personal reasons for not wanting to.

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

Yea. I take back my vote for Duke. TLS is really mostly for people struggling with law school decisions due to high risk (debt) and need help maximizing opportunity -- if you arent paying for it, then you dont really need a TLS opinion or account. You just go to the best school/school you like most. The rest is fluff for poor people like us to fight over.

jbagelboy wrote:

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

Yea. I take back my vote for Duke. TLS is really mostly for people struggling with law school decisions due to high risk (debt) and need help maximizing opportunity -- if you arent paying for it, then you dont really need a TLS opinion or account. You just go to the best school/school you like most. The rest is fluff for poor people like usto fight over.

lawlz. I've been living below the federal poverty line since I graduated (doing social work). Luckily, I live in a rural area with a very low cost of living. I think this may be one reason I'm inherently uncertain about NYC. I almost fainted when I saw how much apartments cost. For those who are familiar with NYC, two questions
(1) Is it easy to access hiking trails?
(2) Are there a lot of dog parks in the city?
I realize these of sort of silly, but now that NYC looks like a real possibility, I'm curious. Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts! I really appreciate it!

Hiking trails? Near Columbia?
Well there is Riverside park
Which is gorgeous in the springtime. And you can walk all the way downtown along the Hudson , but I wouldn't call it hiking.
And yes there are dog parks. You can have your dog off the leash in the park in the morning and evening in adddition to dog parks.

Check info on the parks system for hiking in the city. There is plenty of hiking outside the city.

Audeamus wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

Yea. I take back my vote for Duke. TLS is really mostly for people struggling with law school decisions due to high risk (debt) and need help maximizing opportunity -- if you arent paying for it, then you dont really need a TLS opinion or account. You just go to the best school/school you like most. The rest is fluff for poor people like usto fight over.

lawlz. I've been living below the federal poverty line since I graduated (doing social work). Luckily, I live in a rural area with a very low cost of living. I think this may be one reason I'm inherently uncertain about NYC. I almost fainted when I saw how much apartments cost. For those who are familiar with NYC, two questions
(1) Is it easy to access hiking trails?
(2) Are there a lot of dog parks in the city?
I realize these of sort of silly, but now that NYC looks like a real possibility, I'm curious. Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts! I really appreciate it!

If those are your two primary considerations, NYC might not be for you. CLS is right next to Morningside Park and Riverside Park, but if you're looking for sprawling mountain countryside you will be sorely disappointed. Brooklyn and Queens are much cheaper than Manhattan and have a more neighborhood vibe, but then you have a 30+ minute commute to deal with. Definitely go visit and see what it's like before you commit. CLS may be objectively the better option, but that doesn't mean anything if it's a relatively worse option for you.

rickgrimes69 wrote:

Audeamus wrote:

jbagelboy wrote:

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

Yea. I take back my vote for Duke. TLS is really mostly for people struggling with law school decisions due to high risk (debt) and need help maximizing opportunity -- if you arent paying for it, then you dont really need a TLS opinion or account. You just go to the best school/school you like most. The rest is fluff for poor people like usto fight over.

lawlz. I've been living below the federal poverty line since I graduated (doing social work). Luckily, I live in a rural area with a very low cost of living. I think this may be one reason I'm inherently uncertain about NYC. I almost fainted when I saw how much apartments cost. For those who are familiar with NYC, two questions
(1) Is it easy to access hiking trails?
(2) Are there a lot of dog parks in the city?
I realize these of sort of silly, but now that NYC looks like a real possibility, I'm curious. Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts! I really appreciate it!

If those are your two primary considerations, NYC might not be for you. CLS is right next to Morningside Park and Riverside Park, but if you're looking for sprawling mountain countryside you will be sorely disappointed. Brooklyn and Queens are much cheaper than Manhattan and have a more neighborhood vibe, but then you have a 30+ minute commute to deal with. Definitely go visit and see what it's like before you commit. CLS may be objectively the better option, but that doesn't mean anything if it's a relatively worse option for you.

Those definitely aren't my primary considerations. I grew up in another major city and have visited NYC frequently. I was merely asking those questions out of curiosity. I'm aware you have to go outside the city to get to real hiking. I was just wondering how far outside one has to go. Hiking and dog parks aren't enough of a reason to choose Duke over CLS for me. Sorry my post wasn't very clear!

Audeamus wrote:So I was just contacted by a ridiculously generous family member who informed me that money should not be a factor in my decision and that they will take care of it. (I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest person in the world! I'm literally shaking from gratitude.) Does this change anyone's vote?

on a different note...how in the world am I ever supposed to thank this person? Ideas are welcome.

I guess your long lost uncle, thurston howl, finally killed Gilligan and got off that island. Damn you are in an enviable position. I came to this thread a few times before and left no vote cause it was a difficult one. Now cls seems so easy to pick lol.

Congrats and enjoy!

Also, it's no hiking but the west side highway has a pedestrian walkway that is next to the water below the highway. It's a beautiful place to walk/jog/run/bike. Morningside park is a few blocks from columbias campus. Central Park of course.

Columbia has a rock climbing club that takes a van out to the gunks regularly. If you wanted to, I'm sure you could join/start a hiking club and take trips out to ny state and get what you need.

Also, you could take up urban hiking aka PARKOUR!!!!!!

Edit: ideas for thanking mr. howl: invite them to your graduation, give them your cap, buy them a copy of the diploma, donate to the school in their name when you have a job, send them cls stuff, take them to dinner on your first paycheck, idk. I'd probably just lay prostrate and weep for an hour.

As long as there's no strings attached, just go to CLS. The paternalism in TLS is starting to go too far - now we are looking out for someone's rich uncle?

Tekrul wrote:If you wanted to, I'm sure you could join/start a hiking club

Please do this. See you at CLS, assuming I ever get my aid letter.

ChampagnePapi wrote:As long as there's no strings attached, just go to CLS. The paternalism in TLS is starting to go too far - now we are looking out for someone's rich uncle?

Seriously. OP. Go to CLS.