Chicago 90k vs. Columbia 75k Forum

[berniewilliams]

Interested in public interest/government work after school (would be happy with starting at state/local gov level)... leaning Chicago but interested in any thoughts! Thanks!

Chicago (90k) (120k debt total)
Pros- Cost of living+scholarship offer, small size, clerkship percentage, contact with faculty
Cons- Lay prestige (if interested in work outside of law in distant future), midwest (from NE, want to work in NE)

CLS (75k) (170k debt total)
Pros- NYC location, larger alumni network, safer area
Cons- Cost of living+scholarship offer, focus on corporate law, large class size

[edited with a few more specifics]

[beepboopbeep]

Interested in public interest/government work after school... leaning Chicago but interested in any thoughts! Thanks!

Chicago (90k) (120k debt total)
Pros- Cost of living+scholarship offer, small size, clerkship percentage, contact with faculty
Cons- Lay prestige (if interested in work outside of law in distant future), midwest (want to work in NE)

CLS (75k) (170k debt total)
Pros- NYC location, larger alumni network, safer area
Cons- Cost of living+scholarship offer, focus on corporate law, large class size

Outcomes are extremely similar. Your debt estimations are probably a bit on the low side for both unless there's family/savings involved. FWIW I picked Chicago with reversed scholarship amounts last year - CoL difference between Hyde Park and NYC is substantial.

I wouldn't worry about getting to NE after grad from Chicago. We send relatively fewer grads to NYC than CLS but it's almost entirely self-selection; CA/Chicago are harder markets to get. I don't know if there's a big difference in gov placement but that's such a white whale it's hard to weigh heavily either direction.

Especially if you're PI-focused, my advice would be to take the money and run. But you can't go especially wrong either way.

[2014]

This shouldn't be a real dilemma. I could make the argument that Chicago is worth equal or higher cost but at lower cost it isn't close. Also Columbia's neighborhood isn't really safer or more dangerous than Hyde Park.

Not sure why LRAP wasn't included on your pros/cons list but ours is better too

[beepboopbeep]

This shouldn't be a real dilemma. I could make the argument that Chicago is worth equal or higher cost but at lower cost it isn't close. Also Columbia's neighborhood isn't really safer or more dangerous than Hyde Park.

Not sure why LRAP wasn't included on your pros/cons list but ours is better too

Eh, I'm about the biggest Hyde Park partisan there is, but NYC is a much safer city in general. Morningside Heights is a fair bit less sketchy and much more connected to the rest of Manhattan than Hyde Park is to Chicago. Whether that marginal difference is worth $$ is another story.