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I like both NYU and Columbia, but all else being equal I would prefer to go to Columbia. I just recently received the news that I would be receiving $37.5k from NYU whereas I have no offers from Columbia. My total debt at repayment for each is as follows (I have some outside help/savings):

NYU - ~$66,000
Columbia - ~$101,000

My tentative goal right now is to shoot for Big Law, at least to start out my career. Are opportunities at the two schools so similar that the $35k difference makes it worth going to NYU?

NYU. Congrats!

NYU

Weaselfish wrote:My tentative goal right now is to shoot for Big Law, at least to start out my career. Are opportunities at the two schools so similar that the $35k difference makes it worth going to NYU?

Yes

Weaselfish wrote:I like both NYU and Columbia, but all else being equal I would prefer to go to Columbia

All else isn't equal

Also just re-read the OP and realized that it's 37.5k TOTAL from NYU, not per year. That means that you've got huge outside help/savings. I'm not sure either is the best call but whatever. If a significant portion of the 150k+ non-debt financing is coming out of your savings, it's probably more prudent to go to Cornell with $$ and pocket most of your savings.

transferror wrote:Also just re-read the OP and realized that it's 37.5k TOTAL from NYU, not per year. That means that you've got huge outside help/savings. I'm not sure either is the best call but whatever. If a significant portion of the 150k+ non-debt financing is coming out of your savings, it's probably more prudent to go to Cornell with $$ and pocket most of your savings.

+1.

Housing at NYU is more expensive, make sure you have accounted for that. Not 37.5k more expensive, but more.

NYU. Easy choice given the 35K disparity. If you were talking a 5 or 10K difference, I could see letting your preference for Columbia make up the difference. But there is no difference between the schools that would justify throwing away 35K. Biglaw prospects out of both schools are fantastic, and nearly identical.

A potentially good way to look at it is this: 35k is probably one more "required" year of Big Law. Better said, you'd have to stay in Big Law for one more year.

Is 1 year of living shitty worth saying you went to Columbia?

Factoring in higher COL at NYU, this is like a $25K difference. IMO, that's a pick'em if you want Biglaw, where CLS has an ever-so-slight placement advantage.

Thanks for the replies so far! I used LST's debt calculator, so cost of living should be included (I think). Most of the outside help is coming from my parents, alongside a chunk coming from myself. I got waitlisted at many lower ranked schools, and Cornell didn't send any money my way. Strange cycle, but I'm set on NYC.

The higher col at nyu is offset by slightly higher tuition+fees at cls

LSTs total coa at each is literally within dollars of each other

Weaselfish wrote:Thanks for the replies so far! I used LST's debt calculator, so cost of living should be included (I think). Most of the outside help is coming from my parents, alongside a chunk coming from myself. I got waitlisted at many lower ranked schools, and Cornell didn't send any money my way. Strange cycle, but I'm set on NYC.

Well in that case I go back to my first answer: NYU.
In a vacuum, that's a great price for CLS but you haven't given us a compelling reason to justify paying the extra $$

You said that, all else equal, you would prefer Columbia. Do you have some specific reasons why? If you think that you'd be happier at CLS (you liked the people, you don't want to live/be downtown, etc.), that may be a compelling reason to choose it over NYU at that price difference. If not (e.g. you prefer the name, or something stupid/trivial like that), definitely go to NYU.

I'm also trying to figure out what is up against that 35K. Think of a scale. One one side you have a stack of cash totaling 35K. What is on the other side that outweighs it? I'm just not seeing it, unless there is more info you haven't revealed yet.

JFO1833 wrote:Housing at NYU is more expensive, make sure you have accounted for that. Not 37.5k more expensive, but more.

Why do people keep making this comparison regarding cost of living, as if you HAVE to live in the village or the NYU dorms if you go to NYU.

NYU is at the the narrow end of the island and most of the major express subway lines run within five minute walking distance of the campus. You can easily find a more affordable apartment uptown or in brooklyn and commute to the village with a 20-30 minute commute (one way). Theyre in the same city, as an NYU student, I can keep my cost of living as law as a Columbia student and vice versa.

Skool wrote:

JFO1833 wrote:Housing at NYU is more expensive, make sure you have accounted for that. Not 37.5k more expensive, but more.

Why do people keep making this comparison regarding cost of living, as if you HAVE to live in the village or the NYU dorms if you go to NYU.

NYU is at the the narrow end of the island and most of the major express subway lines run within five minute walking distance of the campus. You can easily find a more affordable apartment uptown or in brooklyn and commute to the village with a 20-30 minute commute (one way). Theyre in the same city, as an NYU student, I can keep my cost of living as law as a Columbia student and vice versa.

Columbia provides subsidized apartment housing; NYU's housing is dorm-style, and more expensive. That doesn't mean that you can't find off-campus affordable housing, but it's not easy to find off-campus housing for less than $1000 per month (utilities included) unless you want to move to NJ, which may effect quality of life (which also matters). That being said, as the poster above admitted, it's not 37.5k more expensive, or even close.

If you don't think CLS is worth 12 k a year more go to NYU. Then go see a psychiatrist.

nyu col is higher, but cls tuition is higher. therefore coa is almost identical
also as skool said, plenty of people save money by not dorming, esp older students such as myself
opportunities are substantially similar for bl. if your main consideration is cost and placement, go to the cheaper school

michlaw wrote:If you don't think CLS is worth 12 k a year more go to NYU. Then go see a psychiatrist.

Solid contribution.

tlsapp2017 wrote:

Skool wrote:

JFO1833 wrote:Housing at NYU is more expensive, make sure you have accounted for that. Not 37.5k more expensive, but more.

Why do people keep making this comparison regarding cost of living, as if you HAVE to live in the village or the NYU dorms if you go to NYU.

NYU is at the the narrow end of the island and most of the major express subway lines run within five minute walking distance of the campus. You can easily find a more affordable apartment uptown or in brooklyn and commute to the village with a 20-30 minute commute (one way). Theyre in the same city, as an NYU student, I can keep my cost of living as law as a Columbia student and vice versa.

Columbia provides subsidized apartment housing; NYU's housing is dorm-style, and more expensive. That doesn't mean that you can't find off-campus affordable housing, but it's not easy to find off-campus housing for less than $1000 per month (utilities included) unless you want to move to NJ, which may effect quality of life (which also matters). That being said, as the poster above admitted, it's not 37.5k more expensive, or even close.

I would only add that Columbia seems to be estimating monthly room/utility expenses at $1356. I am confident I can find a place (including utilities) somewhere on the 123/ACE/BD/456 (to get to NYU) for at or less than that amount. I might have to find a roommate (whereas Columbia estimates it for a single), but it can certainly be done without needing to go to NJ or significantly hurt quality of life.

how are people not understanding that nyu does not cost more than cls

nyu's col is $4k higher than cls col
cls's tuition is $4k higher than nyu tuition
so it comes out to be exactly even

lst debt financed at repayment is 317,429 for cls
and it's 317,426 at nyu
there is obviously intentional matching between the schools
they cost the same, before you factor in aid

so 37.5k more in aid literally means 37.5k less in cost
that's roughly 45k less in debt at repayment
and $67k less in total payments made on a standard 10 year plan
(numbers via lawschool22 cost calculator)

@skool
yea it's easy to work within that budget
i've been commuting into manhattan since i moved here in 2010. lots of people take the subway in nyc
having to commute from, say, brooklyn is nbd. i do it and i know lots of others here who do to
my apt costs under $800/mo with only a single roomie, and i have much more room than if i were to dorm. when i lived in bushwick my rent was under $500 (with three roomies tho). there are reasonable options in the outer boroughs

if there's interest by op or other posters i'd be happy to go into which neighborhoods are best for nyu commuters and prices i've paid in previous apts