Top Law Schools

melekal wrote:Very fair; for what it is worth I am not trying to be purposefully flippant. Very aware of COA, but planning on paying my own way if necessary. Though if it's naive to say that one should pick a school based on "fit", I appreciate the perspective.

rpupkin wrote: If one of those three schools ends up being significantly cheaper than the other two, go to the cheaper one.

melekal wrote:
Pros, as I see it:
Chi: Ranking, quarter system, bookish culture, placement (clerking & otherwise?)
Penn: Prestige (lols),biglaw placement, Philly (double lols), access to Wharton (triple lols, if I was in to the JD/MBA it probably wouldn't be a question here)
Berkeley: West coast, diversity,west coast placement, sunshine, hippies, more granola (but actually, culture is huge for me)
Cost

acr wrote:lol @ casually discarding money as unimportant; I honestly don't understand people in your position who can seemingly just turn their nose and essentially ignore financial implications when it concerns ~3 years of your future and ~$250,000K

melekal wrote:West-coast gal interested in clerking, then east-coast (NYC preferred) biglaw. Anticipate that I'll love it, but want the option to move back west to settle down/escape frostbite/run away if/when my granola self can't deal with the brusqueness of it all.

Still awaiting $$, but it is not a deciding factor for me. Would take the right school and fit at sticker.

Pros, as I see it:
Chi: Ranking, quarter system, bookish culture, placement (clerking & otherwise?)
Penn: Prestige (lols), biglaw placement, Philly (double lols), access to Wharton (triple lols, if I was in to the JD/MBA it probably wouldn't be a question here)
Berkeley: West coast, diversity, west coast placement, sunshine, hippies, more granola (but actually, culture is huge for me)

WL'ed at Columbia, so anticipating that these will be my best options. Also, I have this weird attachment to good ole Georgetown and I can't seem to get rid of it. Might be the Madam Secretary binge-ing of late.

Any insight/trolling/sharing/commiserating is appreciated.

snm263 wrote:I went to NYU for undergrad and got into Berkeley and I am seriously considering Berkeley because after living in NYC for 7 years, I am ready for a change - even if it's only for three years - and despite thinking NYC is the best city in the world.
I think you should consider allowing yourself the opportunity to try something new.

I agree with you 100% that school should not be predominately about cost. I'm not rich or even well off and cost would still be the last factor when considering a school.
Great - you spent 1-2 years longer paying off loans but you get a diploma from a school that you're most proud of for the rest of your life. If you can get the opportunity to immerse yourself in a school culture and city that really interests you - you should strongly consider that.

Other that going on a visit to all three schools I'd consider these 4 factors

School Culture - Chicago because it has the strongest academic culture (if you're into that)
School Name - Penn or Chicago. Penn has the Ivy brand but Chi is considered a better school
School Ranking (Law/National/International) - (Chi/Chi/Berkeley)
School Location - Totally up to you

1. Chi
2. Penn
3. Berkeley

P.S.

Anyone who keeps bringing up cost when the poster clearly says to ignore it is completely useless and annoying. Clearly $ is relevant but he/she hasn't heard back about their awards and is asking for an opinion based on something other than that. You act like if you got into Fordham and Harvard you would consider cost at all, you'd ignore it - so for the sake of helping instead of troll, try your best to not think about money, money, money.

snm263 wrote:Great - you spent 1-2 years longer paying off loans but you get a diploma from a school that you're most proud of for the rest of your life. If you can get the opportunity to immerse yourself in a school culture and city that really interests you - you should strongly consider that.

rpupkin wrote:

snm263 wrote:I went to NYU for undergrad and got into Berkeley and I am seriously considering Berkeley because after living in NYC for 7 years, I am ready for a change - even if it's only for three years - and despite thinking NYC is the best city in the world.
I think you should consider allowing yourself the opportunity to try something new.

I agree with you 100% that school should not be predominately about cost. I'm not rich or even well off and cost would still be the last factor when considering a school.
Great - you spent 1-2 years longer paying off loans but you get a diploma from a school that you're most proud of for the rest of your life. If you can get the opportunity to immerse yourself in a school culture and city that really interests you - you should strongly consider that.

Other that going on a visit to all three schools I'd consider these 4 factors

School Culture - Chicago because it has the strongest academic culture (if you're into that)
School Name - Penn or Chicago. Penn has the Ivy brand but Chi is considered a better school
School Ranking (Law/National/International) - (Chi/Chi/Berkeley)
School Location - Totally up to you

1. Chi
2. Penn
3. Berkeley

P.S.

Anyone who keeps bringing up cost when the poster clearly says to ignore it is completely useless and annoying. Clearly $ is relevant but he/she hasn't heard back about their awards and is asking for an opinion based on something other than that. You act like if you got into Fordham and Harvard you would consider cost at all, you'd ignore it - so for the sake of helping instead of troll, try your best to not think about money, money, money.

Your post is far closer to trolling than the posts that suggest that cost should be important to the OP. I like how you can write with a straight face that Penn's name is better than Berk--and equal to Chicago--because "Penn has the Ivy brand." And then, just a few sentences later, you accuse everyone else of trolling. Pathetic.

rpupkin wrote:

snm263 wrote: Other that going on a visit to all three schools I'd consider these 4 factors

School Culture - Chicago because it has the strongest academic culture (if you're into that)
School Name - Penn or Chicago. Penn has the Ivy brand but Chi is considered a better school
School Ranking (Law/National/International) - (Chi/Chi/Berkeley)
School Location - Totally up to you

1. Chi
2. Penn
3. Berkeley

P.S.

Anyone who keeps bringing up cost when the poster clearly says to ignore it is completely useless and annoying. Clearly $ is relevant but he/she hasn't heard back about their awards and is asking for an opinion based on something other than that. You act like if you got into Fordham and Harvard you would consider cost at all, you'd ignore it - so for the sake of helping instead of troll, try your best to not think about money, money, money.

Your post is far closer to trolling than the posts that suggest that cost should be important to the OP. I like how you can write with a straight face that Penn's name is better than Berk--and equal to Chicago--because "Penn has the Ivy brand." And then, just a few sentences later, you accuse everyone else of trolling. Pathetic.

snm263 wrote: Well based on my research online and through asking several international people - Berkely is very well recognized internationally (hence the breakdown between of rank based on law/national(university as a whole)/and international (university as a whole). You should probably look that up before spending 4 min writing a response to something that was only up for 5 min. And grab some water because your thirst is real strong.

WheninLaw wrote:

snm263 wrote:Great - you spent 1-2 years longer paying off loans but you get a diploma from a school that you're most proud of for the rest of your life. If you can get the opportunity to immerse yourself in a school culture and city that really interests you - you should strongly consider that.

You are a dangerous 0L. This is terrible advice and should be avoided like the plague.

And sorry, we're not going to ignore cost because OP is not concerned about it. That's the point - OP should be. We don't "ignore rankings" and help someone pick between Cooley and John Marshal.

She has received some very sage advice in this thread. Yours is not.

rpupkin wrote:

snm263 wrote: Well based on my research online and through asking several international people - Berkely is very well recognized internationally (hence the breakdown between of rank based on law/national(university as a whole)/and international (university as a whole). You should probably look that up before spending 4 min writing a response to something that was only up for 5 min. And grab some water because your thirst is real strong.

Now you've shifted from "bad advice" mode to "non sequitur" mode. I have no idea why you think any of the above is relevant to the OP's decision. And I certainly don't understand why you feel comfortable giving an applicant strong advice (and insulting the advice of others!) based on a combination of online research and a few conversations with "international people"--whatever that means.

Also, I don't understand the "your thirst is real strong" remark. I think it's supposed to be some kind of insult. In any event, you reminded me to get a glass of water, so thanks.