Top Law Schools

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What are your career goals? Where do you want to practice?

Even without these details I think Duke is far and away the right call. NYU would be very, very expensive.

urbanist11 wrote:What are your career goals? Where do you want to practice?

Even without these details I think Duke is far and away the right call. NYU would be very, very expensive.

OP could live at home though...I''d probably pick NYU here.

If D is cheaper, D. For getting back to NY, NYU is stronger but not a ton stronger.

krads153 wrote:

urbanist11 wrote:What are your career goals? Where do you want to practice?

Even without these details I think Duke is far and away the right call. NYU would be very, very expensive.

OP could live at home though...I''d probably pick NYU here.

My mistake - skimmed over that part

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Seems like your COA for Duke may be even more than 81k if you didn't factor in the car you need to buy (along with gas, insurance, etc.) and a place to live in. I'd say NYU since you can live at home.

TheMikey wrote:Seems like your COA for Duke may be even more than 81k if you didn't factor in the car you need to buy (along with gas, insurance, etc.) and a place to live in. I'd say NYU since you can live at home.

OP didn't calculate the COA. They just gave us the projected cost for the year (provided by the school). OP should calculate the COA for the best advice, rather than making everyone else do it.

COA is 81,000 per year? I'm overly debt-averse, but that seems like way too much debt to take on given your numbers and career goals. Apply to Cornell? Have you negotiated yet? Some of the practicing attorneys can comment on this, but I'm thinking biglaw with +200,000 debt before interest isn't going to be much fun.

CFC1524 wrote:COA is 81,000 per year? I'm overly debt-averse, but that seems like way too much debt to take on given your numbers and career goals. Apply to Cornell? Have you negotiated yet? Some of the practicing attorneys can comment on this, but I'm thinking biglaw with +200,000 debt before interest isn't going to be much fun.

See my post above. OP didn't calculate anything. The cost for Duke is expected 81k/year. OP's scholly was not factored in. See OP, this is why you do the math and post the numbers, not make other people do it for you.

If just big law then I think Duke is pretty good option.

But you have to add the car expense plus if you can live at home in NYC then maybe nyu is comparable in terms of cost

If you want to work in NYC, and can go for NYU for essentially the same price, then definitely NYU. The school is a pipeline to the best NYC firms, and being in the city gives you the opportunity to network anytime with ease. You can go for an informational "interview" lunch with an alum and be back in time for class. That kind of proximity is absolutely invaluable (and I ended up with many callback interviews and offers that started with quick networking meet-ups).

Not sure where you heard that NYU has competitive/pressure environment. We were pretty widely known as the chill school back when I was there a few years ago. PM me and I can answer any Q's you may have.

I lived at home and saved money. I recommend that option highly.

Calculating your COA more correctly requires you to inflate both of your figures for a 16-17 figure, which isn't published online, but should be something you know directly from your schools. Just using a 3.5% estimate, your Duke COA for 16-17 is $84k and at NYU subtracting housing is $66k. Working all this out and adding in you buying a car of some sort to get around Durham, these two are going to cost just about the same, ~$195k if you finance everything with loans.

Since you want to work in New York, NYU seems a pretty clear choice. I'm just amazed that even a six digit scholarship at a school like Duke can't get its COA at least under $150,000.

fliptrip wrote:Calculating your COA more correctly requires you to inflate both of your figures for a 16-17 figure, which isn't published online, but should be something you know directly from your schools. Just using a 3.5% estimate, your Duke COA for 16-17 is $84k and at NYU subtracting housing is $66k. Working all this out and adding in you buying a car of some sort to get around Durham, these two are going to cost just about the same, ~$195k if you finance everything with loans.

Since you want to work in New York, NYU seems a pretty clear choice. I'm just amazed that even a six digit scholarship at a school like Duke can't get its COA at least under $150,000.

Thanks for calculating the numbers. I wouldn't go to either at these prices.

195k is too much.

And we hit that inescapable truth yet again: Law school is too damn expensive.

fliptrip wrote:And we hit that inescapable truth yet again: Law school is too damn expensive.

I just find it perplexing that 0Ls keep matriculating with massive loans.....

Also, I don't think a lot of TLSers realize that like 1/3 of your class is wealthy and has no loans whatsoever (see link below).....law school is pretty much a luxury good for the rich these days.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandr ... t-rankings

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jean100 wrote:Bumping this for some last minute advice. Finances aside, any pros/cons for life at Duke vs life at NYU?

NYU is objectively better at attaining your career goals. Go there

I love Durham and think there is a ton going on/a ton to do/it's a great place to be while in school, but I'm biased because I'm from the area. of course it's not a big city, but there is a vibrancy and culture for sure, and a strong community to be a part of.

are you in the Duke Admitted Students FB page? a while back (maybe 1-2 mos) a bunch of current students posted blurbs about what they were considering, why they decided Duke, etc. I reached out to one of them and had several super helpful, very candid conversations about his experience. they were (as you clearly experienced when you visited) so friendly and willing to chat. I wonder if any of them were in a similar position to you - there are definitely a lot of folk at Duke from NY/NJ. maybe they can offer perspective.

jean100 wrote:Bumping this for some last minute advice. Finances aside, any pros/cons for life at Duke vs life at NYU?

I'm not sure where your folks live in the New York area but if they're out in any of the suburbs, you're looking at around 45 minute commute minimum each way. In Durham, you're likely going to live a quick 10 minute drive max from the school. I know a long train or subway ride can be conceivably a good way to wind down but, as a 1L, I'd view it as time lost that could have been used to read (or procrastinate, let's be real). The nice thing about a car is that you can go really go anywhere with a road if you want to get away for a little bit. Durham is two hours from the beach and three hours from the mountains. I personally like the freedom that comes having a car and the potential for going anywhere at any time. Durham is also not an uncool place, with plenty of restaurants, bars, concerts, theater, sports, outdoor activities, and farmers markets to fill up your spare time.

Duke sends a strong plurality of its students to NYC biglaw and I think it would be higher if not for self-selection. A lot choose to go to TX, CA, or DC, among other places. But the default is NYC biglaw. So, if you're already set on NYC, I'd say it would be worth experiencing a bit of the South before you have to schlep back to the city.

Just so I'm right, finances are not an issue right? NYU is the obvious choice in this case

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