NYU ($65k) or Columbia ($30k)? Have to commit tonight! Forum

[421.NYC]

Hi all,

I was offered $65k in aid for NYU, which needs to be actively accepted or rejected tonight, along with a withdrawal from any other school if I accept. Columbia was my preference, but they only offered $30k, even after being made aware of the NYU scholarship and a $75k scholarship at Duke (I spent most of the day desperately chasing an offer letter from CLS, and got it at like 4pm).

Is there any discernible reason to turn down the NYU offer? I certainly emotional want to go with CLS, which seems like an established "old lion" that may have prestige benefits, but I don't know if that's me being emotional and irrational.

FWIW, my hope is to pursue a clerkship and/or Big Law, and preferably to practice in Chicago within the next 10 years. I will have some savings from working, and hope/expect to be able to pay $50k-$100k out of pocket without loans, depending on the year I have.

Thoughts?

[TLSModBot]

Take NYU. IF you're going for Clerkship/BigLaw you'll have fantastic odds and less debt than at Columbia.

[Trippel]

Agree with the poster above. Go to NYU.

[proteinshake]

did you not get into UChicago or NU? but as to your question, I'm voting for NYU since there really isn't much of a difference between NYU and CLS from what I've read and NYU is cheaper. (note I'm also an 0L)

[Mullens]

Did you apply to Northwestern?

[421.NYC]

did you not get into UChicago or NU? but as to your question, I'm voting for NYU since there really isn't much of a difference between NYU and CLS from what I've read and NYU is cheaper. (note I'm also an 0L)

Waitlisted at both. Have tried working Chicago in particular, and would certainly have matriculated with a comparable offer, but them's the breaks I guess.

Thanks to you (and all) for responses. I sort of want there to be a reason to go to Columbia, but I'm not surprised to find that people don't think there is a good one. Or more importantly, a $35k-worth one.

[proteinshake]

did you not get into UChicago or NU? but as to your question, I'm voting for NYU since there really isn't much of a difference between NYU and CLS from what I've read and NYU is cheaper. (note I'm also an 0L)

Waitlisted at both. Have tried working Chicago in particular, and would certainly have matriculated with a comparable offer, but them's the breaks I guess.

Thanks to you (and all) for responses. I sort of want there to be a reason to go to Columbia, but I'm not surprised to find that people don't think there is a good one. Or more importantly, a $35k-worth one.

since you want to end up in Chicago, would you have chosen NU over these two if you got in? also do you mind mentioning you numbers?

[421.NYC]

did you not get into UChicago or NU? but as to your question, I'm voting for NYU since there really isn't much of a difference between NYU and CLS from what I've read and NYU is cheaper. (note I'm also an 0L)

Waitlisted at both. Have tried working Chicago in particular, and would certainly have matriculated with a comparable offer, but them's the breaks I guess.

Thanks to you (and all) for responses. I sort of want there to be a reason to go to Columbia, but I'm not surprised to find that people don't think there is a good one. Or more importantly, a $35k-worth one.

since you want to end up in Chicago, would you have chosen NU over these two if you got in? also do you mind mentioning you numbers?

Just over a 175 LSAT, just under a 3.5 GPA, several years substantive work/life experience (...well, my life isn't that substantive, but you get the idea).

The answer to that NU question is "probably yes" and I do wonder if I should've applied ED at NU, but no use crying over spilled milk.

There's always the part of you that thinks (for the same reason people pay sticker at HYS when they have massive scholarships at other great schools) that even if you're pretty darn likely to stick to a standard BigLaw path, that there may be something lost in going to a school that's lower in the traditional rankings--that voice that says maybe just maybe I'll be a remarkably good student or something in law school and can get access to some truly unlikely opportunities. I like Chicago and just want to live there and make a decent living...but what if there's a top job/clerkship/teaching position/whatever that could be available to me if I go to the better school??

It's probably dangerous thinking--and probably a related intuition is why I have ill-advised big eyes for CLS. But it's also probably why UC seemed like a better bet than NU, even though average outcomes are almost certainly pretty similar. Natural tendency to want to keep "doors open".

[proteinshake]

did you not get into UChicago or NU? but as to your question, I'm voting for NYU since there really isn't much of a difference between NYU and CLS from what I've read and NYU is cheaper. (note I'm also an 0L)

Waitlisted at both. Have tried working Chicago in particular, and would certainly have matriculated with a comparable offer, but them's the breaks I guess.

Thanks to you (and all) for responses. I sort of want there to be a reason to go to Columbia, but I'm not surprised to find that people don't think there is a good one. Or more importantly, a $35k-worth one.

since you want to end up in Chicago, would you have chosen NU over these two if you got in? also do you mind mentioning you numbers?

Just over a 175 LSAT, just under a 3.5 GPA, several years substantive work/life experience (...well, my life isn't that substantive, but you get the idea).

The answer to that NU question is "probably yes" and I do wonder if I should've applied ED at NU, but no use crying over spilled milk.

There's always the part of you that thinks (for the same reason people pay sticker at HYS when they have massive scholarships at other great schools) that even if you're pretty darn likely to stick to a standard BigLaw path, that there may be something lost in going to a school that's lower in the traditional rankings--that voice that says maybe just maybe I'll be a remarkably good student or something in law school and can get access to some truly unlikely opportunities. I like Chicago and just want to live there and make a decent living...but what if there's a top job/clerkship/teaching position/whatever that could be available to me if I go to the better school??

It's probably dangerous thinking--and probably a related intuition is why I have ill-advised big eyes for CLS. But it's also probably why UC seemed like a better bet than NU, even though average outcomes are almost certainly pretty similar. Natural tendency to want to keep "doors open".

I think the doors are the same when it comes to CLS v. NYU. I think UChicago has an advantage over both. regardless, all are amazing options.

[Clemenceau]

Cls doesn't open more doors than nyu hth

[Mullens]

I would deposit at NYU and try to get NU or UChi to beat your NYU scholarship if you get in off the waitlist. With your LSAT score, I wouldn't be surprised if you got into one or both off the waitlist. Definitely don't withdraw those applications.

[timbs4339]

CLS alum - I'd pick NYU.

[kaiser]

I'd take the extra $$ and go to NYU.

[jbagelboy]

for your goals, I don't think CLS provides a $35k higher value. Historically there is some placement benefit to Columbia, which I think gives it the edge at equal cost, but its not really worth paying serious money for.

the "traditional rankings" don't mean anything, and people that spend lots of money to trade up "rankings" to go to one of the "top three" or "top four" or "top five" schools are kidding themselves (the "hys" and "mvp" and stuff like that is made up on TLS).

[Portjefferson]

the "traditional rankings" don't mean anything, and people that spend lots of money to trade up "rankings" to go to one of the "top three" or "top four" or "top five" schools are kidding themselves (the "hys" and "mvp" and stuff like that is made up on TLS).

Interesting. I hear what you're saying, but how does that square with the advice that there really are certain positions that are truly better accessible from, say, YLS? Is your point that, insofar as the OP's goals are biglaw, the differences between hys and t6 don't matter?

[Nebby]

the "traditional rankings" don't mean anything, and people that spend lots of money to trade up "rankings" to go to one of the "top three" or "top four" or "top five" schools are kidding themselves (the "hys" and "mvp" and stuff like that is made up on TLS).

Interesting. I hear what you're saying, but how does that square with the advice that there really are certain positions that are truly better accessible from, say, YLS? Is your point that, insofar as the OP's goals are biglaw, the differences between hys and t6 don't matter?

Well OP wants biglaw and that position is what people are opining on, not other positions