Cornell vs. Georgetown Forum

[83748]

Cornell vs. Georgetown. I'm torn.

- want to live and work in DC
- want biglaw, also potentially interested in some international work
- no $ from Cornell, still waiting to hear from Georgetown

What are pros and cons of each? I know law school is expensive and I'm prepared for that. Cost of attendance isn't a huge issue. Honestly a little worried about being in Ithaca for 3 years. Isn't part of the reason Georgetown's employment rankings are so low because it's self selecting?

[cavalier1138]

What does "money isn't a huge issue" mean? LSAT/GPA? Are you comfortable doing biglaw somewhere besides DC?

[83748]

What does "money isn't a huge issue" mean? LSAT/GPA? Are you comfortable doing biglaw somewhere besides DC?

As in I'm not letting cost of attendance affect my decision.

I prefer DC because family is from the area. I would consider NYC for a few years, but that's not what I'm aiming for.

[cavalier1138]

As in I'm not letting cost of attendance affect my decision.

I prefer DC because family is from the area. I would consider NYC for a few years, but that's not what I'm aiming for.

Ok, but when you say you're not letting it affect your decision, does that mean that you won't have debt? What's your actual COA for each school, and how are you financing it?

DC biglaw is extremely difficult to break into, regardless of where you go, so you may want to be prepared to spend some time in NYC.

[83748]

As in I'm not letting cost of attendance affect my decision.

I prefer DC because family is from the area. I would consider NYC for a few years, but that's not what I'm aiming for.

Ok, but when you say you're not letting it affect your decision, does that mean that you won't have debt? What's your actual COA for each school, and how are you financing it?

DC biglaw is extremely difficult to break into, regardless of where you go, so you may want to be prepared to spend some time in NYC.

Yes sorry, I mean I'll be able to finance it and graduate debt free.

Considering the difficulty of breaking into DC biglaw, does it make more sense to go to school in DC? Have access to semester externships, networking, etc.? I know Cornell has a stellar placement rank in NYC, which is making me rethink.

[guynourmin]

Isn't part of the reason Georgetown's employment rankings are so low because it's self selecting?

What does this mean? If it means their JD advantage jobs are all cool CIA jobs that we should count when considering their employment, then their employment score is still close to 15 pts lower than Cornell.

[Dcc617]

As in I'm not letting cost of attendance affect my decision.

I prefer DC because family is from the area. I would consider NYC for a few years, but that's not what I'm aiming for.

Ok, but when you say you're not letting it affect your decision, does that mean that you won't have debt? What's your actual COA for each school, and how are you financing it?

DC biglaw is extremely difficult to break into, regardless of where you go, so you may want to be prepared to spend some time in NYC.

Yes sorry, I mean I'll be able to finance it and graduate debt free.

Considering the difficulty of breaking into DC biglaw, does it make more sense to go to school in DC? Have access to semester externships, networking, etc.? I know Cornell has a stellar placement rank in NYC, which is making me rethink.

If you or your parents are loaded, then don't worry about COA. If you have a lot of savings or your parents are going to reverse mortgage their house or something, then please reconsider. Law school is probably not worth blowing your retirement, inheritance, etc. You'd be better off sticking your money in an index fund and retaking.

D.C. is tough for every school. Georgetown places around 40% of its students in DC, and about 40% in biglaw overall. Those aren't great numbers. Cornell has much better biglaw placement (63%) and much better employment stats overall. I don't know if either is worth sticker, even if not debt financed (unless someone is loaded).

[Lavitz]

Considering the difficulty of breaking into DC biglaw, does it make more sense to go to school in DC? Have access to semester externships, networking, etc.? I know Cornell has a stellar placement rank in NYC, which is making me rethink.

Would just like to point out that OCI is after 1L summer, and you're not going to extern during 1L, so I highly doubt access to semester externships is going to help you get DC biglaw. And if you spend 1L summer in DC, that's plenty of time to network. I have no idea what it's like at GULC, but I know you can get the lower end DC firms at around median from Cornell if you interview well. But in general, you're right, DC biglaw is no guarantee from either school, which is why you'd want to consider what your backup would be if you don't get it. If some legal job in DC > non-DC biglaw, then I could see picking GULC. If biglaw anywhere > non-biglaw job in DC, I'd pick Cornell.

[buckiguy_sucks]

Considering the difficulty of breaking into DC biglaw, does it make more sense to go to school in DC? Have access to semester externships, networking, etc.? I know Cornell has a stellar placement rank in NYC, which is making me rethink.

Would just like to point out that OCI is after 1L summer, and you're not going to extern during 1L, so I highly doubt access to semester externships is going to help you get DC biglaw. And if you spend 1L summer in DC, that's plenty of time to network. I have no idea what it's like at GULC, but I know you can get the lower end DC firms at around median from Cornell if you interview well. But in general, you're right, DC biglaw is no guarantee from either school, which is why you'd want to consider what your backup would be if you don't get it. If some legal job in DC > non-DC biglaw, then I could see picking GULC. If biglaw anywhere > non-biglaw job in DC, I'd pick Cornell.

Though GULC at sticker is a terrible decision I just want to point out a couple things here.

1) I know students at GULC who have hustled for externships during Spring 1L though they didn't do them for credit or anything so it was just kind of crazy to me 2) Fall 2L externships are on your resume at OCI time 3) networking with DC lawyers during 1L fall and spring semester can give you a bit of a leg up since you're doing it before their crazy ~everyone wants to network with me~ period during the summer.

On the other hand DC is a tough market and I know plenty of above median people at GULC that did poorly in it. There are firms that take median folks from Georgetown in DC but they're tough nuts to crack because everyone wants them and they typically only take one person. Like Cornell it's going to come down to how well you interview