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UVA vs Northwestern vs Georgetown
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:24 pm
by A Swift
Hey Guys,
What are your thoughts between UVA - Northwestern - Georgetown?
Things to consider:
-I want a collegial atmosphere and experience.
-I have several friends in Chi-Town, although they are of the clubbing/partying type.
-I currently attend a commuter undergrad and hate it.
-Lay prestige is important to me.
-I would like to practice in NY or CA.
-I would like to have a little fun in law school, if possible.
Thanks as always!
A Swift
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:30 pm
by scribelaw
Visit both and pick the one you like better.
You seem to be describing a desire to attend UVA -- fratty atmosphere, more campus feel, etc.
Also, lay prestige is a stupid priority to have in picking a law school, but in this case, they're pretty much a wash anyway.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:35 pm
by A Swift
scribelaw wrote:.Also, lay prestige is a stupid priority to have in picking a law school, but in this case, they're pretty much a wash anyway.
I appreciate the criticism. You honestly believe Northwestern and UVa are a wash to lay people?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:13 pm
by flyingpanda
A Swift wrote:Hey Guys,
What are your thoughts between UVA and Northwestern?
Things to consider:
-I want a collegial atmosphere and experience.
-I have several friends in Chi-Town, although they are of the clubbing/partying type.
-I currently attend a commuter undergrad and hate it.
-Lay prestige is important to me.
-I would like to practice in NY or CA.
-I would like to have a little fun in law school, if possible.
Thanks as always!
A Swift
1. UVa
2. NW.
3. There is no such thing as a commuter law school. (I'm assuming you mean where most people go home on the weekends, not that they commute every day to school).
4. I can only speak for the West Coast, but neither of them have that much lay prestige out here. Northwestern prob has slightly more.
5. Depends on your personality
Seriously, lay prestige shouldn't factor into your decision that much. Visit both... pick one.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:27 pm
by chutzpah
a note on lay prestige: I went to UVA for undergrad and had to explain to several people back home in NYC that UVA was not the University of Vermont. Outside Harvard and some of the other big names, it just doesn't matter. UVA will more than make up for your lack of a college atmosphere in undergrad but Northwestern has the city of Chicago...
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:36 pm
by Z3RO
Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:42 pm
by im_blue
A Swift wrote:Hey Guys,
What are your thoughts between UVA and Northwestern?
Things to consider:
-I want a collegial atmosphere and experience.
-I have several friends in Chi-Town, although they are of the clubbing/partying type.
-I currently attend a commuter undergrad and hate it.
-Lay prestige is important to me.
-I would like to practice in NY or CA.
-I would like to have a little fun in law school, if possible.
Thanks as always!
A Swift
1. UVA
2. NU
3. UVA
4. NU
5. about equal
6. depends on your preference (clubbing/partying at NU vs softball/beer at UVA)
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:46 pm
by 09042014
If you are deciding based on quality of life factors, you really need to visit both.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 5:49 pm
by rayiner
A Swift wrote:Hey Guys,
What are your thoughts between UVA and Northwestern?
Things to consider:
-I want a collegial atmosphere and experience.
-I have several friends in Chi-Town, although they are of the clubbing/partying type.
-I currently attend a commuter undergrad and hate it.
-Lay prestige is important to me.
-I would like to practice in NY or CA.
-I would like to have a little fun in law school, if possible.
Thanks as always!
A Swift
1) I can't speak for UVA, but NU is very collegial and fairly tight-knit.
2) Clubbing/partying is a good way to unwind after a tough week of law school...
3) NU isn't on a proper campus, and does have a little more of a commuter feel, I think.
4) Neither has appreciable lay prestige.
5) UVA has more graduates going to NY, NU has more going to CA. It's a wash really.
6) If you like going to bars and stuff in the city, NU is a hoot. If you like a more campus-y atmosphere, I hear UVA is pretty fun too.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:25 pm
by A Swift
Desert Fox wrote:If you are deciding based on quality of life factors, you really need to visit both.
What factors do you think I should consider, and what would you chose based on those factors? Looks like you are going to attend Northwestern, can you give me some of your reasoning for choosing it over UVA?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:07 pm
by im_blue
A Swift wrote:Desert Fox wrote:If you are deciding based on quality of life factors, you really need to visit both.
What factors do you think I should consider, and what would you chose based on those factors? Looks like you are going to attend Northwestern, can you give me some of your reasoning for choosing it over UVA?
UVA vs NU:
1) college town (with undergrads and other grad students) vs large city (only law/med students)
2) warm weather vs snow
3) beer/softball vs clubbing
4) younger students vs students with work experience
5) conservative vs liberal
These schools are pretty dissimilar in terms of environment, so it shouldn't be hard to pick one once you've visited.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:15 pm
by RVP11
A Swift wrote:-I want a collegial atmosphere and experience.
-I have several friends in Chi-Town, although they are of the clubbing/partying type.
-I currently attend a commuter undergrad and hate it.
-Lay prestige is important to me.
-I would like to practice in NY or CA.
-I would like to have a little fun in law school, if possible.
1. NU will likely have more of a commuter feel. I'd say most 1Ls at UVA live within a mile of the school and walk to class. It's like a little law student neighborhood, and a big part of why the school is known for being so communal.
2. Lay prestige won't be a major difference between the two, and shouldn't matter anyway.
3. As Rayiner said, UVA places more in NY, NU places more in CA. But I bet the schools could do equally well in both markets.
4. This will depend on your definition of fun. Do you want urban-style fun or college town-style fun?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:19 pm
by scribelaw
A Swift wrote:scribelaw wrote:.Also, lay prestige is a stupid priority to have in picking a law school, but in this case, they're pretty much a wash anyway.
I appreciate the criticism. You honestly believe Northwestern and UVa are a wash to lay people?
I think they're roughly a wash, sure. Most people who are reasonably educated will know both are very good schools. It doesn't have Harvard-Yale-Stanford-Columbia type prestige, but I think they're both a notch below that along with schools like Penn, Duke, Berkeley.
But again, it's stupid to base your decision on this. Look at cost, look at job prospects, consider what you want to do once you get your degree, visit both and figure out which one feels more comfortable.
Who cares whether your hairdresser is impressed?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:23 pm
by A Swift
scribelaw wrote:
Who cares whether your mom's hairdresser is impressed?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:24 pm
by A Swift
JSUVA2012 wrote:
4. This will depend on your definition of fun. Do you want urban-style fun or college town-style fun?
I find bars in New York City that have beer pong. Is that urban?
It feels like Northwestern and UVA are peers schools when it comes to job placement, lay prestige, and quality of education, right? So I shouldn't be ashamed to chose one based of quality of life?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:49 pm
by Kohinoor
A Swift wrote:
It feels like Northwestern and UVA are peers schools when it comes to job placement, lay prestige, and quality of education, right?
Thread quickly going places.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:58 pm
by im_blue
A Swift wrote:JSUVA2012 wrote:
4. This will depend on your definition of fun. Do you want urban-style fun or college town-style fun?
I find bars in New York City that have beer pong. Is that urban?
It feels like Northwestern and UVA are peers schools when it comes to job placement, lay prestige, and quality of education, right? So I shouldn't be ashamed to chose one based of quality of life?
Absolutely. One other point is that
UVA is cheaper at $63,000/year, compared to
NU's $69,237/year, which is a difference of almost $20k over 3 years.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:07 pm
by bees
Surveying 100 strangers should answer your question about which has more lay prestige. And then be sure to make your decision based on that.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:22 pm
by IAFG
I don't agree with Rayi that neither school has appreciable lay prestige. UVA most certainly does in the south and NU in Chicago. that being said I think that someone who wants a fun youthful campus experience would not be happy at NU.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:24 pm
by Kohinoor
Neither has any lay prestige in any major city.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:25 pm
by tome
Kohinoor wrote:Neither has any lay prestige in any major city.
Are you saying that Chicago is not a large city, or that NU has no prestige in Chicago?
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:25 pm
by IAFG
Kohinoor wrote:Neither has any lay prestige in any major city.
Dreadful anti Chicago trolling
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:26 pm
by jnorsky
Both are great schools, comes down to what kind of lifestyle you want. Obviously, im a little bias, but I think in the legal world, UVA has an edge in terms of Rep, but again, not a huge difference, they are essentially peers. Chicago is awesome and although im going to UVA next year, part of me wishes i was in a city like nyc or chicago, guess the grass is always greener. Take some time and check both out, both are awesome and if you cant have fun at one of them, you are a weird person
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:41 pm
by Kohinoor
tome wrote:Kohinoor wrote:Neither has any lay prestige in any major city.
Are you saying that Chicago is not a large city, or that NU has no prestige in Chicago?
I said major cities not large cities sir. Chicago isn't important no matter how many people live there.
Re: UVA vs Northwestern
Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:47 pm
by A Swift
Throwing out my superficial criteria, would you guys give me a reason that would sway you one way or the other?