This is why GULC's median LSAT is 1 pt higher than Michigan's, despite the difference in ranking, and Cornell has lower medians than several non-T14s.gdane5 wrote:The surrounding environment. I have no idea why people would go to Ann Arbor, Michigan or Ithaca, NY because these two places are so damn dreary. If I had a choice between Michigan or Georgetown, Id take Georgetown regardless of rank because Id much rather live in DC than Ann Arbor. Of course I probably wont have to make this decision. Haha!
What do you look for in a school (other than rank)? Forum
- im_blue
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
This is true. Ithaca probably has as many dive bars as my home metro area has Starbucks, a better public transportation system and Collegetown Bagels. Walking up that hill in 98% humidity, though, is not fun.
- 2ofspades
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
Apparently it's both Cornell and NYU.GettingReady2010 wrote:Why is this? Is the atmosphere extremely competitive or something?northwood wrote:cornell has one of the highest incidence of suicide attempts ( and unfortunatley suicide deaths) in the country. Each semester for the past few years, unfortunatly has had at least 1 student attempt suicide.
I look at the overall atmosphere of the school, where the school is located, and how close to my target market it is. I also look at student life, campus environment, ease and overall feel of the library, and cost of living. I also try to get opinons from various practicing lawyers about which schools they would recommend and why. Overall, id say that Cost of living is right up there for me.( While I love big cities, i cant afford, or rationalize spending 1k a month on rent and utilities ( I do not want a roomate, as i have had horrible experiences with them) So, unfortunately no big city school, unless i get a big city scholarship
http://gothamist.com/2010/03/17/cornell ... om_nyu.php
- ShuckingNotJiving
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
Dreary because of the weather? Don't knock AA 'til you've tried it.gdane5 wrote:The surrounding environment. I have no idea why people would go to Ann Arbor, Michigan or Ithaca, NY because these two places are so damn dreary. If I had a choice between Michigan or Georgetown, Id take Georgetown regardless of rank because Id much rather live in DC than Ann Arbor. Of course I probably wont have to make this decision. Haha!
I'm a strong believer in "wherever you go, there you are." So, location isn't as important, for me. $$ on the other hand....
- yepyep
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
Have you been to Ann Arbor? The weather (winter) leaves something to be desired, but there is always something fun to do. There are about 3 months were the weather sucks, but the rest of the year it's beautiful. Outside of Ann Arbor is a different story.gdane5 wrote:The surrounding environment. I have no idea why people would go to Ann Arbor, Michigan or Ithaca, NY because these two places are so damn dreary. If I had a choice between Michigan or Georgetown, Id take Georgetown regardless of rank because Id much rather live in DC than Ann Arbor. Of course I probably wont have to make this decision. Haha!
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
I think that it's more undergrad than law, though. I dunno, we just get a lotttt of emails/yelled at freshman year about the Wellness Center, etc. The NYU Law people I met seemed happy/friendly/nice/etc.2ofspades wrote:Apparently it's both Cornell and NYU.GettingReady2010 wrote:Why is this? Is the atmosphere extremely competitive or something?northwood wrote:cornell has one of the highest incidence of suicide attempts ( and unfortunatley suicide deaths) in the country. Each semester for the past few years, unfortunatly has had at least 1 student attempt suicide.
I look at the overall atmosphere of the school, where the school is located, and how close to my target market it is. I also look at student life, campus environment, ease and overall feel of the library, and cost of living. I also try to get opinons from various practicing lawyers about which schools they would recommend and why. Overall, id say that Cost of living is right up there for me.( While I love big cities, i cant afford, or rationalize spending 1k a month on rent and utilities ( I do not want a roomate, as i have had horrible experiences with them) So, unfortunately no big city school, unless i get a big city scholarship
http://gothamist.com/2010/03/17/cornell ... om_nyu.php
- 2ofspades
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
That makes me glad. I'm not affiliated with NYU in any way, but I do live in NYC and read every now and then about the deaths there. The kids I know who went to NYU undergrad are all great, happy people - I've never really understood why it's a problem there. But if the law students are happy, then kudos to them.dulcatis wrote:I think that it's more undergrad than law, though.
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
I think NYU undergrad either works for you or it doesn't. Some people get really alienated because it's not like, a normal campus/university and somehow they expect that in WSP. It worked for me, but there are always sketchy stories/horrible things that happen :/ But again, the only ones I've heard of while I was here were undergrads...the law kids seem happy in their fancier buildings with less hardcore/crazy hipsters with skinny jeans so tight it cuts off their circulation...2ofspades wrote:That makes me glad. I'm not affiliated with NYU in any way, but I do live in NYC and read every now and then about the deaths there. The kids I know who went to NYU undergrad are all great, happy people - I've never really understood why it's a problem there. But if the law students are happy, then kudos to them.dulcatis wrote:I think that it's more undergrad than law, though.
- northwood
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
i guess the best advice would be go visit the schools you are considering for a day or 2 before you sign on the dotted line....... If you're applying to 10+ schools and get in to them all, narrow down your searches somehoow ( scholarship, location, distance from your ideal place to work, or whatever criteria you use) then plan some visits. I would make sure to schedule some time to talk with professors/ students, and or sit in on a class if possible
- OGR3
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
I 100% echo this advice. My first choice during the application process became a non-contender after a visit and sitting in on a class.northwood wrote:i guess the best advice would be go visit the schools you are considering for a day or 2 before you sign on the dotted line....... If you're applying to 10+ schools and get in to them all, narrow down your searches somehoow ( scholarship, location, distance from your ideal place to work, or whatever criteria you use) then plan some visits. I would make sure to schedule some time to talk with professors/ students, and or sit in on a class if possible
- 2ofspades
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
+1OGR3 wrote:I 100% echo this advice. My first choice during the application process became a non-contender after a visit and sitting in on a class.northwood wrote:i guess the best advice would be go visit the schools you are considering for a day or 2 before you sign on the dotted line....... If you're applying to 10+ schools and get in to them all, narrow down your searches somehoow ( scholarship, location, distance from your ideal place to work, or whatever criteria you use) then plan some visits. I would make sure to schedule some time to talk with professors/ students, and or sit in on a class if possible
This is the only thing that helped me distinguish where I would be happy as a student for three years.
- Entchen
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
Location - I want to be somewhere cold and snowy, and preferably not in a huge city. I love winter. Somewhere I could go cross country skiing, then come home to a cup of hot chocolate and a hockey game (and studying).
Campus Atmosphere - I really want to go somewhere with a strong sense of community. I'd love a school where people live at or near the campus, where they socialize with each other, rather than going off into the city and doing their own thing. A school that becomes your home rather than somewhere you just happen to study
Please let me in, Michigan.
And give me money?
Campus Atmosphere - I really want to go somewhere with a strong sense of community. I'd love a school where people live at or near the campus, where they socialize with each other, rather than going off into the city and doing their own thing. A school that becomes your home rather than somewhere you just happen to study
Please let me in, Michigan.
And give me money?
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
What do you look at besides rank? Huh? This is like the quote from Mark Hanna, who ran Mckinley's 1896 campaign: "There are two important things in politics, money and I forget what the other thing is".
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- 2ofspades
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
No.dissonance1848 wrote:What do you look at besides rank? Huh? This is like the quote from Mark Hanna, who ran Mckinley's 1896 campaign: "There are two important things in politics, money and I forget what the other thing is".
- Grizz
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
lol nodissonance1848 wrote:What do you look at besides rank? Huh? This is like the quote from Mark Hanna, who ran Mckinley's 1896 campaign: "There are two important things in politics, money and I forget what the other thing is".
- kalvano
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
Lulz. People overrank rank in choosing a lawl skool.
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
I'm gonna also say it being an Ivy of decent size means it gets attention and it happens more frequently because of sizeromothesavior wrote:Look, I'm just saying you shouldn't propagate this kind of information without citing real evidence. As far as I understand it, the suicide issue at Cornell is way overblown and the school is in line with the national averages. And as I mentioned earlier, it doesn't seem like this issue has affected the law school. At most law schools, law students are pretty segregated from the undergrad, even at schools where the law building is on the actual campus. So I really think you are making a lot of ado about a non-issue.northwood wrote:I got my information based on living in the Cornell area. Im not saying that its a suicide hotbed, just pointing out that its something to take into consideration. Even if the person isnt a student at cornell doesnt mean that it doesnt affect the morale of students on campus, and in the surrounding community. For the majority of people this may not affect them, but again, its something to consider if it does affect you.
I would just hate for someone to pass up on Cornell or to look at it too skeptically based on anecdotal information that appears to be false.
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- kalvano
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
--ImageRemoved--
Not a bad looking place to kill yourself, really.
Not a bad looking place to kill yourself, really.
- CardozoLaw09
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
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Last edited by CardozoLaw09 on Wed Mar 23, 2016 7:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Marionberry
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
If you're so unstable that life in a particular city might cause you to be depressed/kill yourself, you probably dont need to be going to law school in the first place.
- JusticeHarlan
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
As others have said, maximizing job prospects and minimizing costs to attend are paramount; how to balance the two are a more interesting question, but people are right in that rankings are only useful as a proxy for job placement. (And jobs prospects should also be looked at by regional strength, not just overall numbers. It won't help how well your school places in NYC if you want to work in SoCal.)
Beyond those factors, getting a good vibe from the school, its student body, and general location are pretty important. You'll be able to perform better in school the more comfortable you feel, and better performance can only help, no matter what your goals are. I'd especially check out the library at any school you're considering - you'll be spending enough time there, you better make sure its a place where you're comfortable.
Beyond those factors, getting a good vibe from the school, its student body, and general location are pretty important. You'll be able to perform better in school the more comfortable you feel, and better performance can only help, no matter what your goals are. I'd especially check out the library at any school you're considering - you'll be spending enough time there, you better make sure its a place where you're comfortable.
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- Grizz
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
We also have NLJ250 data and Article III clerkship date, if the schools you're looking at publish it. Though again, these have their own problems, regionality being one of them.JusticeHarlan wrote:but people are right in that rankings are only useful as a proxy for job placement. (And jobs prospects should also be looked at by regional strength, not just overall numbers. It won't help how well your school places in NYC if you want to work in SoCal.)
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- JusticeHarlan
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
This data is also aggregated and published by third party sources, but that data usually lags a year or so. Examples: class of '09 NLJ250 data, class of '08 Article II clerkship data. Not that useful for ITE job placement powers, but a decent look at the relative placement between schools. (I'm not suggest that you personally don't know this, rad, just throwing it out there for those wondering how to pick schools.)rad law wrote:We also have NLJ250 data and Article III clerkship date, if the schools you're looking at publish it.
- Patriot1208
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Re: What do you look for in a school (other than rank)?
As far as suicide rates go. In 3 semesters at a state university I knew of two suicides and in one year at a much smaller university of known of 1 suicide. I feel like this is more common then should be happening.
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