Law Grads: Did you regret turning down an Ivy? Forum

[RamTitan]

I absolutely agree JAG isn't going to care about distinctions between the different T14 schools.

Would they care if you went to a school below t14 (like Texas, Vandy, or Washu)?

Thanks for the advice everyone! Still very green

[kcdc1]

I absolutely agree JAG isn't going to care about distinctions between the different T14 schools.

Would they care if you went to a school below t14 (like Texas, Vandy, or Washu)?

Thanks for the advice everyone! Still very green

I don't know about JAG hiring in particular, but as a rule, there's a pretty big drop in prestige (and presumed talent) between #14 and #15. It's bigger than could be reasonably expected.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I absolutely agree JAG isn't going to care about distinctions between the different T14 schools.

Would they care if you went to a school below t14 (like Texas, Vandy, or Washu)?

Thanks for the advice everyone! Still very green

Read the Military Law thread in Legal Employment. My impression is that school pedigree isn't actually that important - that it's a very competitive position but that they're looking for other things, but there are many people in that thread more knowledgeable than I am.

[silverdoe91]

I am considering reapplying to NYU, but then would I have to submit a completely new personal statement and recommendations? I don't mind just updating the one I have, but to create an entirely new one would be kind of a hassle as would procuring entirely new recommendations since I haven't kept in touch with the professors who wrote them.

If I can reuse them, do you think it matters that they are quite old (from 2012) and do they have an expiration date on LSAC? My LSAC account was renewed until 2020 since I retook the LSAT last June but idk if the recs will still be there too...

[Dcc617]

I am considering reapplying to NYU, but then would I have to submit a completely new personal statement and recommendations? I don't mind just updating the one I have, but to create an entirely new one would be kind of a hassle as would procuring entirely new recommendations since I haven't kept in touch with the professors who wrote them.

If I can reuse them, do you think it matters that they are quite old (from 2012) and do they have an expiration date on LSAC? My LSAC account was renewed until 2020 since I retook the LSAT last June but idk if the recs will still be there too...

I reused my personal statement with a couple tweaks.

I don't know about recommendations though. 4 or 5 years is a long time. Maybe get another more recent one from an employer to add to your file.

[bretby]

I am considering reapplying to NYU, but then would I have to submit a completely new personal statement and recommendations? I don't mind just updating the one I have, but to create an entirely new one would be kind of a hassle as would procuring entirely new recommendations since I haven't kept in touch with the professors who wrote them.

If I can reuse them, do you think it matters that they are quite old (from 2012) and do they have an expiration date on LSAC? My LSAC account was renewed until 2020 since I retook the LSAT last June but idk if the recs will still be there too...

If they got you in the first time, a tweak might be ok. If not, you should start from scratch. As for recs, if you have a relationship with your recommenders, ask if they would update their letters.

[Glasseyes]

If this thread switches to Cornell at half price vs NYU at sticker I think my head will explode

[silverdoe91]

I am considering reapplying to NYU, but then would I have to submit a completely new personal statement and recommendations? I don't mind just updating the one I have, but to create an entirely new one would be kind of a hassle as would procuring entirely new recommendations since I haven't kept in touch with the professors who wrote them.

If I can reuse them, do you think it matters that they are quite old (from 2012) and do they have an expiration date on LSAC? My LSAC account was renewed until 2020 since I retook the LSAT last June but idk if the recs will still be there too...

I reused my personal statement with a couple tweaks.

I don't know about recommendations though. 4 or 5 years is a long time. Maybe get another more recent one from an employer to add to your file.

I'll definitely add new recs from employers but it's harder to come by from professors bc I haven't kept in touch with them. I have one rec from a volunteer gig I did earlier this year which unfortunately I did not get in time to apply to NYU but I used it for Columbia and that might explain why I got wait listed there but not NYU...I also I had time to clean up my personal statement by then and there were no problems with submitting my transcript.

[silverdoe91]

If this thread switches to Cornell at half price vs NYU at sticker I think my head will explode

Haha I totally get that! I don't think I would apply again to Cornell though bc the only reason why I bothered this year is bc my friend did and I figured if we both go living there would be more feasible. But we both got in and now I don't want to go because I have so many inhibitions about it, such as its isolation and focus on BigLaw rather than public interest.

[utlaw2007]

Transferring would be so stupid because you would end up paying sticker at NYU for two years and end up with more debt than if you had just went to Cornell to begin with. Isn't your whole thing that you're super debt averse?

I am debt averse. But my dream is to do civil rights work & anti-discrimination cases, so a school that allows me to do that kind of work during school and then after I graduate, might be worth paying for. Does Cornell have the same reputation for allowing students & graduates to practice civil rights/anti-discrimination law? Because based on their curriculum, they don't offer much in terms of that, and based on job statistics no one from Cornell seems to go into that field.

One of my practice areas is civil rights/employment discrimination, constitutional law. I sue everyone, private entity and government. It is much harder to sue the government because the laws are a bit different as they contain a myriad of exceptions to protect government entities. You lean absolutely NOTHING about how to prosecute a civil rights case in law school, unless it's Title VII employment discrimination against a private entity. And that doesn't nearly cover all civil rights issues that may be encountered by potential plaintiffs

As far as I know, there is no such thing as a civil rights law firm, at least, not one that would care about law school pedigree.

Also, you should never pick a law school based on course offerings. I've been in the practice for some time now. And there is nothing that annoys me more than to get into a friendly debate with a professional colleague about an area of law that I practice and they are trying to go to go toe to toe with me with basic knowledge learned in law school. It's infuriating. The subject matter learned in law school teaches you nothing. It has some value. But it's very basic, fundamental stuff. When you're arguing motions or filing motions, you're having to learn a completely new portion of the law.

I'd go to the school with the smartest, most accomplished professors who can teach you how to spot really hairy, complicated issues that most practitioners do not think of. That's important because those are the types of issues that you face all the time in actual law practice, especially if you want to practice civil rights, a very demanding practice area.

If I were you, whether you want a job or want to hang your own shingle, I'd choose Cornell. I think you would get the best legal education there based on your choices.

[utlaw2007]

I somewhat contradicted myself. I said law school teaches you nothing, but smart law professors teach you complicated stuff. So I'm going to clarify.

Overall, law school teaches you little in terms of substantive subject matter. However, at schools were the professors are really smart and go off on tangents and what not, some of them actually do raise points, points that seemingly have nothing to do with the subject matter, that get you accustomed to thinking outside the box and viewing legal issues from novel perspectives.

While the issues you visit in law school differ from those you encounter in law practice, it is this exercise that trains you how to dare to think out of the box and approach a legal issue differently than more experienced practitioners. And that difference may result in you winning a case no experienced practitioner thought you could win (because everyone you talked to told you you would lose). And you proved them all wrong...

True story.

[JenDarby]

If there's one area where the ranking of Cornell vs Fordham shouldn't have a material impact on ones decision, it's the quality of professors. They're both going to be great. Consider too that for tons of the reasons students might not want to spend 3 years in Ithaca, professors face similar choices as to where they choose to work/live. My best professors in law school were adjuncts, not sure how that really works at Cornell tbh.

[GreenEggs]

Having finished my first year of law school, I'll say that I really regret not weighing clinical offerings a lot more. Especially if you want to do something PI focused. I feel like professors are fungible, but clinics aren't

[run26.2]

Having finished my first year of law school, I'll say that I really regret not weighing clinical offerings a lot more. Especially if you want to do something PI focused. I feel like professors are fungible, but clinics aren't

Surprised this thread continues.

Agree that clinics (and other things that are actually practical, like moot court)) are more worthwhile than doctrinal classes. Not to say there's no merit in the doctrinal stuff, just not as much.

I disagree that law school teaches you nothing. It teaches you to learn and refine arguments, relevant policy levers, how to write better, and (most importantly) how to deal with gunners and people who are the socially challenged. There is untold value in that when you get into the real world.

[pancakes3]

lol @ moot court being practical.

[run26.2]

I was even going to say LRAP but I knew that would discredit the post even more. I guess if you take a cynical eye toward stuff and do the minimum required, those experiences won't be practical. Personally, I think journals are one of the least practical things, but almost everybody still strives for them. In any case, moot court gives you one of the few opportunities to write and/or argue on your feet in law school.

[kcdc1]

lol @ moot court being practical.

If you're going into lit, moot court is practical insofar as it forces you to write briefs. I would not know how to auto-generate a ToA if not for moot court.

[maraschino]

10/10 thread would read again A+