Columbia Class of 2018 Forum

[txdude45]

Hey guys. Hope to see you guys at AWS. I will be one of the 1Ls there. You'll want to come: awesome food and free alcohol. They had chefs making crepes last year, and the menu looks to be the same.

Atm, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

One great thing and one not so great thing about CLS, top of your head?

That's not a good question. Even if it weren't nearly entirely subjective, there are a number of good and bad things about every school. Knowing one of each with very little context won't get you anywhere, especially when things like professors and events are moving targets that can change a lot year to year (not to mention under a new dean who is much more student oriented).

[TheoO]

Ugly building; but you're in NYC; but you'll feel a bit isolated from "real" NYC by being in Morningside.

It's hard to really give a single positive and negative, and I don't know if I can necessarily split my views of the school into those clear categories. The best I can say is that you're in a great school in a great city. Clearest negative is that, well, shit is expensive.

I meant more along the lines of substantive questions about the school, the neighborhood, etc.

[RSN]

Sorry for asking a bad question, just thought you might have a thought or two as to how your experience has been so far. Txdude, don't see a real need for a lecture here, but point taken. I can be more specific based on your response: what does it mean that the new dean is more student oriented, compared to the previous dean?

[middlebear]

Ugly building; but you're in NYC; but you'll feel a bit isolated from "real" NYC by being in Morningside.

Do you think people who honestly don't want to be in NYC appreciate the isolation the neighborhood gives?

[TheoO]

Didn't mean to make you feel bad, and it wasn't a bad question, it's just one that's sort of hard to answer. At least for me

In terms of isolated, NYC is NYC, and even morningside is part of it, even if it can feel like a bubble. It depends on what you actually don't like about NYC. I would say morningside can feel a bit like a college town, but even that analogy is limited. it's more quiet here, not the best food out there, it's not as "happening." People in sweatpants will be a more common sight.

As per the Dean: lol. I don't think there is a single student who can talk about her impact at the moment.

[RSN]

No worries, and thanks for your info so far. Was more responding to txdude. Interesting insight about Morningside. I have family in NYC and wouldn't mind being close to them, but have never been a fan of how crazy much of Manhattan is, so the neighborhood sounds like kind of a nice compromise.

[lnick93]

Speaking of Morningside Heights, where are people planning on living? It seems like the Columbia housing is pretty decent.

[curlietop86]

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[tlsapp2017]

No worries, and thanks for your info so far. Was more responding to txdude. Interesting insight about Morningside. I have family in NYC and wouldn't mind being close to them, but have never been a fan of how crazy much of Manhattan is, so the neighborhood sounds like kind of a nice compromise.

Another 1L here - it sounds like you would like Morningside, then. That's basically where I was - I love the idea of being in New York (and having extremely easy access to the rest of the city) and have family in the area, but I really like the fact that it's relatively quiet here. I think it's definitely been a good compromise for me.

[tlsapp2017]

Hey guys. Hope to see you guys at AWS. I will be one of the 1Ls there. You'll want to come: awesome food and free alcohol. They had chefs making crepes last year, and the menu looks to be the same.

Atm, if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

One great thing and one not so great thing about CLS, top of your head?

Positives - truly excellent professors who tend to really care about their students, and generally friendly classmates.
Negatives - New York (and tuition) is expensive; the facilities are OK, but not particularly amazing. Also people tend to work a little too much for my taste, but that's law school for you

[Tiago Splitter]

Great job prospects.

Sooooo expensive. Not worth the money for a large portion of the class.

[TheoO]

Eh, I mean, I can't measure gunneryness since I don't attend any other law school, but I'd have to imagine that cls is more chill than Chicago, and the job prospects are such that most students feel pretty comfortable, so I can't imagine that we are "working harder" than those in less secure law schools. But I could be wrong. Law students are law students.

[cc78]

Got the little Not for Tourists book in the mail today from CLS. I like this school, I tell ya.

[twitterati]

Great job prospects.

Sooooo expensive. Not worth the money for a large portion of the class.

Which portion of the class would you be referring to? I thought the nail-biting wait was over once I got the acceptance email but the financial aid offer (if any) is almost keeping me up at night...

[Tiago Splitter]

Great job prospects.

Sooooo expensive. Not worth the money for a large portion of the class.

Which portion of the class would you be referring to? I thought the nail-biting wait was over once I got the acceptance email but the financial aid offer (if any) is almost keeping me up at night...

Coming in I think a large portion of the class will turn down too much money from lower ranked schools. So if you don't get much money elsewhere in the T-14 it's an easier decision.

Going out that extra money is only really well spent if you finish down near the bottom of the class, where Columbia gives you a little extra protection against a strikeout. But I think the odds of the same student striking out at Penn or Northwestern but not at Columbia are pretty small. The majority of the class will end up with the same job or a substantially similar one.

Columbia is obviously pretty awesome but I just don't want people shooting for NYC Biglaw to get too caught up in the stats. Your odds are pretty good from at least all of the T13 and you should be open to attending whichever school makes the most financial sense.

[twitterati]

Great job prospects.

Sooooo expensive. Not worth the money for a large portion of the class.

Which portion of the class would you be referring to? I thought the nail-biting wait was over once I got the acceptance email but the financial aid offer (if any) is almost keeping me up at night...

Coming in I think a large portion of the class will turn down too much money from lower ranked schools. So if you don't get much money elsewhere in the T-14 it's an easier decision.

Going out that extra money is only really well spent if you finish down near the bottom of the class, where Columbia gives you a little extra protection against a strikeout. But I think the odds of the same student striking out at Penn or Northwestern but not at Columbia are pretty small. The majority of the class will end up with the same job or a substantially similar one.

Columbia is obviously pretty awesome but I just don't want people shooting for NYC Biglaw to get too caught up in the stats. Your odds are pretty good from at least all of the T13 and you should be open to attending whichever school makes the most financial sense.

That makes sense. Thanks for the response

[Tr3]

Just booked my flights for the Mar 4-5 ASW! Woohoo!

[mr.plum]

checkin in! Will be attending the March 4 - 5 ASW

It seems like Columbia's ASW overlaps with NYU's - Any suggestions how I should split my time on Thursday?

[ChemEng1642]

Just booked my flights for the Mar 4-5 ASW! Woohoo!

checkin in! Will be attending the March 4 - 5 ASW

It seems like Columbia's ASW overlaps with NYU's - Any suggestions how I should split my time on Thursday?

Looks like both of you will be doing the Columbia/NYU ASW split like me! For Thursday I was planning on leaving after the financial aid session I think - but if anyone has a better idea please share!

[Tr3]

Just booked my flights for the Mar 4-5 ASW! Woohoo!

checkin in! Will be attending the March 4 - 5 ASW

It seems like Columbia's ASW overlaps with NYU's - Any suggestions how I should split my time on Thursday?

Looks like both of you will be doing the Columbia/NYU ASW split like me! For Thursday I was planning on leaving after the financial aid session I think - but if anyone has a better idea please share!

I'm staying at least until 1PM at CLS because they said you need to in order to get the stipend. lol

[ChemEng1642]

Just booked my flights for the Mar 4-5 ASW! Woohoo!

checkin in! Will be attending the March 4 - 5 ASW

It seems like Columbia's ASW overlaps with NYU's - Any suggestions how I should split my time on Thursday?

Looks like both of you will be doing the Columbia/NYU ASW split like me! For Thursday I was planning on leaving after the financial aid session I think - but if anyone has a better idea please share!

I'm staying at least until 1PM at CLS because they said you need to in order to get the stipend. lol

Ahh yes but keep in mind that you can still only get the stipend if you have a financial need for it (ie you would have to explain your financial hardship) so I don't think the majority of people would qualify anyway

[tina]

Checking in. Top choice so far, but the prospect of housing in Manhattan is giving me serious anxiety. I've got an SO and a dog, so a lot of the subsidized options are nonstarters. Anyone have a similar reaction/situation to making Columbia work?

Hey 1L here! Columbia housing is pretty accommodating to students with SO's and will look the other way on dogs as long as they're small and you're in an unfurnished apt.

[RSN]

Thanks to the current students answering questions so far. Have another jobs question -- I'm curious about your impressions of how CLS is doing for DC biglaw. It's pretty well established that there's a bit of a dropoff in placement power for DC between YHS and CLS (assuming same grades), but is it significant? Are a lot of people aiming for DC at EIP and ending up in NY -- or is Columbia's pretty low DC placement more a function of self-selection?

I know DC is notoriously tough to break into even with prior work experience there, and that well above median is pretty necessary coming from any T14, just curious what the impression is like among current students.

[wsag826]

Thanks to the current students answering questions so far. Have another jobs question -- I'm curious about your impressions of how CLS is doing for DC biglaw. It's pretty well established that there's a bit of a dropoff in placement power for DC between YHS and CLS (assuming same grades), but is it significant? Are a lot of people aiming for DC at EIP and ending up in NY -- or is Columbia's pretty low DC placement more a function of self-selection?

I know DC is notoriously tough to break into even with prior work experience there, and that well above median is pretty necessary coming from any T14, just curious what the impression is like among current students.

Second this question & kind of asked it in the "Ask a Current Law Student" thread.

Although Georgetown is a T14 and a great school, it seems like DC just doesn't have any 'natural feeder' schools in the way that UChicago and NU --> Chicago, Columbia and NYU --> NYC, UVA/Duke/Vandy --> south, UT --> Texas, and Stanford and Berkeley --> California. So I too am wondering this...

[mmarion44]

Eh, don't underestimate how big a deal UVA is in DC. It's far and away the biggest alumni network in the legal sector of Washington and far more UVA grads work there than anywhere else. You'd be right to say it's not as automatic as the Chicago and NY schools are for their respective cities, but UVA should be the DC litmus school; it has a better network there than Georgetown by a not inconsiderable margin.