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"Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:28 pm
by middlebear
Howdy all.

So I very much want to work in government or PI, and am applying in the 2014-15 cycle. I would like to hear opinions on applying to schools that are more known for their "business" slant--like Northwestern or Penn, for instance--when you are planning on going in that different direction. I've looked at the job placement numbers, and it's very much deterred me from applying to these two schools in particular. Is that misguided on my part--am I discounting something that might be a good option?

Thanks for your opinions :)

Re: "Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:02 pm
by eliminatorjr
You'll have to know how to read an income statement in basically any job

Re: "Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:06 pm
by ymmv
middlebear wrote:Howdy all.

So I very much want to work in government or PI, and am applying in the 2014-15 cycle. I would like to hear opinions on applying to schools that are more known for their "business" slant--like Northwestern or Penn, for instance--when you are planning on going in that different direction. I've looked at the job placement numbers, and it's very much deterred me from applying to these two schools in particular. Is that misguided on my part--am I discounting something that might be a good option?

Thanks for your opinions :)
Yes, it's misguided. If you're interested in PI you should be most heavily focused on the best scholarship offer you can get or alternatively the best LRAP. Don't know about NU but Penn has excellent LRAP + TollRAP.

In any case apply broadly. It doesn't take long and it's stupid to leave out schools you have the numbers for when they could be potentially used in scholly negotiation.

Re: "Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:38 am
by 03152016
percentage of students entering pi from nu/penn is 8-9%
higher than duke, not far off from cornell
excluding them bc of their 'business slant' wouldn't make sense

obviously pi placement matters, institutional support matters, lrap matters
consider all these things
but there's no reason not to apply broadly, as ymmv said

Re: "Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:26 am
by igo2northwestern
middlebear wrote:Howdy all.

So I very much want to work in government or PI, and am applying in the 2014-15 cycle. I would like to hear opinions on applying to schools that are more known for their "business" slant--like Northwestern or Penn, for instance--when you are planning on going in that different direction. I've looked at the job placement numbers, and it's very much deterred me from applying to these two schools in particular. Is that misguided on my part--am I discounting something that might be a good option?

Thanks for your opinions :)
After speaking with a good number of students on this, I can genuinely say that some of those PI placements numbers are understated/certainly a function of interest rather than capability.

LRAP and/or scholarships are going to be huge in your decision-making process, and I understand from speaking with someone who has done a thorough school comparison that NU's is very good. It's apparently not as good as NYU's? So if you get in there, you should probably matriculate (all else equal).

There's apparently a huge public interest fair that happens at NYU, and students from everywhere attend. I hear that "if you're interested in PI, you go to that fair." http://pilcfair.law.nyu.edu. This is not to say that you are materially disadvantaged as a Penn or NU student, though; people from Berk, TX, Mich, Cornell, etc. all attend the fair, and I get the sense that it's more about the individual than it is about the reputation of the law school. PI is concerned with your own interest and commitment to the field, and those backgrounds vary widely. For example, some NU or Penn student who has worked for TFA, been in PeaceCorp for many years, and summered at the ACLU, might stand a much better chance than someone who has similar grades but lesser experience coming from a school reputed for its PI focus.

Re: "Business" Schools (Penn/NU) for PI/Govt?

Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:18 am
by sinfiery
There is a ton of institutional support for students interested in PI at NYU (From clinics to mentors to alumni to the aforementioned PILC fair to the Ford Foundation Scholarship to Full scholarship PI mandated scholarships to probably a lot more because I don't even want PI and I feel it).


I have a feeling that won't be there at Penn/NU. That will likely be the biggest difference. If you hustle, and are able to convince them you want to do PI (They really care about this), you'll be fine.