Top Law Schools

.

How much debt will you have from both?
If Harvard is sticker and no need based aid go to NYU.

Could you post numbers, for posterity?
NYU for sure.

Generally, for people interested in private practice, I would say $$$ over H. But for clerkship, H would significantly boost your chances. Depending on the strength of your interest in gov work, H may be a good option here.

And would H be fin aid + full debt then? I wouldn't advise taking on full debt even with some aid but depending on your current fin situation H could make sense here given you goals.

nerd1 wrote:Generally, for people interested in private practice, I would say $$$ over H. But for clerkship, H would significantly boost your chances. Depending on the strength of your interest in gov work, H may be a good option here.

And would H be fin aid + full debt then? I wouldn't advise taking on full debt even with some aid but depending on your current fin situation H could make sense here given you goals.

A one-year job that won't have a particularly strong influence on a career in admin law is not worth $150k.

nerd1 wrote:Generally, for people interested in private practice, I would say $$$ over H. But for clerkship, H would significantly boost your chances. Depending on the strength of your interest in gov work, H may be a good option here.

And would H be fin aid + full debt then? I wouldn't advise taking on full debt even with some aid but depending on your current fin situation H could make sense here given you goals.

no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

nerd1 wrote:Generally, for people interested in private practice, I would say $$$ over H. But for clerkship, H would significantly boost your chances. Depending on the strength of your interest in gov work, H may be a good option here.

And would H be fin aid + full debt then? I wouldn't advise taking on full debt even with some aid but depending on your current fin situation H could make sense here given you goals.

No it doesn't.

.

Meowcats wrote:OP here, I have the first year at HLS covered by savings. Not sure about financial aid but Im sure I'll get a little (acting under the assumption of none though). Also interested in politics (but of course, I'm going to law school to be a lawyer)

As is standard practice when looking for this advice, can you please give us the cost of attendance of each.

If you can cover the first year at HLS with savings ($92K going off their published COA) you could use the same savings + your NYU scholly to graduate debt free. Congrats OP. Really think you should go to NYU, no (or very little) debt for essentially the same opportunities.

Meowcats wrote:OP here, I have the first year at HLS covered by savings.

Savings that you won't have to spend if you're at NYU. It all counts.

lakers180 wrote:

nerd1 wrote:Generally, for people interested in private practice, I would say $$$ over H. But for clerkship, H would significantly boost your chances. Depending on the strength of your interest in gov work, H may be a good option here.

And would H be fin aid + full debt then? I wouldn't advise taking on full debt even with some aid but depending on your current fin situation H could make sense here given you goals.

no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

This is I think mostly just self-selection. But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking. Self-selection and small sample though. But connections I have heard are important for clerkships and if an actually signiciant difference exists that could account for that. I don't know a lot about clerking. Just my observation.

Full debt would be too much. Now that I am finishing law school I wouldn't go to any law school financed totally by debt. I was fortunate enough to not be in that situation though.

nerd1 wrote:

lakers180 wrote: no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

This is I think mostly just self-selection. But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Are you saying that, as a percentage of the class, fewer students want to clerk at HLS than NYU? That seems unlikely.

rpupkin wrote:

nerd1 wrote:

lakers180 wrote: no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

This is I think mostly just self-selection. But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Are you saying that, as a percentage of the class, fewer students want to clerk at HLS than NYU? That seems unlikely.

Yeah that's what I meant. I have no empirical data on that and I can't be bothered to take it far but it's probably true that NYU and Columbia have more transactional types

nerd1 wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

nerd1 wrote:

lakers180 wrote: no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

This is I think mostly just self-selection. But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Are you saying that, as a percentage of the class, fewer students want to clerk at HLS than NYU? That seems unlikely.

Yeah that's what I meant. I have no empirical data on that and I can't be bothered to take it far but it's probably true that NYU and Columbia have more transactional types

But wouldn't that factor cut the other way, because transactional attorneys are (by definition) not litigators and therefore do not generally benefit from clerkships?

rpupkin wrote:

nerd1 wrote:

rpupkin wrote:

nerd1 wrote:

lakers180 wrote: no way is the marginally better chance at getting a clerkship that you may have at harvard worth 150k. nyu is easy choice here absent significant need aid from harvard.

This is I think mostly just self-selection. But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking.

I'm sorry, I don't follow. Are you saying that, as a percentage of the class, fewer students want to clerk at HLS than NYU? That seems unlikely.

Yeah that's what I meant. I have no empirical data on that and I can't be bothered to take it far but it's probably true that NYU and Columbia have more transactional types

But wouldn't that factor cut the other way, because transactional attorneys are (by definition) not litigators and therefore do not generally benefit from clerkships?

No I guess I misstated something. I meant there are less people wanting to clerk at NYU so that I observed fewer people clerking. If that is chiefly why the number is smaller than the figure for H, then I cannot say that one's chances of getting a clerkship is s lot higher by going to H because clerkship gunners select themselves into H.

nerd1 wrote:
No I guess I misstated something. I meant there are less people wanting to clerk at NYU so that I observed fewer people clerking.

Yeah, this is what I was responding to: "But from what I observed, my classmates at H interested in clerking all got some fed clerkship whereas although I know quite a lot of people at NYU Law, very few of them are clerking." That sure sounded like you were saying that everyone at HLS who wants a clerkship gets one, whereas its harder for students at NYU.

In any event, I do think that HLS gives its students a slightly better shot at clerking. That better chance sure isn't worth $150K, though.

Just as we told you to take the Dillard, take NYU.

Geez OP you don't need to always be so skiddish. This is a safe space.