Hello everyone,

With both deadlines fast approaching, I'm now in the position of having to decide between NYU and Columbia. I've really been struggling with the decision, so I figured I would reach out to see what everyone thinks. I'm a Canadian lawyer, with a Canadian JD, and my area of practice is torts & insurance. My long term goal is to become a law professor in either the US or Canada. I know that generally for high tier US academia you need a JD from a T14, ideally the T3, but I would be happy teaching at mid tier US law schools as well.

Canadian academia is a little different in that it practically demands an LLM, or an LLM + JSD/PhD. It seems that there's a lot of academic hiring re: people from NYU, particularly in Canadian universities. A lot of stats that I've found also seem to corroborate the idea that NYU LLM/JSD grads do well in university teaching careers, with Columbia placing a bit less in academia than NYU. NYU also has a superb torts/insurance faculty, whereas Columbia's does not seem as strong.

I know Columbia is an Ivy League school, but I am not sure whether this should have any real bearing on my decision given my goal of academia, or whether this is more of a "lay prestige" thing. For what it's worth, I have always attended universities that have their own campus, as opposed to universities that are integrated directly in cities/metropolitan areas, so I think I might feel more at home at Columbia. It feels like my brain says NYU, but the heart says Columbia.

I know that NYU has fallen down to #10 (from #5) in the embargoed 2024-2025 rankings, while Columbia retained its #8 spot. Perhaps I could have the best of both worlds and do an LL.M. at one, and a JSD afterwards at the other? Columbia does seem to have a bit wider/more impressive alumni network as well.

I am also happy to practice for a while if it is not possible to go right into teaching, but the main goal is still teaching. Really appreciate any thoughts or insight.

Hello, in connection with the ranking, please do not take your decision solely in terms of ranking. NYU has been among the 4-10 depending on the year. Furthermore, outside of the US is really well regarded and known, at least more than Duke or UPenn that currently hold a higher rank. Columbia and NYU are practically the same, and the status of Ivy League will only make a difference if you want to practice in the US. But such difference is marginal, just an slight edge, but NYU opens the same doors and opportunities as any Ivy.

That’s a tough one. I think both schools are great, so neither would be objectively “bad.” Is the funding better at one or the other? I wouldn’t worry about placement, as they’ll likely have similar prospects. The faculty is something I’d consider seriously, which seems to favour NYU. If you are planning on teaching, I would definitely plan on a JSD/PhD. It may be easier to move to a JSD/SJD program from the same place you get an LLM. I wouldn’t worry about the ivy prestige thing, as hiring committees will not be impressed by it in the way your parents’ friends (or whoever) back home might be. I would consider where you’d want to live/commute, as NYU and Columbia have different vibes (which you already seem to know).

Just dropping in to say a brief thank you to you two. It was a difficult choice but I ended up going with NYU for the subject matter experts. Appreciate the insights, and very glad to hear that NYU and Columbia are essentially on par with each other!