Hi,

Posted this on the US Board too.

Managed to get into Oxford MSc. in Labour Sociology - sounds random, but its for a specific professor I want to work with - academic career in mind later in life - which should I go to?

Not too bothered about working in private sector in NY. Would be studying legal theory/labour law at Columbia too - but Oxford's expertise in labour sociology would do me well in the future (inter-disciplinary approach to Labour Law etc), would also be significantly cheaper.....which to go for????

Did not apply for BCL, as the courses are'nt really what i'm looking for.

What would you choose? Ideally I would do both, but Columbia rejected my deferral request. I dont find out about scholarships until June - so really dont know what the f*ck to do here.

Any help appreciated.
Cheers

Well, it almost sounds as if you have already made up your mind, but to sum it up:
Oxford:
(+) at least equal, if not better reputation
(+) cheaper
(+) better suits your interests
(-) no LL.M., but does that really matter so much if you want to pursue an academic career?

Taking your interests into account, I'd probably choose Oxford.
Best luck,

Dutchman

Cheers man.

I'm also leaning towards Oxford a bit more - its just alot cheaper. But a year in NY at Columbia would be awesome - but might not give me the same contact with professors as the Oxford tutorial system (3 in a class for my MSc - very hard to beat).

Sorry, I just realized your username! Have you studied in Glasgow? If so, another factor you might want to take into account is that studying in the USA will probably demonstrate your "international orientation" or "open-mindedness" (whatever that means, blabla, but you probably know all this talk about such stuff) more clearly.
In the end, I think you can't really go wrong. I'd probably choose Oxford in your situation, but that's probably because I'm not from the UK, but from continental Europe, so both opportunities would be equally new for me.

Hi,

Ye I read law at Glasgow. I know what you mean about the International experience etc - my study abroad was in Hong Kong (at the University of Hong Kong). It definately has its advantages. Im thinking Oxford first then Columbia or maybe even Harvard.

Cheers again man.

Good luck at Cantab.

Out of interest, GlasgowLaw, when did you leave Gla? I'm sen hons this year and hopefully will be going to Cornell next year for an LL.M... pending confirmation of scholarship!

Feel free to PM me or whatever, if that's possible on this site.

Hi,

I PM'd you.