Advice needed. Which school?!


sofiaM

Hey guys, here's the dilemma of the week. I am completely torn about what to do so any advice would be of value.
My focus is intellectual property law and I plan to pass the NY bar after my LL.M.

Here are my results:

Accepted:
Duke Law School - Scholarship of USD15,000
Northwestern University School of Law - Scholarship of USD20,000
Georgetown Law
UCLA School of Law- Scholarship of USD20,000
USC Law School - Scholarship of USD25,000
Berkeley Law (Professional Track).

Waitlisted:
Stanford
UPenn Law School
Chicago Law School

Rejected:
Harvard Law School
Berkeley (Traditional Track).
NYU
Columbia

What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Hey guys, here's the dilemma of the week. I am completely torn about what to do so any advice would be of value.
My focus is intellectual property law and I plan to pass the NY bar after my LL.M.

Here are my results:

Accepted:
Duke Law School - Scholarship of USD15,000
Northwestern University School of Law - Scholarship of USD20,000
Georgetown Law
UCLA School of Law- Scholarship of USD20,000
USC Law School - Scholarship of USD25,000
Berkeley Law (Professional Track).

Waitlisted:
Stanford
UPenn Law School
Chicago Law School

Rejected:
Harvard Law School
Berkeley (Traditional Track).
NYU
Columbia

What would you do if you were in my shoes?
quote
Joy Hopefu...

Hi Sophia, I am facing a similar dilemma but I have narrowed down my options to Georgetown and Michigan. I won`t have Scholarships, so my dilemma is more related to where I want to live and whether I should go to a small program with special atention or a bigger one with better networking chances.

In your case, however, there is a specific ranking for IP:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/intellectual-property-law-rankings?int=9d0608&int=acf809

Berkeley is the best one for IP. I do understand your concern regarding professional track since I was also offered the professional track. The problem is that many of us (including myself) have to leave jobs in order to go, so I don`t think that the professional track is helpful, unless you can find a way to have a work experience between summers.

Georgetown and Northwestern seems to have a lot of experience regarding students willing to take NY BAR. I also don`t know what is Duke`s expertise, so I can`t give you advice, expect that it a school well positioned in the general LLM rankings.

Hi Sophia, I am facing a similar dilemma but I have narrowed down my options to Georgetown and Michigan. I won`t have Scholarships, so my dilemma is more related to where I want to live and whether I should go to a small program with special atention or a bigger one with better networking chances.

In your case, however, there is a specific ranking for IP:
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/intellectual-property-law-rankings?int=9d0608&int=acf809

Berkeley is the best one for IP. I do understand your concern regarding professional track since I was also offered the professional track. The problem is that many of us (including myself) have to leave jobs in order to go, so I don`t think that the professional track is helpful, unless you can find a way to have a work experience between summers.

Georgetown and Northwestern seems to have a lot of experience regarding students willing to take NY BAR. I also don`t know what is Duke`s expertise, so I can`t give you advice, expect that it a school well positioned in the general LLM rankings.
quote
sofiaM

Thank you Joy!

I am still ambivalent about what to do.

I have narrowed it down between Northwestern and Duke now. Knowing that Duke is higher ranked in both the general rankings and the IP rankings, I am still afraid that 10 months in such a small city will be difficult. I also checked the business scene in Durham and I could not find any businesses of interest.

I am lost and I have to make a decision by tomorrow.

Thank you Joy!

I am still ambivalent about what to do.

I have narrowed it down between Northwestern and Duke now. Knowing that Duke is higher ranked in both the general rankings and the IP rankings, I am still afraid that 10 months in such a small city will be difficult. I also checked the business scene in Durham and I could not find any businesses of interest.

I am lost and I have to make a decision by tomorrow.
quote
sah130

Hi Sofia,

I am also planning to specialize in Intellectual Property and sit for the NY bar exam. I have enrolled at Stanford in the LST program. I would go for Northwestern If i were you. Honestly, if you plan to look for a job in NY, rankings of the colleges don't really matter much. It's about clearing the bar and having proper networking. So I would suggest Northwestern for the better networking opportunities and the opportunity to attend courses at Kellogg ) its business school). Also, have you considered paying the deposit at one of these schools and then waiting for the schools you are wait-listed in. Nothing like it if you can come to Stanford's LST :-)

All the best!

Hi Sofia,

I am also planning to specialize in Intellectual Property and sit for the NY bar exam. I have enrolled at Stanford in the LST program. I would go for Northwestern If i were you. Honestly, if you plan to look for a job in NY, rankings of the colleges don't really matter much. It's about clearing the bar and having proper networking. So I would suggest Northwestern for the better networking opportunities and the opportunity to attend courses at Kellogg ) its business school). Also, have you considered paying the deposit at one of these schools and then waiting for the schools you are wait-listed in. Nothing like it if you can come to Stanford's LST :-)

All the best!
quote
sofiaM

Hi Sah130,

Thanks for your advice. I was reasoning like this until I checked the profile of many LLM students working in the US. Duke seems to have more active LLM professionals in the USA than Northwestern but then again, living in Durham .. I don't know.

Btw, congrats for Stanford.

Hi Sah130,

Thanks for your advice. I was reasoning like this until I checked the profile of many LLM students working in the US. Duke seems to have more active LLM professionals in the USA than Northwestern but then again, living in Durham .. I don't know.

Btw, congrats for Stanford.
quote
sah130

Thanks, Sofia!

Well, Duke is a really good law school so it's not surprising! It is a tough choice and I wish you well. Do remember that it's about your ll.m. experience as well. After all, it is probably our last chance at school :-)

Do check out this link:

http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/213/llm-duke-2008-fall-experience

From what i read here, Duke should be good! In any case, the thing is LL.M. is such an intensive course that majority of your time is spent on campus so it hardly matters in my view. You can always go see other places in the breaks you get.

These were my two cents.

Happy deciding!

Thanks, Sofia!

Well, Duke is a really good law school so it's not surprising! It is a tough choice and I wish you well. Do remember that it's about your ll.m. experience as well. After all, it is probably our last chance at school :-)

Do check out this link:

http://www.llm-guide.com/blog/213/llm-duke-2008-fall-experience

From what i read here, Duke should be good! In any case, the thing is LL.M. is such an intensive course that majority of your time is spent on campus so it hardly matters in my view. You can always go see other places in the breaks you get.

These were my two cents.

Happy deciding!
quote
Nipsa

Personaly I would choose Duke. Duke is a top 10 school. Duke works very hard to connect you to the New York (and London) working scene. They fly everyone up to the LLM Job Fair in NY in January and there are a number of networking opportunities throughout the course. Their NY bar prep is also very strong. A lot of the New York firms have a huge number of Duke Alums which helps with securing interviews. The location is stunning, there is loads to do in the surrounding area. In terms of interacting with the business scene, the law school is situated right next door to Fuqua (just rated number 1 MBA) and has great connections with the North Caroline Research Triangle.

Personaly I would choose Duke. Duke is a top 10 school. Duke works very hard to connect you to the New York (and London) working scene. They fly everyone up to the LLM Job Fair in NY in January and there are a number of networking opportunities throughout the course. Their NY bar prep is also very strong. A lot of the New York firms have a huge number of Duke Alums which helps with securing interviews. The location is stunning, there is loads to do in the surrounding area. In terms of interacting with the business scene, the law school is situated right next door to Fuqua (just rated number 1 MBA) and has great connections with the North Caroline Research Triangle.
quote
Joy Hopefu...

Thank you Joy!

I am still ambivalent about what to do.

I have narrowed it down between Northwestern and Duke now. Knowing that Duke is higher ranked in both the general rankings and the IP rankings, I am still afraid that 10 months in such a small city will be difficult. I also checked the business scene in Durham and I could not find any businesses of interest.

I am lost and I have to make a decision by tomorrow.



I know what you mean since I face the same problem. I also have to make a decision untill tomorrow because of the deadlines on April 1st. In my case, Michigan is a small city (just like Duke).I have talked to people who studied there at MI. They said that there is plenty of things to do and it was the best experience of their lives. Does Duke has a good sports team? Seems like most of the action in those small cities are related to football, basketball, etc. Also, in small cities, there are less distraction. The LLm at MI (and Duke), is better positioned in the ranking.

On the other hand, I am also concerned about finding networking connections since nobody is going to find a job for us. Career Centers help you with resumè's and interviews, but they won't het a job for you. In my case, being at DC (Georgetown) would be an advantage. Having an experience at the FTC, the World Bank, or some other agency or NGO seems like a big advantage to me. I also know a few people at DC that could help me. I want to woprk with antitrust and anticorruption.

Other things that you should consider: How many students are in Dukes's classes? Small groups are better for learning (one of my main concerns). I wouldn't worry about job fairs, I have talked to many people and nobody got a job because of job fairs. It seems like that it is mostly Big Law Office's trying to show off. Most people got jobs because of networking with colleagues or professors. In a big LLm program you will have better cahnces of intercating with a bigger group of people, but in a small LLM you will have more access to your professors (and they really want to know your opinion, since most students will be JD's with less work experience than us).

I don't know how helpful this answer is. Making this decision is driving me crazy. I would apretiate some advice as well.

<blockquote>Thank you Joy!

I am still ambivalent about what to do.

I have narrowed it down between Northwestern and Duke now. Knowing that Duke is higher ranked in both the general rankings and the IP rankings, I am still afraid that 10 months in such a small city will be difficult. I also checked the business scene in Durham and I could not find any businesses of interest.

I am lost and I have to make a decision by tomorrow. </blockquote>


I know what you mean since I face the same problem. I also have to make a decision untill tomorrow because of the deadlines on April 1st. In my case, Michigan is a small city (just like Duke).I have talked to people who studied there at MI. They said that there is plenty of things to do and it was the best experience of their lives. Does Duke has a good sports team? Seems like most of the action in those small cities are related to football, basketball, etc. Also, in small cities, there are less distraction. The LLm at MI (and Duke), is better positioned in the ranking.

On the other hand, I am also concerned about finding networking connections since nobody is going to find a job for us. Career Centers help you with resumè's and interviews, but they won't het a job for you. In my case, being at DC (Georgetown) would be an advantage. Having an experience at the FTC, the World Bank, or some other agency or NGO seems like a big advantage to me. I also know a few people at DC that could help me. I want to woprk with antitrust and anticorruption.

Other things that you should consider: How many students are in Dukes's classes? Small groups are better for learning (one of my main concerns). I wouldn't worry about job fairs, I have talked to many people and nobody got a job because of job fairs. It seems like that it is mostly Big Law Office's trying to show off. Most people got jobs because of networking with colleagues or professors. In a big LLm program you will have better cahnces of intercating with a bigger group of people, but in a small LLM you will have more access to your professors (and they really want to know your opinion, since most students will be JD's with less work experience than us).

I don't know how helpful this answer is. Making this decision is driving me crazy. I would apretiate some advice as well.


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