I have been admitted to Fordham, NYU and CLS. Although Fordham has a great EU-law profile, which I appreciate, I have decided to choose between CLS and NYU because of the bigger LLM programs and rankings.

Here is my problem. CLS is an Ivy League Uni, but is situated on 116 st. The location of NYU is unique. I know, that CLs might be sligtly better recornized in US law firms etc. but I don not at this time plan to work in US after graduation as I'm already employed in a european law firm as an attoney. Therefore my main objective is to experience a year in pulsating NY - not that much obtaing the degree. Having a great time, meeting lot of international people, going out - use the city ! etc. etc. On the other hand: When you get the opportunity, the inner lawyer points at CLS because of the top top recs. Also, the campus area seems attractive - I have never experienced to live in a US campus, and NYU does not have a real campus as I know. Either way I plan on-campus accomondation mostly because of the social factor. What is your recommendations ? Thank you !

I actually don't think it makes any difference because Universities work very closely together and you can take courses at NYU when your a student at CLS and of course the other way around.

Thank you MAP2009. Yes i know this possibility and I also take that into consideration, but he main thing is the locationproblem vs. graduating from either scholl. If I take NYU I will live in the Village but do not get a degree from CLS ! If I chose CLS I will also choose to live there because of the social factor. I then get a degree from CLS but are afraid of lossing the "vibrant NY". That's the dilemma: I guess the main concern is whether the CLS enviroment really is so different from the NY-life as I have heard. Does the campus-life in any way compensate.......I'm corious of your thoughts on MY thoughts regarding this matter.

I studied at CLS, thus I may be biased.
I would say that:
- In any meaningful sense, both CLS and NYU are in NYc. It may seem obvious, but CLS is NOT outside NYC, just in a different part of Manhattan with respect to NYU.
- If, after class, you want to take a stroll, NYU offers you a more 'trendy' neighbourhood: that's undeniable.
- However, upper west side is not rubbish: Broadway from 116th downwards is a great place to live a student life.
- Once you start to have your favorite places in NYC, you'll start taking cabs (and you would do it both if studying at NYU and CLS: maybe sometimes you'll spend a little more starting from 116th, but that's all. E.g. to spend a nice afternoon in Central Park or shop on 5th Avenue, or dine at that lovely restaurant, you'd have to grab a cab (or metro) from both Unis.
Whatever your choice, enjoy every minute of your year in NYC!

Thank you for your very usefull thoughts. Mayby you would be kind adding experiences regarding the campus ? I have heard that US-campus life is very special, thus that side of the experience also appeals to me - as described above. But again: This "village in city" do you fell that you are a bit seperated from NY city and has to "get out" of the area vs. NYU where you have the city right after you have left the classroom ?. You cannot have everything - I know - but as you all now the final decision can be difficult and comes down to something like is, which you probably never think of ones you begins studies.....however...!

It is difficult to make a distinction between the two to be honest - because they are, as someone mentioned, both around Manhattan. If forced to choose though, I think NYU would probably be more for the city-dweller and CLS would be for someone who wants to be slightly more detached from the city. NY can be quite in-your-face at times, so it really depends whether you're fully comfortable with that or not. They are only a few minutes away from each other though by the Met - so the distinction is a questionable one to begin with.

Hi Holle,

If you really want to experience New York, I would personally recommend NYU. Columbia is good too, but its campus is detached from New York and the Morningside Heights area is not very interesting. There are no great restaurants or bars around Columbia, just the library. I have a friend at Columbia now and he has barely seen New York.

According to friends, people mistakenly believe that NYU lacks a campus. While NYU doesn't have a campus to its own, the law school has its own dormitories and NYU is located in the best part of New York. If you live in one of their law school dorms, you will meet loads of people and are guaranteed a great time.

Unfortunately, Columbia doesn't have good housing arrangements like NYU for law students, so you will have to meet people on your own, which is something you may not want to do if you are only around for one year. At NYU, your life will be much simpler since you can live in one of their law school residences and immediately meet your classmates.

I would just add that "on-campus" housing seems much better at NYU !

a few quick thoughts from a guy currently at NYU:
1. the dorms at NYU are pretty decent
2. with regards to the locations, I would certainly take Greenwich Village (NYU)
3. there is a very limited number of classes that a NYU student can take at CLS or vice-versa
4. I would think that an LLM from CLS might be more prestigous bc it is harder to get into, but in the eyes of a potential employer, there is probably very little difference.
best of luck.

The Columbia campus really adds something to the overall LLM experience. It is a lovely and quiet place in the middle of a lovely but not-so-quiet city, with its own distinct atmosphere (of course, it loses something during the coldest months of NY winter, but it is wonderful in the spring).
I find it true that Columbia is slightly more detached from the city than NYU; it is also true that east of Morningside park the neighbourhoods are not so glamourous, to say the least.
On the other hand, consider that it is really easy, in your spare time, to explore every single bit of Manhattan (as every CLS student does, according to her tastes). As for housing, many students choose to live in Midtown (or even further south), and that doesn't seem to interfere with their schedule or cause any significant inconvenience.

Thanks everyone for very meaningfull and usefull thoughts. The deadline is tomorrow for CLS, so I guess that I will come up with an answer before deadline !!! I have not decided yet and you guys do not agree either :-) This is going to be a tough decision......

Maybe you should consider that you are by no means legally obliged to live near Columbia. I'm a CLS-LLM and live in Midtown, which is absolutely not problem. Some students live in the village, chelsea or even Brooklyn. It's not that far if you use the express trains (1/2 hour).

Holle,

Living in Midtown will cost you a fortune. I know a bunch of people at Columbia and only people with loads of cash can afford Midtown. Plus that 1/2 hour train ride can get really annoying if you have to make it every day. At NYU, you can live in an awesome dormitory and just roll out of bed and go to class. Also, NYU's neighborhood is much much safer than Columbia's since there are a lot more people walking around at night.

If the single most important issue for you is distance to downtown NY is an issue, choose NYU. If instead it is a quality education at an institution that is recognized internationally that you are seeking, choose CLS.

In general, NYU has better professors than CLS. Don't trust anyone who says that CLS is better than NYU from an academic perspective. NYU is ranked first in several specialties (tax, international legal studies, and legal theory). CLS isn't ranked first in even a single specialty.

I like how every post in support of NYU when it is compared to CLS in this board is either written by (i) an NYU student; (ii) a former NYU student, (iii) a poster whose posting in defence of the institution represents his/her 1st posting, and hence, likely to fall within category (i) or (ii). Otherwise, they happen to be people who refuse to answer the question of whether they are NYU students when challenged [One example is mnementh attacking remy previously]. I am guilty of that too no doubt since this is only my 3rd posting but it is clear that most of the people who say CLS is better happen to be independent observers. Most of them aren't even students there. Go figure.

Gosh ! It is getting hot in here.....difficult to see whats true or false on the posted messages. I can se, that you certaintly not agree on this. I have figured that I stil have aprox. 3 hrs. to send the fax to CLS if they close at 4 pm !! otherwise I'm in NYU. I'm not certain yet. Its terrible !!

holle, figuring what's true and false is pretty straightforward. nyu has a better location, professors and law school dormitories than columbia. columbia may be better than nyu in subjects such as chemistry and astrophysics, but not for law.

Econolaw proves my point. His virgin post happens to also be a defence of the institution he presumably studies in. Look at the numerous posts in other parts of this Board authored by non-students in either institution to get a clearer and fairer picture. That clearer picture will not be far removed from the sentiment in my statement earlier.

Wow. This discussion has gotten off the railings fast! Holle, you can't go wrong with either NYU or CLS. If I were you, I'd choose CLS, since I do believe it is generally more well-regarded outside the US (within the US, to be honest, the distinction between the two is minimal so both are equally useful). You mentioned you wanted to experience NY and I think you can do it in both institutions (they are minutes apart by the Met) so that doesn't detract from what I mentioned. That said, if you are going to study tax (you mentioned EU law, so I presume not), the choice is obvious: go for NYU. I know this is not much, but I hope it helps (more than the discussion above anyways!)