Hi everybody,

as the topic suggests, this is another "help me choose" / "confirm my choice" thread...

I had decided to go for UCLA, this choice was based on: flattering early admission, "underdog status" (not T14 + public, can't be called elitist) of UCLA, fellowship in the ammount of 27 K, campus in Westwood, LA, the California Bar Exam option and that sweet way the law schools presents itself - aside from the obvious reasons: great program, great law school, great university (to me >>>> Berkeley, the inside of all of their buildings smells like a really bad canteen, though it doesn't stink as bad as SLS' attitude -also: got a rejection from those hippies). Mind you, at that point I was perfectly aware of the rankings... also I am going for business law/international law.

So, after I got the admission from CLS, I instantly paid the deposit because I felt like as a rational person I have no choice from this point on. However, I started thinking only a few hours ago (happens). To me, the only Columbia pros are that while CLS < HLS < SLS < YLS, its still > all the other law schools and "Kalambiah" somewhat has a better sound to it than "Yoo Si El Ey". Surprisingly, I've never been a fan of abbrevations.

However, Columbia cons to me are:
- 200-something people instead of 80-something
- the alleged difficulty of the program (been to a law school with too many overachievers ruining my day for too long already)
- no fellowship (instead of ~55 K at UCLA its gonna be about 80 K)
- NYC < LA (imho)

Any thoughts? Do the UCLA pros/CLS cons outweigh CLS' ranking + reputation? Which program would you go for?

.

Hey Basilius,

you are totally right. It should not be only about the ranking. I myself turned down offers from two Top 10 law schools and Cornell. I have been in LA and it is really a great city. UCLA and USC are great schools. And UCLA is definitely a good choice.

This might help as well: Where do you see yourself in a couple years. I guess like the most of us (Associates, Lawyers and future Lawyers) you will work somewhere in Europe. From 8am till 10 pm (if you go for a big law firm). So when will you have the chance to live at the sea again. When will you have the chance to avoid winter gear for a whole year again? You have a great offer from a great school (I mean it is not like you are settling for a third tier law school - and I personally think that the Top 20 Law Schools are all great). You should follow your heart and not some stats or rankings.

Would CLS open up any (career related) opportunities for you that UCLA won't? Would you be a better lawyer having attened CLS rather than UCLA? Would you earn more money as a graduate of CLS rather than of UCLA in your home country?

Probably not.

Thank you for your response, Aureliusps!

That is exactly my point, though I would like to work in the US short term..I'm not sure what I should go for, though I will have to decide soon.. turning down Columbia doesn't seem right, but I feel like UCLA could be exactly what I am looking for..

I'm not sure about the career related options, especially since I would like to start working in the US for a while..

Though you are right, I wouldn' be a better lawyer and I don't care too much for the salary.

Reputation-wise it boils down to this: CLS vs UCLA + big fat fellowship, I am not sure about the winner, but because of so many soft factors I would prefer UCLA..

I've also turned down two T10 schools in favor of UCLA. That was a difficult decision and I had the same considerations as you do. In the end, I have decided to go not for the rankings but for the place where I want to spend a year in.

Hi Guys!

I got through UCLA and GT. UCLA has awarded more than 50% of tuition waiver which seems to be a huge amount! I am looking to do an LLM in Securities Law which is a specialised course at GT.

Really split between the two as the rankings/reputation etc is almost the same.

Would be great to hear your views on this!

Thanks