Hey guys,

I need to decide between the three stated law schools. (Columbia full tuition, Berkeley matching decision still awaiting and Northwestern 50k scholarship - money is a criteria, though not the main criteria).
I will definitely go back to my home country, so I am not seeking after LLM employment in the US.

I am looking for a great academic program and a great environment to spend the year. I have a great interest in business law, arbitration and technology.
For Columbia I am a little worried that all other LLMs will be a lot older than me (24) and that it is more focussed on people with a lot of work experience.

I would love to hear your opinions - Thank you!

I can't speak to all of your questions, but I have the same concern that the other Columbia LLMs will be older. I am 26. I am going anyway - depending what happens with COVID-19.

I don't think they would have accepted us if they didn't think we would do well and be able to bond with the other students. Plus classes are usually with JD students, from what I have heard. :)

[Edited by poohbear on Mar 17, 2020]

Hey guys,

I need to decide between the three stated law schools. (Columbia full tuition, Berkeley matching decision still awaiting and Northwestern 50k scholarship - money is a criteria, though not the main criteria).
I will definitely go back to my home country, so I am not seeking after LLM employment in the US.

I am looking for a great academic program and a great environment to spend the year. I have a great interest in business law, arbitration and technology.
For Columbia I am a little worried that all other LLMs will be a lot older than me (24) and that it is more focussed on people with a lot of work experience.

I would love to hear your opinions - Thank you!

Hey guys,

I need to decide between the three stated law schools. (Columbia full tuition, Berkeley matching decision still awaiting and Northwestern 50k scholarship - money is a criteria, though not the main criteria).
I will definitely go back to my home country, so I am not seeking after LLM employment in the US.

I am looking for a great academic program and a great environment to spend the year. I have a great interest in business law, arbitration and technology.
For Columbia I am a little worried that all other LLMs will be a lot older than me (24) and that it is more focussed on people with a lot of work experience.

I would love to hear your opinions - Thank you!

full tuition from Columbia and still hesitant? None of the other schools compare with Columbia. I would say go for it regardless of the age concern. You will find people/ friends in your age range in JD program if not in LLM program.

full tuition from Columbia and still hesitant? None of the other schools compare with Columbia. I would say go for it regardless of the age concern. You will find people/ friends in your age range in JD program if not in LLM program.

full tuition from Columbia and still hesitant? None of the other schools compare with Columbia. I would say go for it regardless of the age concern. You will find people/ friends in your age range in JD program if not in LLM program.

No sorry for not being clear. It would be the full tuition for me at Columbia, so no scholarship.

I have the feeling that Berkeley would be a nicer environment and a little more personal (little town compared to NYC)

Do you think the difference in reputation of the law schools (outside the US) is very big between Columbia and Berkeley?

Thank you for your help!

[Edited by usallm123 on Mar 22, 2020]

Hey guys,

I need to decide between the three stated law schools. (Columbia full tuition, Berkeley matching decision still awaiting and Northwestern 50k scholarship - money is a criteria, though not the main criteria).
I will definitely go back to my home country, so I am not seeking after LLM employment in the US.

I am looking for a great academic program and a great environment to spend the year. I have a great interest in business law, arbitration and technology.
For Columbia I am a little worried that all other LLMs will be a lot older than me (24) and that it is more focussed on people with a lot of work experience.

I would love to hear your opinions - Thank you!

[Edited by Sophie121 on Mar 30, 2020]

Hey guys,

I need to decide between the three stated law schools. (Columbia full tuition, Berkeley matching decision still awaiting and Northwestern 50k scholarship - money is a criteria, though not the main criteria).
I will definitely go back to my home country, so I am not seeking after LLM employment in the US.

I am looking for a great academic program and a great environment to spend the year. I have a great interest in business law, arbitration and technology.
For Columbia I am a little worried that all other LLMs will be a lot older than me (24) and that it is more focussed on people with a lot of work experience.

I would love to hear your opinions - Thank you!

Hi!

I'm actually facing the same decision, as I've been accepted by Columbia (no scholarship) and Berkeley (with a 15k scholarship). (I've been accepted by some other universities as well, like NYU and Penn, and even still awaiting one decision, but I'm mostly doubting between these two).

I can truly relate to your question, since I've already spent one semester at Berkeley as an exchange student, and it was paradise. It was really one of a kind. The atmosphere, the campus, the bay area, the kindness of both staff and students, the beautiful surroundings: just before breakfast I was able to make stunning hikes and my room was looking out on the golden gate bridge. It made me both extremely healthy and happy. Also I loved the classes, which were more aimed at participation, putting things in practice, as opposed to reading a crazy amount of pages and being harshly interrogated during classes. Even though professors and students were passionately and brilliant, I never had to spend any nights reading in the library. The community was really tight-knit, I'm still close with students and professors I met over there. Also, if you're interested in tech like you wrote, Berkeley clearly is a superb place to go. Most LLM students were between 25-30, I would say.

But of course, rankings and friends tell me to go to Columbia. I have a few friends who went to Columbia Law and they truly loved the Columbia experience as well. Also I think the classes Columbia offers are super interesting. And of course, New York is a very interesting place/platform to live in for a year, also as a life experience.

Curious what you will do! I hope I provided you with some relevant information, basically confirming your statement Berkeley could be a really nice place to be. Good luck with your decision.