Hi All,
My difficulty is this..... I just cant figure out whether it is a good idea to go to columbia or NYU despite having secured an admission at Harvard.... Some people have been telling me that Harvard is mainly a resarch and academic oriented school with not much focus on employment.... how true is that??

What does one choose between Harvard and Columbia?

hi there, i think u have to review university rankings....Harvard is the best, everybody know that.
Graduades from HLS are required everywhere (law companies, government bodyes etc.) I dont speak about status of HLS -it is the highest ( lets agree that much more people know about Harvard rather than about Columbia)
But there is one minus for Harvard ( strictly my opinion) that HLS located in very "forgotten" place (i mean its not fun and big as NY) but Columbia is situated in the heart of NY, so i think u can enjoy in NY better than in Cambridge.
But in spite of this, Harvard is the best..........So bro, compare and think

Thanks for that Kem..... In hindsight, I think I always knew that.... could you also tell me what are the best programs that Columbia offers.... and what are the job prospects in the US after columbia

If you are considering doing a general LL.M., Harvard may be better. However, if you are considering doing an LL.M. in international legal studies both NYU and Columbia have the edge over Harvard in a number of respects. For one thing, with NYU and Columbia you would be in NYC. Although Boston is a great city, there is nothing like NYC.The internship and potential job opportunities in NYC are limitless. I am not sure how much faith you put in rankings, but both NYU and Columbia are ranked higher than Harvard for international law. In fact, NYU is ranked #1 and Columbia #2. Harvard is not even ranked in the top 5 for international law. As far as the name is concerned NYU and Columbia are just as strong as Harvard both at home as well as abroad.

correction....Harvard is ranked 3rd along with Georgetown...after NYU and Columbia respectively

Whether real or imagined, Harvard will always be Harvard. The reputation alone surpasses other schools, whether this is fair or not. Even illiterate grannys in the most remote parts of the world have heard of Harvard. This is not to say that it is better than Columbia or other Ivy league schools, but no one can underestimate its prestige. Perhaps, it is first among equals. It is not for nothing that "The Paper Chase" is about Harvard Law School...

guys,
if what matters for you most is employment, and if this means employment in the US - Harvard is the best and.... perhaps... the only place where you can almost secure this!
half of my classmates incl. myself got offers from NY law firms, 90% of that happened before November - i.e. before the first grades!!!

Solovei, after your words , i think everybody will apply at HLS, including me :) I hope to be admitted next year.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression of Columbia or NYU from the postings...Columbia and NYU are certainly on par with Harvard. When you talk about law schools like NYU, Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, Stanford, in terms of prestige and job prospects, there is virtually no difference between them (aside for the location :) ). Columbia's law school is just as prestigious as Harvard's, and as I mentioned in my earlier post, for some areas such as international law, it is even more revered than Harvard. The same goes for NYU. Columbia and NYU law grads certainly do not have much trouble finding post-graduate jobs. And...again since NYU and Columbia are in NYC, I think it would be much easier to get an interesting internship during the school year, arrange interviews with firms, etc.

What about job prospects for graduates with a JD from a school in the USA? Which LLM programs (in terms of topic, not school) offer the best job prospects?