Any one else in this dilema?

Come on, the answer is really obvious, if you do not explicitly want to be in NYC for personal reasons ...

You can't go wrong with Chicago or Columbia. Congrats! You did great!

I guess you should consider a couple of things:
- Why do you wish to go to an LLM? Do you want to work in the US, change specialties, network, take a year off? Which school best fits that purpose?
- What is your specialty? Which school is better?
- Do you dream about living in NYC? Can you do it later, for instance, working there?
- NYC is really expensive. I heard that UChicago is situated in a unsafe neighborhood
- How much is money an issue for you right now? The biggest cost, as I see it, is the opportunity cost of spending one year studying, instead of working.
- Size of the program: does it matter to you?
- Are there any professors that you wish to meet? Or courses that you wish to take?

Good luck!

Take the money and go to Chicago. If you can afford it and money is not a problem go to Columbia.

FYI Columbia's LLM is too big it seems impersonal. Chicago is more appealing - a great school with an excellent LLM program

Many thanks to all, I truly appreciate your thoughts...

What I have heard, though, is that Columbia is very well renowned in business law and the university that manage to place the most number of lawyers after their LLM (at least in NY law firms). In my case, I am currently working at a law firm in my country (M&A) and hope to find a place as foreign associate at least for my OPT next year, so the influence to find a job is very relevant...

[Edited by mdb on Mar 30, 2017]

These are peer schools- it would not make a difference. Chicago will place in New York well. It's a top 5 school.

Chicago... in my opinion does not worth to pay $20K more to attend Columbia!