Columbia or NYU?

The two law schools granted me the same amount of money

and a lot of people suggested that CLS is a better choice.

My current interest is in IP law and financial law and in these

areas I think they may perhaps the same (uncertain)

Thanks to your kind suggestion!!

You can´t go wrong either way. Despite their position in general rankings (now NYU is #4, but CLS may be #4 next year again), I think maybe CLS is stronger in corporate law, but a combination LLM at NYU with courses on finance at Stern could be interesting. Depends on each curriculum you like better. The other factors to be taken into account are whether you prefer to live in the Village or in Harlem (sorry, Morningside Heights - flygirl will kill me for that).

Thanks to your kind suggestions!!

Since NYU enrolls too many students each year (perhaps more

than 450 this year, maybe hard to contact with law teachers or other students) and thus lots of people may advice CLS is

a better choice.

Is it true or only the misunderstanding?

Well, it depends. I think you will have classes with lots of classmates and classes with less people, no matter where you go. It depends. In the first semester, all courses I tool were core courses (between 50-80 students). You do not have personalized attention if you do not look for it, by asking questions after classes to the professor or even by going to their offices. In Spring, I took some seminars of >15 students, and we use first names there. Anyway, I think it is up to you.

Maybe some CLS student could clarify how big classes are at CLS. If anybody wants, I can provide with figures of how many students were enrolled in each NYU Law course this year. Just tell me the course and I´ll tell you how many students were there.

(One example of big classes - have you ever watched the movie The Paper Chase, about 1 year in the life of a HLS 1L?)

Thanks.

NYU has a very strong alumni resource across the world while Columbia is also the big name (as an Ivy League Member and many Nobel Prizes of alumni) which make me feel that CLS is perhaps the better choice for my focus on IP law. Thanks any way!

Hi Hustlaw

I was in the same dilemma - NYU or CLS? I chose CLS

I think this thread contains all elements of the advice I did receive - 1. both are closely ranked, so cant go wrong with either; 2. NYU has its strengths but CLS may arguably be a better 'corporate' law school (my area of focus); 3. morningside heights is a quieter and (slightly) less expensive area; 4. Despite concerns abt its utiity - the fact that CLS has an 'Ivy League' tag also helps

See you at CLS!

Being part of a select CLS group
or being part of the NY barbarian hordes who flood each year the market ...

I would know what to choose...


no hard feelings to the NY students of course, just playing with some words :)

What happened to MaXiMuS?

Being part of a select CLS group
or being part of the NY barbarian hordes who flood each year the market ...

I would know what to choose...


no hard feelings to the NY students of course, just playing with some words :)

One thing that should be taken into consideration and that was not yet mentioned here is that whereas NYU admits 450 LLM's, it offers different specializations. This is to say that you won't get to see the vast majority of them (ok...in parties you will).

I'm at NYU and know nobody that hadn't taken a course that (s)he applied to, whereas in Columbia the frustration led to complaints to the administration...

Hope it helps.

Despite having gone to CLS I don't think there is a right answer here. I had a fantastic time at CLS but my friends also had a great time at NYU.
I think CLS might be stronger in corporate law (Jack Coffee is meant to be a great lecturer and very high-profile) and friends of mine are currently doing the internship at the white collar crime dept of the AG's office (I think that is what it is) as course credits which sounds great. I know NYU has some fantastic opportunities for internships after your degree.
I really love Greenvich Village but for a place to live I prefer Morningside Heights (which is the hill/ridge on which Columbia rests - it boarders Harlem albeit divided by a slightly unsafe park). Columbia has a real campus feel as it is gated with very grand buildings and beautiful green areas. I am a big runner so really enjoyed being so close to Central Park (about 10 blocks) and Riverside Park (2 blocks). The accommodation at Columbia is for the most part fantastic - old buildings with lots of character but well-maintained. I actually really love Harlem as a neighbourhood as you can go to all the jazz clubs that the tourists don't go to and gospel singing - a real cultural experience and I never felt unsafe there. It is about 30 mins into the Village/Soho etc if you want a change of scene.
I do think it might be slightly harder to get into CLS than NYU if you care about that. I didn't find the classes big at CLS since the seminar classes are capped at 15-20 people and I found them pretty intimate. The core JD class such as crimes, corporations etc are quite packed but I only took upper level classes so it didn't bother me. I attended one seminar on cultural rights at NYU and it was extremely crowded which I didn't like but I can't imagine it is as bad as that for all classes.
Columbia has a very active social scene but I people may be more serious than NYUers in terms of study etc (from talking to people in admin at CLS the socialibility of the class varies greatly from year to year). I attended quite a few NYU parties when my friends were there and they seemed like a lot of fun with many people from all round the world so that can be an advantage of a big class. South/Central Americans on mass a soooo much fun!
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with your decision!

What happened to MaXiMuS?

I forgot to mention that CLS does have the most Nobel Prize winners after Cambridge (82 and 83 respectively) and is quite old school in that it is an Ivy and has been famous forever whereas NYU is more of a rising star.
I personally have quite a "soft spot" for NYU considering why it has done so well recently. Basically CLS, as a WASP-ish school like Yale and Harvard back in the day used to have a quota on how many Jewish people (and other "non desirables") could go there as did many of the NY law firms. These people were "shunted" off to NYU. Of course, these people then went on to do amazing things and gave lots and lots of money to NYU (including many of the NYU buildings etc). In fact, Wachtell (arguably the most prestigious firm in NYC) was set up by people who couldn't get jobs at NYC firms because they were Jewish.
Anyway, I like the fact that NYU has gone from strength to strength on the basis that it accepted underdogs!
I should state that CLS isn't like this now but it is an interesting piece of history and written about in a book called, I think, The Chosen People: A History of the Admission Process at the Ivy Leagues.

At the end of the day, CLS x NYU is a matter of taste (Village x Morningside Heights, up-and-coming x old ivy) and specialization (for instance, if you want to study tax law, you must to go NYU. In other specializations, it depends on the course offerings). You cannot go wrong either way - you will enjoy the City, study hard, and make good friends.

2 remarks: 1) Seminar classes are also capped at NYU (usually 15-20 students); 2) I think people here study pretty hard. There are "party junkies" here, of course, but the ordinary LL.M student works pretty hard... In any case, "It´s up to you"...

Thanks to all your kind suggestions. Currenlty I have already sent the deposit form to CLS and may wish to see you all in NYC!!!

Funny video about NYU x CLS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPJq0F0Gjq4

Congratulations for you decision!
Despite the fact that both are top schools, people definitely end up accepting Columbia over NYU for the LLM program, just like you did. Among many reasons, such as Ivy League, tradition and a campus (NYU does not have one), more important, NYU has more than 425 students on their LLM program per year. This is too much and they cant be much selective this way. Anyway, I would be honored if I had studied at NYU also. NYU is a highly respected school of law and they have extraordinary professors.

Best of luck,