Hey guys,

I got admitted both in CLS and UoC LLM programs. I know this issue has been discussed many times before on this forum, but maybe there are new reasons for or against one or other school. Anyway, I know you cannot go wrong with either. As an input, let me state things I have in mind in order to make a decision, regardless someone else might want to add additional ones: 1) City (things to do, weather, how expensive it is, neighborhoods, etc.); 2) Workload and grades; 3) Possibilities of finding a job afterwards; 4) The possibility of becoming a transfer student to a JD without having to take the LSAT (I know it is possible in both, but I don't know whether it is probable. I am really interested in this option, since I'm a US citizen although I studied Law elsewhere); 5) Network (how does networking even works in the US? I have heard so many things about its importance, but haven't realized yet what I'm supposed to do in order to get a nice, eventually useful network).

Anything else on your minds that someone should take into consideration when making the decision?

All the best for all of you!

Hey guys,

I got admitted both in CLS and UoC LLM programs. I know this issue has been discussed many times before on this forum, but maybe there are new reasons for or against one or other school. Anyway, I know you cannot go wrong with either. As an input, let me state things I have in mind in order to make a decision, regardless someone else might want to add additional ones: 1) City (things to do, weather, how expensive it is, neighborhoods, etc.); 2) Workload and grades; 3) Possibilities of finding a job afterwards; 4) The possibility of becoming a transfer student to a JD without having to take the LSAT (I know it is possible in both, but I don't know whether it is probable. I am really interested in this option, since I'm a US citizen although I studied Law elsewhere); 5) Network (how does networking even works in the US? I have heard so many things about its importance, but haven't realized yet what I'm supposed to do in order to get a nice, eventually useful network).

Anything else on your minds that someone should take into consideration when making the decision?

All the best for all of you!

[Edited by Mattt on Mar 10, 2020]

Hey guys,

I got admitted both in CLS and UoC LLM programs. I know this issue has been discussed many times before on this forum, but maybe there are new reasons for or against one or other school. Anyway, I know you cannot go wrong with either. As an input, let me state things I have in mind in order to make a decision, regardless someone else might want to add additional ones: 1) City (things to do, weather, how expensive it is, neighborhoods, etc.); 2) Workload and grades; 3) Possibilities of finding a job afterwards; 4) The possibility of becoming a transfer student to a JD without having to take the LSAT (I know it is possible in both, but I don't know whether it is probable. I am really interested in this option, since I'm a US citizen although I studied Law elsewhere); 5) Network (how does networking even works in the US? I have heard so many things about its importance, but haven't realized yet what I'm supposed to do in order to get a nice, eventually useful network).

Anything else on your minds that someone should take into consideration when making the decision?

All the best for all of you!

Definitely UChicago. You won't regret choosing it for the rest of your life.

1) this is very personal. You need to feel and assess it in person either by a site visit or through other approaches.

2) UChicago will be more academically intensive. If you are not an academic person, don’t go to Chicago. If you are, then you may fit in better in Chicago than Columbia, but on the other side, you may also receive good grades in Columbia. So in scenario 2, you should follow your heart.

3) the most important factor will be your grade, so think about item 2 again. Also, you may receive more personal attention in Chicago due to the smaller size. I don’t weigh too much on location and alumni network and fairly speaking, both schools tie with each other on these.

4) this will mostly depend on your grades and your competitors. Think about item 2 and the smaller class size again. More personal attention means more likelihood to win support and recommendation from your professors. That being said, i think the difficulties of transferring to JD are equal in both school.

5) this is more of an art and luck. I leave this for others to comment on.

Hey guys,

I got admitted both in CLS and UoC LLM programs. I know this issue has been discussed many times before on this forum, but maybe there are new reasons for or against one or other school. Anyway, I know you cannot go wrong with either. As an input, let me state things I have in mind in order to make a decision, regardless someone else might want to add additional ones: 1) City (things to do, weather, how expensive it is, neighborhoods, etc.); 2) Workload and grades; 3) Possibilities of finding a job afterwards; 4) The possibility of becoming a transfer student to a JD without having to take the LSAT (I know it is possible in both, but I don't know whether it is probable. I am really interested in this option, since I'm a US citizen although I studied Law elsewhere); 5) Network (how does networking even works in the US? I have heard so many things about its importance, but haven't realized yet what I'm supposed to do in order to get a nice, eventually useful network).

Anything else on your minds that someone should take into consideration when making the decision?

All the best for all of you!

Definitely UChicago. You won't regret choosing it for the rest of your life.

1) this is very personal. You need to feel and assess it in person either by a site visit or through other approaches.

2) UChicago will be more academically intensive. If you are not an academic person, don’t go to Chicago. If you are, then you may fit in better in Chicago than Columbia, but on the other side, you may also receive good grades in Columbia. So in scenario 2, you should follow your heart.

3) the most important factor will be your grade, so think about item 2 again. Also, you may receive more personal attention in Chicago due to the smaller size. I don’t weigh too much on location and alumni network and fairly speaking, both schools tie with each other on these.

4) this will mostly depend on your grades and your competitors. Think about item 2 and the smaller class size again. More personal attention means more likelihood to win support and recommendation from your professors. That being said, i think the difficulties of transferring to JD are equal in both school.

5) this is more of an art and luck. I leave this for others to comment on.