Hi everyone,

This thread is intended for all those that applied for the Cornell LLM. Have any of you guys heard back yet?

Hello there! I applied on Nov 24th and was admitted on Dec 15th (apparently other fellow south american candidates were admitted around that date, so it might just be a "zone" thing).

Best of luck!

Hello there! I applied on Nov 24th and was admitted on Dec 15th (apparently other fellow south american candidates were admitted around that date, so it might just be a "zone" thing).

Best of luck!

Congrats, scholarlee!
Cornell is one of my first choices, for sure. Unfortunately, the decision will depend on scholarships.

What about you?

Just to play devil's advocate, why would you want to go to Cornell? It is more expensive then almost any other top-ranked school and not as good. It is in the middle of nowhere compared to most other schools. It has coasted on its reputation for some time. Maybe if they gave you a HUGE scholarship, it might be worthwhile.

I think Cornell still has a pretty strong reputation as a university and for law in particular.

Cornell belongs to the "T14" of best US law schools:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/law-rankings (#13)

and has an edge to many as an ivy league school. The school is also well regarded internationally.

The question is: Can you survive one year in Ithaca? For people used to a big city, this is quite a challenge. There a hundreds of dicussions about Ithaca being "in the middle of nowhere" (or not):

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1536&bih=667&q=cornell+ithaca+%22middle+of+nowhere%22

For those wanting to enjoy campus life in a typical American campus university, Cornell is great. Its campus is among the most beautiful ones in the US.

Cornell might be a Top Rated school but far too expensive.

That is my point. Its cost is not commensurate with its ranking, or even close. It costs more than Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc. yet is much lower ranked. I am not saying its a bad school but why go there if you are accepted to higher rated schools that cost less.

It reminds me of a Russian anecdote. Ivan and Pavel meet each other on the street. They notice that each other is wearing the same exact suit. Pavel asks Ivan how much he paid for his suit. Ivan proudly replies "I paid $2,000 for my suit." Pavel smiles and replies "That is nothing, I paid $4,000 for mine!"

On the small chance you don't understand the anecdote, Pavel was prouder of his suit than Pavel, even though it was the exact same suit as Ivan's, just because he paid more for it.

So if you want to overpay, go to Cornell. :-) Of course if Cornell is the only T14 school you got admitted to, then you have to decide. If I was choosing though between UT Austin (T15) and Cornell (T13) I'd likely save my money and go to UT Austin. They are also more flexible in trying to find ways to make it affordable. I'd have to have some very serious tuition waivers, scholarships, etc. to think about Cornell over a lot of other schools.

Ive been accepted!

Congrats LB2.

I've been accepted too! i applied on Dec 13, just got accepted by today :) congrats to those accepted as well!

Hey guys,

I got accepted last week too! Congrats to all of you!

As for the tuitions in Cornell, it is really expensive.

But it is also important to keep in mind that living in Ithaca is much more affordable than NYC or other big American cities.

Hi,

Just confirming, all decisions be it rejection/acceptance are sent out via emails by all law schools or does one have to log on to their portal to check the status?

Well, so far I have received all decisions in my mailbox.

The same applies to all my friends that got answers. It seems to me it is a common practice that they send e-mails whenever they reach a decision.

If you're unsure, maybe you should check the e-mail you got when your application was completed. They probably mention something about it.

Hi Guys. I am currently enrolled in the LL.M. at Cornell Law School. I am in the middle of the spring semester now and I thought it might be useful to share some thoughts with you about the pros and the cons of doing an LL.M. at Cornell.

At first I tell you that I was accepted into several T-14 law schools, also very high ranked. I never thought I would choose Cornell but eventually I did.

Cornell is in the middle of nowhere, that is true. The campus is beautiful, really Hogwarts style. But it is not New York City so be prepared. My opinion though, is that it is better to do an LL.M. out of a big city. It is true, you lose some "fun", some clubs, and some networking events but all in all the LL.M. is an investment for your professional future and not for anything else.

Cornell is a small university, you get to know everyone, you can build very close relationship with professors and you take all the classes with JDs and MBAs (the ones that are cross-listed). Nothing comparable to Universities where you take classes just with LLMs and you are 200 in a single class. For instance, I had a seminar in corporate governance in which we were in 8 people. It was great, I learned a lot, I build a very good connection with the professor. So, eventually the "networking" part you lose of a big city you absolutely regain it in this way. Also, speakers and professionals from all over the world come every week to give speech and conferences.

Take Rankings very carefully. There are certain university which are very high in the ranking but they are snobbed by the professional world. They are LLM diplomas industries. Also don't forget that Cornell is an Ivy league, which is an elite ranking on its own. If you want to go into Corporate Cornell is one of the best. You can't immagine the number of partners in NY Big Law that studied at Cornell. On the other hand it is also excellent in International law. Moreover, you have professors as Lynn Stout a Star in the corporate world. (there is also an amazing course on Private Equity with Professor Franci Blassberg, check online to see who she is!)
Other positives: highest bar pass rate in the Country last year, great career service for LL.Ms.

Let's go to some negatives: the tuition is very high so I would recommend you to choose it if you have a little scholarship at least. However, don't forget, the LL.M is an investment, and the cost has a value. The cost has to be one of the factor in choosing the program but not the first one. Also, Ithaca is way less expansive than NYC.

In certain European countries Cornell is not so well known (very well known in Asia and South America).

Courses are very difficult, the amount of studying is huge!! be prepared. At least you get out of here knowing real stuff! the approach is very practical.

The weather in winter sucks, it is terribly cold. (but remember so is in Chicago, NY and Boston!)

Check the curriculum and the courses offered to see if you like it and meet your expectation.

So and so: there is a special grading system of LLMs. it could be a positive since you don't directly compete with JDs, but a negative because you'll always have to explain the grading system to employers.

All in all an LL.M. is a great investment and a wonderful experience. I would recommend it to you all. I would strongly advice you not to take it you want to have fun and party and if you think you'll automatically find a job without working hard and be very determined. There are plenty of great Universities, if you get accepted into Harvard, Stanford or Yale go there, otherwise think carefully about your choice, evaluate any aspect and keep in mind that Cornell is still one of the best opportunity you can possibly have!

I hope this helps, Good luck guys!

On a different note. Have any of you received anything on the mail yet?
Back in dec I got an e-mail saying I was admitted but nothing has come on traditional mail yet. Other unis have sent their stuff already.

On a different note. Have any of you received anything on the mail yet?
Back in dec I got an e-mail saying I was admitted but nothing has come on traditional mail yet. Other unis have sent their stuff already.

Hey guys,

I need your advice very much;)

My field of specialization is dispute resolution and I was admitted to Michigan, Northwestern, Berkeley (both tracks). Cornell and Pepperdine (the only one, which gave me a scholarship up to date).

I want to pass the bar exam and pursue my training in DR.

Which one to choose?

Hi, anyone enrolling? the April 1st deadline is approaching and we have to make a decision.

Hi guys,

I won't be accepting the offer and want to seek a deferral. Could someone help me with the most appropriate language since the Committee responded to my query saying that a federal would only be granted in rare circumstances.