heh, that is interesting.

here is some further info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_laureates_by_university_affiliation

This analysis relates largely to science (which Cambridge has a great reputation in) not law so doesn't really speak to this forum but I notice Columbia is second (at 82 - Cambridge is 83).

I will probably end up going to Cambridge coz I have funding from there but am hanging out for the Columbia Associateship anyone heard about that?

Istanboulyote - are you at Cambridge now or is your info jsut from your friend. All the people coming forward to promote Cambridge seem to be applicants which is weird (are they trying to justify their choices to themselves?) and really unhelpful.

MissKatie;

I am indeed a prospective student at Cambridge. On top of it I still haven't received anything from the only other Universities I have applied (surprise surprise: Columbia and NYU). But believe me since I recieved the Offer from Cambridge, the only question that crosses my mind is: what I get an offer from all three schools?!!! After endless nights spent before the computer, on google earth, in my bed lying over maps and documentation, I came to 1 conclusion; it's gonna be either Columbia or Cambridge. The reason for singling out NYU is not based on material, quantifiable, rationale criterion; its more like an inner feeling...(probably very much influenced by what I have heard from people...thus the REPUTATION of each school).

As between Columbia and Cambridge...well very though shot! Cambridge is Cambridge. What the British Parliament is for the Parliaments, Cambridge is the same for the Universities. It has been established 250 years before the first turks moved into Anatolia. They have build an empire, then got dissolved, and the entire Balkans, Middle East and the North of Africa emerged. And in the mean time people were studying this entire evolution on a day to day basis at

Just out of interest - why have you ruled out Oxford. Their BCL is excellent.
I guess it is a matter of personal preference. I have actually worked at Oxford in admin (which is similar to Cantab) and found the history a little bit stifling - there is a great resistence to change and new ideas or approaches (the recent uproar with the VC at Oxbridge and the complete refusal to acknowledge any form of critical legal theory are a good indication of that) and the facilities just aren't as good (eg: no wireless on campus; FREEZING lodgings etc) because there isn't as much money as in the US. But it is a trade off I guess coz all that history does give you a wonderful connection to the past.
ok I better get back to my work and stop hanging out on this forum...

Cambridge. Any other school which has had the chance and occasion to gather the same amount as Cambridge? I guess this fact is very well reflected by the tremendous volumes Cambridge University Press has provided.

On the other hand Columbia is Columbia :) I don't really know why but it has this amazing reputation and I just can't say no to an offer from CLS. May its because its one of the rare greatest law school in America which stands for more liberal socialist way of approaching the world.

Well the conclusion of my conclusion is that between Columbia and Cambridge its a damn difficult deal.

Damn - I am supposed to be working and this forum keeps luring me back in.
It is the same for me, I like the look of Cambridge a lot but am hanging out for the Columbia Associateship. I doubt I'll get it but one can dream...
Oh well, we're in a lucky position even though choice are hard.

Add oxford to the mix - I just got an email unofficially stating that I am in and up for an award at tomorrow's meeting. I am even more confused now! It appears to me that oxford has greater name credibility here in Australia than the other schools and tends to be a fun place to live.

I have very much settle that Cornell is not really an option, so for those of you waiting for a spot, one will be up for sure.

The only university I haven't heard back from is the one I wanted the most- Yale.

Does this all change anyone's advice? I don't want to pay a whole heap of seat deposits as I don't want to deprive anyone else of a spot!

I think that you're the first person on this board to indicate an acceptance at oxford. good for you. The choices just keep getting tougher.

Hey that is great news about Oxford congratulations!

I know I previously recommended Columbia since I had a great time in NY and i think it is a good place to be if you are in to international law (close to the UN, great internships etc) but I think you should seriously consider the BCL. In my humble opinion it is the finest graduate degree in law due to the unmatched theoretical focus (Finnis, Craig, Raz (who also teaches at CLS) etc - wow!), rigour, and very small classes. They work you hard though I heard and it is very difficult to get good marks. Oh, and Oxford has great pubs!

At the expensive of recommending my own path, I would recommend doing to LLM in the US and then moving to the UK for your doctorate. If you want to be an academic you'll probably need a doctoral degree anyway and the doctoral courses in the US are crap (you are ranked below the JDs in the professor's eyes and there is very little institutional support unlike the UK where the DPhil is well established and respected). It is great to have the perspectives of both legal systems too - the UK, the US, and your home country (Australia?)

Anyway, what a great position you are in! Brilliant!

btw, who was the email from? It seems weird that anyone in admissions would email before the decision was actually made just to say you were up for an award. Why wouldn't they wait one day to tell you definitively...Had you emailed and asked for an update? Oxford seems to be taking FOREVER to get back to us.

There was an issue with something on my scholarship application and before they put me up for the award they needed clarification. So the lady emailed me stating that I had been accepted for a research degree (not the BCL) so not to worry, but they needed me to email them back with the information.

That's great! btw, are you doing a research degree (MSt or something) or the BCL?

hey flygirl, that's interesting about the poor supervision at US schools for PHD studies. I didn't realize that. I would have assumed that they'd prize their doctoral students since there are so few of them (relatively speaking). I can see that the LLM's are 'supermarkets' (to borrow someone else's term), but I didn't realize that carried through to the PHD as well.
Thanks for the insight.

no worries. I guess it is a generalization and I don't really know what it is like at Yale, for example, which takes very few students generally, but from what I can tell from Columbia and from my friends at NYU and Harvard there is very little supervision since the faculty are too busy with their own research. I think the UK schools generally are much more committed to students (the tutorial system at Oxford is a good example of that - the professors in the US would never stand for such intensive teaching (again a generalization)).
My experience at CLS was that the JDs were more important hands down (and the LLMs more important than the JSDs). For example, it is difficult to get the school to promote the LLM or JSD students on the teaching job market over the JDs and there is absolutely no funding for the J.S.D. outside of the prestigious Associateship.
Part of the problem in the US i think is that the J.S.D./S.J.D. is a very new degree and many of the professors have never even heard of it.
It is funny, but in some ways I actually think a bigger group of students is almost better for the doctorate because it is so isolating that the more people you have in the same position the better. And of course with a big group of people you can organize informal workshops to present your research etc. That is what attracts me to the UK schools for my doctorate anyway.
Sorry, that was a really long and gratuitous response to your comment!

fyi, this is the most painful article ever:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=517274

I am not sure if it says more about Oxford or the people who go to Harvard.

hello people.....

this website is awesome...........
right ive got a question is the Cambridge LLM worth it? I got accepted and Im not sure whether I should go. Is having Cambridge on my CV going to beneficial to me in the long term in my Career? Is it worth spending all that money to have it on my CV?

If anyone can help, i would really appreaciate it.

Imran

in general, certainly yes. but it also depends where you are from. in some situations it is better to go to the u.s., although then it will much depend to which school you will go.

I think you need to give us more information on what you want to do career-wise (academia or practice) and where (UK or US or your home country). Also, it might be better to raise this discussion on the UK part of the forum.
Cheers,
fg

Hi,I am in Cornell USA and in LSE. Which is better option.