I'm torn between Cornell and Northwestern for the LLM Programs. I have read a lot of discussions and information on the internet about their strengths, but still can't decide.

What I concern most is their reputations in Asia because I would most likely go back to my home country. Northwestern Law ranks better than Cornell Law School, but the overall brand name of Ivy League is a plus in Asia. Does anyone have ideas about their reputations (law school and overall) in Asia?

The curriculum at Cornell is much narrower compared to that in many other law schools, including Northwestern. That's my second concern. I can easily choose courses that I like at Northwestern, but Cornell's course offerings are not very attractive to me. I would feel happier to take courses that I like, and therefore Northwestern is better for me in this regard. However, I am wondering if this is very important. Where you graduate from is a kind of label that you will carry with for a long time, and perhaps employers won't care too much about the courses you have taken during the LLM. They are more concerned with which school you graduated from.

Thirdly, I would like to know which of these two schools have a better career service which devotes more time and resources to help LLM students find jobs in the US and overseas.

I'm fine with the studying and living environment of both schools, although I understand that Northwestern may give me some more job opportunities. Yet, I know that it's very hard to find a job in the U.S. so this is not too important for me. I care about the reputations of these schools in Asia a bit more as I am going to search for a lawyer job in Asia.

May I have your opinions on the above? I would be much grateful to have your views!

Many thanks!!

with all due respect, I believe you forgot to mention the most important criterion for choosing which one is better, that is what subject(s) you want to study once in the US. Cornell and NU are two great schools, but they may enjoy different reputations when it comes to specific fields... I agree that Cornell has a somewhat stronger overall reputation in Asia, but NU's location should greatly offset your concerns...

Thanks a lot for your reply! I want to do about 60% of my courses in corporate law and 40% of my courses in IP. This is not a rigid division but I want to do both. I know that Cornell has very few IP courses and this is one of the drawbacks to me.

Many thanks!

I may sound biased, since I did my LLM at Northwestern, but the latter is well-know for corporate law. IP is taught at both, but there are other schools (especially in the SF and DC area) which enjoy a strong reputation for IP

No problem and thanks a lot for your sharing and advice!

Hi, I hope this is helpful: http://tippingthescales.com/2015/02/the-2015-go-to-law-schools/.
It's a ranking based solely on which law schools placed the most 2014 graduates as associates at the largest 250 law firms. (obviously it refers to JD, but so does the US News Ranking).
Personally, I chose Cornell over both Duke and Georgetown. I don't know about Northwestern but Cornell is strong in corporte, it has a great reputation in Europe, and (as the ranking shows) strong links with big law firms. I think networking is truly important but, honestly, I think that the most useful connections will be our classmates. Of course, living in NY or Chicago you can meet interesting people but since we are going to spend most of our time in class and on books I would not overestimate it.

Thanks a lot for giving me the link! It seems that Cornell and Northwestern have similar rankings with it comes to "Big Law" placements.

I agree that networking with classmates is important. Some of my friends suggested me going to Northwestern because the LLM students generally have more work experience than their counterparts in Cornell.

I also agree that we will spend most of our time in class and on books. I think staying in big cities or legal markets can only be useful if you are super proactive and you already have a background that is very attractive to firms. I may not be that kind of person, and therefore I may rely on my law school's reputation and also my academic results in the LLM Program to find new work opportunities.

It is a pity that the US News and World Report does not have a ranking for corporate law. I have heard that Northwestern is strong in corporate law, and a few current students of Cornell told me their school is strong in corporate law too. I do not know, however, which school is better in the view of law firms and people who will be hiring LLM graduates.

Thanks a lot for your views!

You are welcome. I understand this is a tough choice.

Anyway, do you have any kind of scholarship? I know that Cornell's tuition is very high without a scholarship. On the other hand, living in Chicago in undoubtedly way more expansive than living in Ithaca.

The fact that LLM students at Northwestern generally have more work eperience might be true, but, frankly the mere fact that they have it, is not itself a great asset. Maybe they have prior eperience in a country very far from yours or far from where you want to work, so this will ultimately be quite useless. I think you should understand how the class is actually composed (in term of nationality).

A lot of people told me that Cornell has very strong links with NYC's firms. Allthough it is not very high in the ranking and is, let's say, the less ivy then the ivies, it has a long "history" in the State and many partners of NYC's law firms are cornellians. However you are right, the curriculum is limited, especially on IP.

Last thing, Lynn Stout teaches at Cornell, she is a world-famous expert in corporate governance.

Hi, I received a relatively small amount of scholarship from Northwestern but no scholarship from Cornell. For living expense, I'm sure that Chicago will cost me more , whereas in Ithaca you won't have chances to spend a lot unless you always go traveling.

I agree that the overall reputation of Cornell is very good, and that's why I'm torn between Cornell and Northwestern. In Asia it seems that Cornell may be a bit more famous. That said, my friends have all heard of Northwestern too.

Oh yes, I also know that Professor Stout is teaching at Cornell and she's very famous.

Thank you so much again for your sharing and wish you'll enjoy your studies no matter where you go!

The cost of tuition is higher at Cornell than NW. The cost of living isn't that bad in Chicago and there is MUCH more to do there. If you are trying to get in with a firm in NYC then Cornell might be a better option but the Chicago legal market is pretty good and foreigner lawyers can sit for the Illinois bar exam and practice law there.

I don't know if you plan to travel back home but flying from Chicago is pretty inexpensive and comparable to NYC. The advantage is you don't have a long bus ride to get to NYC or the high air fares if you fly from Ithaca.

Thanks a lot for your sharing! I agree that there is much more to do in Chicago. That said, having a quiet life isn't a bad idea, and I will be equally happy in Chicago and Ithaca. But I understand that most people prefer to have fun apart from studying.

Thanks for telling me that foreign lawyers can sit for the Illinois bar exam, and I didn't know it before. However, this doesn't apply for me because I don't have the requisite 5 years' experience if I go to study this year.

I totally agree that going to travel will be much easier in Chicago because the flights are cheaper and have more options. The flight from Ithaca to NYC is really too expensive and I don't want to take the long bus ride.

Many thanks!