I have noticed that there has been some discussion about where people would go if given multiple offers, so I thought I would start this thread so people can analyse the choices.

For me, Chicago, Yale and Columbia (if I get an associateship) are my number one choices - this is over Harvard, Penn and Michigan.

Why? Because I don't want a 'badge', a degree for the name, I want an academic challenge. A have friends at Harvard at the moment who are really disappointed with the LLM for many reasons, including that the LLM's are essentially 'cash cows' and treated badly by JD's and with some contempt by the Faculty.

So these are my reasons - that said, I don't want a firm job, and if I did I would grab the Harvard badge and go if I got in!!

What is everyone elses first choice and why?

My first choice would probably be Yale. If I would make it to both Yale and Harvard, the choice would be really difficult. Yale is usually considered to be the best law school in the world, but on the other hand, Harvard is the best university in the world. Yale program is small while Harvard is big, but which would be better, I don't know. Both have scholars I greatly admire, and both are strong on subjects I'm interested in, namely legal history, legal theory, and constitutional law. Boston is nice, but New Haven is close to New York. It is almost impossible to decide. Fortunately, being admitted to both is extremely unlikely (of course one could argue that if you make it to the other one, it's likely that the other is also interested in you). So perhaps I don't have to make the decision.

I am currently an LLM from a top5 uni, and after have been talking to many other LLMs at the NY Job Fair (Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, virginia), I can tell that the general sense is that the smaller the programme the better. Thsi way u get a great interaction with your colleagues and proffesors, since the classes are small and the chances of getting a closer and deeper relationship is enhanced.
Also, you really feel like you are "taken care off" in all senses.
I'm at Chicago- 50 LLM students, about 450 counting ALL students at the Law School. We really interact with the proffesors and with the JDs, and of course among ourselves!! Most of us have decided to take Chicago over Columbia and NYU for those reasons. Besides the city has so much to offer! It is just fantastic.

I know that Harvard has a great name, but cambridge is very limited as a city- and NY is not easy for the we. Furthermore, the LLM class is pretty large. In NUY are close to 450 students, and columbia over 200.

I strongly recommend chicago- the academic enviroment is astonishing (the more cited law proff of the country, 7 nobel prices on campus-u can go to the classes!!, conferences, talks, all sort of workshop and activities) so it is the city life. So much to do!!! On the practical side, the university facilities are fantastic (the campus), and the amount of optative course extremely varied.

A great choice if u have the opportunity to come, you study hard, but you also play hard!!!

Hi
Im having similar problems but on a smaller scale, so if you could help me with making a decision in choosing a school

I am an Indian complete with an LLb. I have been admitted to:
1.Unvi of Houston Law Center - LLm in Intellectual PPty law
2.IIT Chicago Kent Law - Internation & Comparative law (with a 10% scholarship)
3.Unvi of Hawaii William S Richardson School of Law at Manoa - LLM for foreign lawyers
4.Temple Unvi James E Beasely School of Law Philadelphia
LLm for foreign attorneys.
Though the subjects offered are diferent in the schools, i can choose Intellectual PPty law (the subject Im interested in) at all the schools.

Now i would appreciate it if you could influence my decision in choosing any one of the above mentioned schools.

I read form this site that Unvi of Houston is Ranked 4 in Intellectal PPty law.
Houston is thus my first option and then comes chicago.
Kindly let me know if im right. thanks

Dhiraj

Needless to say it is really hard to make the right choice when considering among the top schools. I applied to Harvard, CLS, Yale and NYU. I think my choice will follow the same order, should I have one.
To be honest, my preferences are based on the mix of the courses offered and reputantion. I have some friends from Harvard and NYU, they help me a little with some inside information. Size of class is also important, but I don't have the necessary grounds for reasonable estimation of this issue.

This website and it's participants are extremely helpful. Thanks to everyone who shares information here and gives us food for deep thoughts.

Hi all,

This is indeed a very interesting subject matter. I'm a EU Business lawyer, considering following an LL.M. Program next year. I have been accepted to several programs yet, but am awaiting the notifications of the "big ones". Especially Chicago and Columbia would interest me, would I get accepted.

Several LL.M. alumni have "warned" me, when discussing about my choice of LL.M., that I shouldn't try to over-specialise during my LL.M. but rather opt for general courses dealing with corporate or securities. In addition, they also said - as stated hereabove - that the smaller the program the better it is.

Hence, I conclude, the NYU LL.M. Program should be avoided - even though its ranking is top 5? Imagine you had to choose between NYU (big/specialised course track) and Chicago (small/general course track) or UPenn (small/specialised course track), what would you choose?

Thanks in advance for your input, which is much appreciated.

Good luck to all.
Cheers

Suppose you got admitted from UCBerkely and Chicago- which would you choose? Small courses both.

Corporate -- Chicago
IP -- Berkeley

In NYU are close to 450 students,

I am sorry,
could anyone confirm this number (ll.m NYU=450 students)?

Thank you

Are there any positive aspects about HLS apart from its great name?

I'm not sure whether you wanted to live in New Haven for one year.

Hi all - this has become an interesting thread! Probably more relevant now too given that the final offers will be coming out within the next 10 days.

Re Yale and New Haven, I don't think I would mind the place, but my concern is that in a program where everyone wants to be n academic and most want to get into the JSD program, it will be overly competitive, and not in the helpful sense. I am not sure about this, I am going to talk to someone I know who completed her LLM there and I will let you know her impressions. Even with Yale's offer, Chicago still tops out as number 1.

am considering going to the University of Chicago but I am affraid an LLM from this university would not be considered prestigious in France.
Could someone from France who studied there share his/her experience when returning in France to find a job?
Given the amount to be spent I want to make sure that an LLM from Chicago would be seen as a plus when I will be looking for a job in France (and that people will not ask me: why not Columbia or NYU?).
Tx

In NYU are close to 450 students,

I am sorry,
could anyone confirm this number (ll.m NYU=450 students)?

yes, 450, but for example, on the international legal studies program there are 100. I don't know how many are in the general LLM.

there r abt 75 in the general studies at NYU....

This is a NYU homepage "copy and paste":

"Standards for Admission
Admission to the Graduate Division for all LL.M. specializations is highly selective and is based primarily upon previous excellence in legal studies. Standards for admission are high, but not arbitrary. For the fall 2005 semester, the Law School received nearly 2,000 applications for full-time programs for a class of 425 students. "