Hi guys
I have also been admitted at NYU with Vanderbilt full scholarship and research assistent.
I lived in NY for a year and I also went th Columbia. I do not think that CLS LLM has better reputation that NYU LLM at all..
maybe for JD's yes..but absolutely not for LLM.
And then an admission with full scholarship is way more prestigious than an admission without scholarship.
If I were you I would have no doubts.
Also consider the location...NYU is downtown..CLS is in the hell!!

I too have been offered NYU (with dean's scholarhship - $10k plus associateship) and Columbia (nothing).

I really prefer columbia, but $10k is $10k. I think I'll try to leverage Columbia to see if this changes anything. It's a nice dilemma to be in, but a dilemma all the same.

well, I could try too but i doubt CLS would offer full waiver as NYU. Moreover money is not all, A. Vanderbilt seems to be a well recognized scholarship which is also a distinction by itself.

CLS's reputation is an important factor to me. And money is not the greatest concern. I guess that the decision depends on the value of the scholarship's reputation and in the research associate position.

Well, overall, columbia in general has a wider reputation. and for law, they admit 200 people whereas NYU admits 400+. I think that this is also an important factor to take into account. If they offer the same conditions, I would choose CLS.

Yeah, but take into account that CLS has no Tax LLM (the students are mainly American) and NYU does. At the end of the day, the ratio between international students at CLS and NYU should be 1:1.2, not 1:2.

Hey, reiterating what I have written in a parallel thread, I've just been admitted to NYU on the same conditions as El Duderino. Given that I have a 15 K tuition fee waiver from CLS, the financial conditions are comparable, so I'm inclined towards CLS. I am interested in international legal studies.

Got my package this morn (Int'l Taxation).

Any Hauser who is turning down the offer?

CLS has only very limited merit based scholarships.

Hey, reiterating what I have written in a parallel thread, I've just been admitted to NYU on the same conditions as El Duderino. Given that I have a 15 K tuition fee waiver from CLS, the financial conditions are comparable, so I'm inclined towards CLS. I am interested in international legal studies.

Hi single bilingual,

do you know whether the tuition waiver you get from CLS is merit-based or need-based?

Thanx a lot!

Hmmm...tricky decision. I was in the same position as you almost and chose Columbia because of reputation, size of classes, faculty, and (funnily enough) location. The NYU campus is spread out around the village and quite cramped. I really like the Columbia campus because it is enclosed and very pretty. Plus it is close to Central Park and Riverside Park for running etc.
I took a couple of classes at NYU while at Columbia at it was so crowded some people have to sit on chairs on the side and write on their knees. In addition, accommodation is very expensive at NYU compared to Columbia - you pay the same amount but at Columbia I got my own one-bedroom apartment whereas my friend at NYU paid the same and had to share a tiny apartment with three others and no living area.
All that being said, I think it is better to leave your LLM with no debt and since the difference in ranking is neglible (aside from the Ivy League factor) I would probably take NYU.
For what it is worth, my friends at NYU had a great time.
At the end of the day you are in a win-win situation.

I dont really get how you would come to this conclusion?

Not saying it isn´t true, but I never saw a classroom here as crowded as you describe.
I agree with the housing issue. In the Village, apartments are smaller and more expensive, although the neighborhood counts: NYU is between Chelsea, SoHo, Tribeca (very expensive neighborhoods). In Morningside Heights, rent is certainly cheaper - although the downside is that it is far from mid-downtown. Some CLS students I know do not mind about this (after all, the CLS campus is wonderful place to live and study); some think it is too far from the neighborhoods where people hang out.

how far is CLS from NYU? my gf will probably attend NYU and we are considering if we could stay in CLS area (since it's cheaper). I don't know if it is very realistic, is it convenient to take the public transportation to NYU everyday? how long would it take? thank you

45 minutes, I guess. But if you want an easier commute to NYU, you could move to Brooklyn - it is cheaper and not a bad place to live.

Brooklyn to Columbia might cause a breakup though.

The crowded classroom was in a class about ethnic minorities and culture rights (I can't remember the exact name). It was in Vanderbilt Hall (I think that is the name - the one that faces the park).
As for the commute from NYU to Columbia it is pretty easy - you can catch the express train (A or B) or the local and change to the express (2 or 3). I took classes at NYU and it took me about 30 minutes during the slow time.
I really like the location of NYU to visit but much preferred living up at Columbia. It is a beautiful neighbourhood with lots of green but also great restaurants and cafes. And you are close to the funky jazz cafes. I found NYU a bit claustrophobic. I would definitely take Columbia housing even if you go to NYU so you can have your own apartment (lucky you having the option!). I had one to myself which was 500 square feet, one-bedroom (not studio), with view of Central Park for $1200.

Hm, it was pretty cheap for the location! U were lucky to find one like this.
It seems to me that living with a mate can be helpful for both. Especially when he/she is quiet and hard-working. Could give a hand with washing the dishes:)

Wow - congrats kayser-sore!

Purely from my own perspective, if I were you, I'd take up the CLS offer. While the Arthur Vanderbilt scholarship (full waiver) and an offer for research associate position are definitely amazing incentives to join NYU, if money weren't a problem for you, then I think CLS may definitely be more attuned to your objectives (of possibly going to China), unless you want to specialise in tax =)

Had a couple that I knew who went to Columbia and NYU - they told me that it isn't really a problem commuting - you're looking at 45 mins on an ok day - so definitely nothing to worry about =)