Dear readers,

I am Claire. Mother for a 23 years old daughter. We are from Austria.

My daughter should choose between Georgetown and Berkeley. She did not decide it yet.

As a mother, please guide us to the right path. What I am worried about is my daughter. This is the first time for her to travel alone. As I mother, please understand my concern.

I read a thread in one of the forums. Here I copy paste it.

So far, these are the pro/cons of each university:

Berkeley
Pros:
- Better overall reputation
- San Francisco is a great location
- I won't stand out as an Asian
Cons:
- Public University - some gigantic introductory classes
- UC system is facing financial problems
- Admission into Haas isn't guaranteed

Georgetown
Pros:
- East Coast; It's Washington D.C.
- Closer to Wall Street
- Immediate Admission into Business School
- Opinions are better considering Social Life
- Study Abroad program is far better and carries LSE, unlike Cal
Cons:
- Ranking is lower
- Conservative
- Not as many student organizations.


Hints:

My daughter likes to study and does not indulge herself in universities activities much often.

She likes smaller campuses. Cozy academic places.

She is intends to study master's and doctorate in law in USA, she seeks to teach law in an Austrian university afterward.

I want her to be safe. I know it depends on common sense and safety is subjective. You might got robbed in a very safe place and be safe in a dangerous place at some point.

She is not interested into: networking or taking NY or California bar.

I know Berkeley ranks 8th and G town 14th. I do not rely on that as it is absolutely subjective.

My ideas ( as a mother) and please do not get me wrong and correct me:

1- D.C is closer to Vienna than SF.

2- I have a feeling she'll be safe in DC as the Austrian Embassy near G town. God forbid bad incidents.

3- DC is smaller than SF. I heard SF has more crimes. I just read that.

4- Historically, many thinks G town is more prestigious. Yet, most students go to other schools as G town offers less students aid compared to other schools.

5- Berkeley is more vibrant.

6- Berkeley rank is higher ( I told you it is subjective, but might matter for my daughter if she sees that).

7- Berkeley weather is nicer ( although she's Austrian and DC weather might be familiar).

8- I am a mother. I want the best choice for my daughter.

Thanks for reading.

My respect,

Claire

Hi Claire,

I'm from Austria. I got a Harvard LL.M. a decade or so ago, but I didn't go to Berkeley or Georgetown and don't know these law schools. Therefore, while I may have some useful things to say, I can't comment on the specific law schools in question.

First off, if your daughter wants to pursue an academic career in Austria, getting an LL.M. degree isn't critical but it's certainly useful. It's useful because it will give your daughter a lot of new perspectives on the law, which may well serve as academic inspiration for years to come. The "doctorate", however, which they call an S.J.D. (or similarly) in the United States, isn't of much value in Germany and Austria - owing to the somewhat self-centered world view of Austrian academia, in particular, Austrian universities will generally not consider a U.S. doctorate to be an adequate substitute for a local "Doktortitel". However, your daughter might very well use her LL.M. thesis as a stepping stone to an Austrian doctoral thesis, depending on the topic.

I think the ranking of Berkeley isn't critical for someone who wants to work in a law firm but if your daugther wants to work in academia, it's something to consider.

Apart from that, I would look closely at the courses that are being offered (which ones are more relevant/interesting?) and I would also try to get a sense of where your daughter is more likely to get exposed to the "socratic" teaching method, which is what U.S. law schools are famous for and from which I personally benefited a lot.

Your daughter should also try to make contact with current LL.M. students at Berkely and Georgetown and get their views - they're usually happy to help.

You also say your daugther isn't interested in networking. If I were your daugther, I might reconsider this. The networks you can build in your LL.M. year last a lifetime and can be useful in many ways down the road - including, in particular, for someone who goes into academia. Also, all else being equal, I'd take the bar exam. You never know when it might come in handy.

Personally, I might choose Georgetown, simply because I'm more of an East Coast type. I've worked in finance all my life and I like the buzz of the region. California's a lot more laid back. It's certainly far away from Austria, but wherever she goes, the whole episode lasts not even a year, and it will be a good opportunity for her to live alone for a while and become an adult, so I wouldn't worry about this too much.

I hope this is helpful.

I don't know how you came to the conclusion that Georgetown is a safer place than Berkeley. DC is one of the most violent cities in the US.

Hi Claire,

I'm from Austria. I got a Harvard LL.M. a decade or so ago, but I didn't go to Berkeley or Georgetown and don't know these law schools. Therefore, while I may have some useful things to say, I can't comment on the specific law schools in question.

First off, if your daughter wants to pursue an academic career in Austria, getting an LL.M. degree isn't critical but it's certainly useful. It's useful because it will give your daughter a lot of new perspectives on the law, which may well serve as academic inspiration for years to come. The "doctorate", however, which they call an S.J.D. (or similarly) in the United States, isn't of much value in Germany and Austria - owing to the somewhat self-centered world view of Austrian academia, in particular, Austrian universities will generally not consider a U.S. doctorate to be an adequate substitute for a local "Doktortitel". However, your daughter might very well use her LL.M. thesis as a stepping stone to an Austrian doctoral thesis, depending on the topic.

I think the ranking of Berkeley isn't critical for someone who wants to work in a law firm but if your daugther wants to work in academia, it's something to consider.

Apart from that, I would look closely at the courses that are being offered (which ones are more relevant/interesting?) and I would also try to get a sense of where your daughter is more likely to get exposed to the "socratic" teaching method, which is what U.S. law schools are famous for and from which I personally benefited a lot.

Your daughter should also try to make contact with current LL.M. students at Berkely and Georgetown and get their views - they're usually happy to help.

You also say your daugther isn't interested in networking. If I were your daugther, I might reconsider this. The networks you can build in your LL.M. year last a lifetime and can be useful in many ways down the road - including, in particular, for someone who goes into academia. Also, all else being equal, I'd take the bar exam. You never know when it might come in handy.

Personally, I might choose Georgetown, simply because I'm more of an East Coast type. I've worked in finance all my life and I like the buzz of the region. California's a lot more laid back. It's certainly far away from Austria, but wherever she goes, the whole episode lasts not even a year, and it will be a good opportunity for her to live alone for a while and become an adult, so I wouldn't worry about this too much.

I hope this is helpful.

I don't know how you came to the conclusion that Georgetown is a safer place than Berkeley. DC is one of the most violent cities in the US.

Yes, you are correct. Georgetown is in one of the nicest parts of DC (my favourite, actually)

Yes, you are correct. Georgetown is in one of the nicest parts of DC (my favourite, actually)

I want to hear from you ( LL.M ) CANDIDATES and STUDENTS.

Please.