Hi everybody,
I need a piece of advice. I have been admitted to Harvard, Yale and Columbia, with full tuition grants for all of them. I can't decide between those three great schools.

The thing is I am quite young and I am a bit afraid to study amongst people that are between 10 and 15 years older than me. I think I would prefer a school were students are closer to my age but I have no idea which one to choose.....

Thank you in advance for your help

Ricardo.

Hello,

Don't hesitate, go to Yale, it is by far the best law school between the three. Maybe one limitation; if you're very much interested in becoming a corporate governance business lawyer, then Harvard might be better, but you should know that out of the JD students who are admitted both at Harvard and Yale, 80% choose Yale...

Don't worry about your age. If you've been admitted to these law schools with full tuition grants, it's because you're brilliant and you don't need to have any complex at all. You'll be at the level wherever you go.

It depends on your interests, etc.

What are your credentials and how old are you ?

Hi Ricardo,

My name is Miloud and I come from Algeria.

I have been offered admission at University of Kentucky (which offered me a scholarship) and Harvard but I haven't enough money to go to Harvard.

You are really lucky in your life.

Hi Ricardo,

Congrats! But of course you're facing a tough choice. What are your main academic interests?

And where are you from?

I will turn 20 next July. (I am what psychologists call "a precocious child") I finished high school at 14, law school at 19 (summa cum laude every year), and worked last year as an assistant to an international criminal tribunal for Rwanda Judge. I am specially interested in Human Rights Law and Public International Law.

Just great...you just make me gape :O
Though I was not admitted to all three schools, I agree with Bitsou...Yale would be the best place for you...

I chose Yale basically for two reasons: its program is very small (good for independent scholarship, I believe) and it's strong on all those fields I'm interested in: comparative law, constitutional law, legal history, and jurisprudence. Would Yale be the best choice for you depends, then, on whether you want to study in a small group of approximately 30 students, or with c. 200 students at HLS and Columbia, and whether there are great human rights scholars at Yale (I don't know, actually). If you are still unsure, keep in mind that YLS is currently the most prestigious law school in the U.S., you won't go wrong choosing it. If you are worried about us being older than you, let me make a suggestion: concentrate on Yale undergraduates. They adore law school students, or so I've been told:)

Hi Ricardo!
First of all: congratulations with your acceptances!
I think there is no doubt that Yale has the most prestigious and smallest program.
However, if you are looking for fellow-students that are a bit younger, you might find more of them at Harvard Law School. It is my impression that Yale admits very few students straight out of school, but that is probably also because they have a very small program.
I think there will be more of them, including myself- although I am not as young as you are-, at Harvard.
http://www.llm-guide.com/board/14474

However, I was not accepted at Yale myself and I think I would have gone there if possible. But of course it also depends on your fields of interest.

In your case, you will probably be really successful regardless of your choice, so maybe you should consider going to the place that feels best to you.

Good luck with your decision.

Mila

Just curious: where are you from?

Yale is the best law school in the world, especially for someone wuth a true interest in research and teaching. Harvard is also great, of course, but I would choose Yale if I were in your place. In fact, I will go to HLS because I wasn't accepted by YLS. (I'm quite happy anyways...).

I know much less about Columbia, but as far as I know it has much less academic reputation than Yale and Harvard. At least from a pure scholarship and research perspective.

BTW, are you from? Your story reminds me that of the young Kiwi Camara. Did your hear about it?

I'm not sure how much older than you everyone will be at different schools - I think it will vary. I'm choosing Yale and I'll only be four years older than you.

My advice would be that you're obviously ahead of your age group anyway, so there should be no problem wherever you go.

Hope to meet you at Yale in the Fall