Hello everyone!

Since we are already receiving admission letters for 2014-2015 I thought it would be useful and interesting to open a thread for future INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY students in the U.S., so that we may share our points of view.

I am personally having a difficult time waiting for admission decisions and trying to decide where I will be going I was admitted to NYU and GWU (IP specific programs), and I am still waiting to hear from Columbia and Harvard (general LLMs). I am still thinking about applying to other universities as well, given that some deadlines are still open (i.e. Boston University). Of course, my decision will be strongly affected by the economic issue

How about you? Where are you from? Where are you enrolling? What were the main elements that led you to your decision? What is the specific area of IP Law that you are interested in?

Congratulations and wish you the best!

I've applied to most (the renowned ones) IP programs as well. I think my final decision would be based on the strength of the program, the faculty, as well as the alumni network. For now, since I've only received a response from GWU I'm yet to be seated in such a dilemma similar to the one you mentioned. Given that my interest area lies mostly in patent/antitrust law (and the intersection thereof), GW is on priority list. However, keeping the faculty and overall school reputation in mind, I'd like to wait for Berkeley & Stanford (both these programs are more holistic on technology laws with focus on allied laws too) based as well, in order to finally decide.

I'm a little unsure about the CIIL program at NYU, only because it has been recently started. (As opposed to GWU, which has the oldest program in the US) What are your views on this?

I would have obviously preferred Stanford or Berkeley, but my choices were limited to the East Coast for personal reasons. I wish you the best of luck!

The GW IP program has a great reputation, but I was also considering the overall ranking of the institution since it is an important factor to apply for a specific scholarship granted in my home country. I have seen in several rankings that NYU is consistently ranked in a better position than GW, overall. I also considered Law School rankings and of course, the faculty is also very important. Even though the NYU program is of recent creation, I have heard that this university is very good in international law, and as a foreign student that would be a good asset. I already have a Masters Degree in IP law and I am looking forward to learning something new, focusing this time on the economic and social implications of the IP regime and the new trends of thought that are arising on this regard.

It's a difficult choice!

I guess it also really depends on what you want to do with this year. Do you only want to have a LLM in IP law or do you want to take a bar exam as well ?
Because if you want to take the NY bar exam for example, you will have to do a general LLM in order to be able to take the classes necessary for the bar exam (+ some IP courses)
Which means that it would seem like a better choice to go to NYU (and anyway, NYU is a fantastic university)
If however you choose GWU, we'll probably see each other in august !

Lucie, what are the mandatory subjects to take the NY Bar? Could you enlighten me on it please?

Lucie, what are the mandatory subjects to take the NY Bar? Could you enlighten me on it please?

I read somewhere (perhaps the NYU or GWU websites or brochures) that there are indeed some mandatory subjects that foreign students must complete so that they may take the Bar exam. I will look into them again to see if I can find it. I recall that you had to take at least one course on U.S. law from the first year of the J.D. degree (i.e. civil) and another one re: legal investigation/research and analysis. Each university may have different names for those mandatory courses and/or assign to them different number of credits.

I would like to take the Bar exam in NY, but probably I will not be able to do that right after completion of the LLM... as a non-US graduate, I don´t think that I will be able to handle the workload of both. Preparing for the Bar is tough and might require many months for non-US lawyers.

Hello everyone,

I am a French lawyer and I decided to choose CARDOZO for IP law. It is ranked 5 nationally and 1 in NY. Moreover they give me a scholarship so I dont really need to hesitate.
Anyone going to CARDOZO next year ?

IP law is my area of interest and my specialty currently. I also plan to continue working in IP law firm or high tech industry in the future. I wish to take some good IP courses at graduate school, yet one of my purposes to pursuit an LLM degree is to pass NY Bar exam. I concern a lot about alumni networking, and ranking and academic reputation also matter.

I was wondering you guys have any suggestion when choosing between Berkeley and Columbia LLM? Thanks.

I would choose Berkeley, even though it is not Ivy League, because of its reputation and the quality of it's IP courses and professors; they have an LLM with specialization in IP.

Columbia's program is a general LLM... I believe that IP is not its "forte". I believe that the reputation of both universities is within the same range, and maybe Berkeley's is better, but about this specific issue a U.S. student might have a better opinion than mine.

[Erratum] just heard from GWU which told me that you actually can have a specialized llm AND take the courses necessary for the NY bar exam.
Sorry if I got you confused..!

Hello!

Sadly, I was rejected by HLS :'(
I fear Columbia will not have good news for me either, but I'm still waiting, though. It seems that my final decision will indeed be between NYU and GWU. I think that both are very good choices in what concerns to IP Law... tough decision to make within the following couple of weeks!

Where are you enrolling? Anyone going to NYU or GWU?

it's definitely NYU over GWU for me.

Regardless of NYU having better ranking, it also has good courses and reputation in IP law, and is easier for taking NY Bar exam, NYC experience is incomparable . Besides, NYU has better alumni networking.

I would definitely pick NYU over GWU, if I were you. General law school ranking seems to be incredibly important in the US.

Best of luck with your decision!

Well,
I got into Berkeley IP LLM, and still waiting for Stanford IP LLM to give an answer.
Any thought on that anyone? If I get a positive answer from SLS - what should I choose?

I think that both are great (overall as institutions and regarding their IP programs as well). You should see which one fits better with your personal preferences, i.e. specific courses, areas, professors, or your future plans, because it seems that both universities are at the same level in what concerns to reputation and ranking.

Hi!
I am a girl from India and would be enrolling to GWU(LLM-IP law) this Fall.Anyone interested in sharing accomodation?

Hi!
I am a girl from India and would be enrolling to GWU(LLM-IP law) this Fall.Anyone interested in sharing accomodation?