hey all...

i am from korea just finished a master in poland.

ive been accpeted to upenn, michigan, chicago, georgetown, nyu etc.

i had a problem to choose btw GT and NYU since i planning to enrol internationl legal studies.

and today i made up mind and chose NYU which is the only one offered me 10 grand and RA position.

but still i am not sure that i made a good decision or not and at the same time i am kinda depressed cuz columbia rejected me!!! :-(

plz anyone tell me NYU is as good as columbia and especially in international law...^^;;;

i know i know.. in korea and in poland and europe (i guess) columbia got better reputation (sometimes ppl asked me what NYU is...^^;;; -they didnt get the abbrev. of it which made me feel really.........T.T )

anyways..... encourage me that i made a right choice..!!!!


thanks all and looking forward to meeting ppl who are coming to NYU...!!!

I think you've made a very right decision!
Among the schools you got admissions and mentioned above, NYU is definitely good at int'l law and 10 grand makes it even better.
I don't really think the ranking among them or the reputations are very different (slightly different of course). If you don't think the int'l reputation (coz you mentioned that some people in Europe haven't heard about NYU) will make a great difference in your career, 10 grand is a good enough reason to choose NYU.

Hello!
I was in the exact same position.I did not apply to Michigan and the others you mentioned,but I was accepted in NYU and GT.I also chose NYU cause of the 10 grant,and the curriculum and all,and of course the RA position.

As for Columbia,I was kind of pissed off,cause in February they had rejected me for the associate position(whereas NYU offered me that place),and also,their decision was taking for ever.So,after I enrolled in NYU,I told them I was not interested any more.

There is no reason for you to be depressed on their rejection.NYU got you and that is enough.And I think the choise between NYU and GT is a tough one,but I made the exact same choise as you,and I do not think I will actually regret it.So,see you in NY!

From US News:
Law Specialties: International Law
New! Ranked in 2005*
1. New York University
2. Columbia University (NY)
3. Georgetown University (DC)
Harvard University (MA)

people.....i have to make a deposit by tomorrow at nyu......am making a decision between nyu and columbia and i've had a 50 50 response in favour of both........WHY WHY WHY could'nt have NYU been an Ivy League also!

Srk:
As a general criteria, and provided financial conditions are similar in both schools, I would definitely choose Columbia over NYU -best overall reputation-. However, NYU seems to be just as good or better for International Law (see my post above). Good luck!

i know..i want to personally go to columbia myself cuz of the reputaion n all..but everyones like NYU graduates have been beating Columbia Graduates in the job market...i dont know how true that is since i dont live there myself..... but i have a feeling that i'm going to regert not going to Columbia for the rest of my living years!!!!!!!

common people...someone PLEASE tell me its a good decison?????

srk, stop second guessing yourself. Go with your instinct: Columbia.

srk,
I agree with sage. It seems quite obvious that you prefer Columbia. Why don't you let your mind ease?
I honestly think Columbia is a better choice anyway although I will attend NYU (that is because I don't have Columbia as a choice).

I don't think there's a world of a difference between these law schools. Does it matter that NYU graduates are gaining an 'edge' over Columbia graduates in the job market? Statistics change, the quality/potential of each batch differs etc. Surely, you ought to have more confidence in yourself?

At the end of the day, it boils down to personal preferences - location, professors, specialties, funding and that gut instinct. At this stage, you can't really make a mistake with your choice (since you must have decided to apply to these law schools for credible reasons). Go with your heart. You are more likely to thrive in an environment which motivates you.

Dear All:

I really do not understand this negative mood about NYU. NYU is a great, great, great school!!!

Most of the lawyers in my law firm attended LL.M. program at NYU and absolutely loved it. It is modern, friendly, well regarded in the States. All of the professors are practicing law in large NY law firms. One of the American lawyers I spoke to said that NYU is more preferred at the employment market in NYC now. The housing in NYU is better than in many universities, including Columbia and HLS. The LL.M. class is huge and diversified. You will meet many wonderful people. The School itself is really friendly. Also during some years it was placed above Columbia in the rankings.

I am sure that people who did not get into Columbia are not at all disadvantageous going to NYU. If I were not admitted to HLS I think that would have a tough choice between Columbia and NYU.

Please be more positive about NYU. I am sure that none of you will ever regret going there. Look at the disappointment of the people who were not accepted to NYU. The admitted students on the other hand are really lucky.

srk,
Then go to Columbia, why do you keep hesitating in this case ? I can't see the problem...woul you have preferred to have been rejected at the one or the other ? but the question to know if it's Ivy or not really is secondary (it's just a name put on a few old and respectful universities from the East Coast, nothing else...which doesn't mean than newer ones are less good or less respectful...)

SRK you can not go wrong with either of the choices... But your decision should be based on the program you are choosing and the cirriculam in that school for that program.

Why dont you take a look at the professors at both the places...

I am in the same position but I have chosen corporate laws so I wont be able to help you on the quality of your program in both schools..

In my opinion, esp since you dont have work expereince, an ivy league school may add a little more value to your resume because your course is only 9 months long...

Especially if you are looking at working in an international organisation...

do what your heart tells you..

Hey Sonya can you tell me what the US news rankings for corporate and business laws are?

I don't think they have rankings for corporate/business law but it would almost certainly be 1. Columbia 2. Harvard or vice versa. All of the top schools are great for corporate law, though.

I agree with Joseph. All top schools (maybe a bit less for Yale who's more turned towards academic) are strong in this field as it's a leading market. If you pick a top five, you can't go wrong whatever the Law School is in that field.

1) i'm going to nyu

2) if i were not specialised in a certain field of law, i would certainly choose columbia, because (a) it has a better reputation overall (b) nyu considers the ll.m. program a cash-cow and admits everyone(!!) with a toefl score over 250 and (c) if you're not specialised now you'll end up as a corporate lawyer anyway, in which case you will get the best education at columbia. (d) just to give you a general idea: the partner I'm currently working with at a top 5 u.s. law firm refers to nyu's general ll.m. as "junk".

3) since you are specialised however, please refer to the respective experts who will tell you whether, in your field, nyu has a better reputation. i understand that inthe field of international law, nyu indeed offers a very good program. i have never heard of international law being a possible specialization at columbia.

4) if, based on the above, you indeed choose nyu because of its strong program in international law, once again sit down and reconsider your decision. is "international law" (i never quite understood its meaning) really something you wanna do during the next couple years. if so, great choice, have fun! if not, go for columbia.

Very interesting question for me, too :))
Admitted in Columbia and NYU (International Legal Studies), I'll have to make a choice, unless I have a fellowship from Michigan. But my areas of interest are international investment law and international arbitration. Is there any disadvantage to have a general LL.M. in Columbia, rather than a degree specialized in international law from NYU?

that is a good point GCVC.. I am a corporate lawyer in a top 5 Indian law firm. My area is corporate laws

So how would a Top tier US firm view an LLM from NYU specialising in corporations with a certificate in law and business and an LLM from Columbia?

In terms of recruitment esp of a foreign trained LLM what would be a good school to go to?