Hi guys,

I was admitted to both NYU (no scholarship) and Duke (with a scholarship).
I plan on taking the NY bar after the LLM, and going into criminal law (and working a few years in the US).

Do you guys think there is a big difference between NYU and Duke? I realize NYU is higher in the rankings, but I am not sure this is the case for criminal law, and living in NY will obviously be way more expensive.

The location is of no importance to me. I really want to figure out which school is the best choice purely in terms of academics. If there is a big difference, I'll go to NYU, but if there is little to no difference, I'll probably choose Duke.

Thanks in advance,

Alex

I don't know about criminal law, but my perception is that NYU is slightly more "prestigious." Not that it necessarily matters; although if you plan on practicing, especially outside of the US, you may want to choose the name which is better known in whichever country you want to work later.

[Edited by rbl on Mar 22, 2018]

Hi guys,

I was admitted to both NYU (no scholarship) and Duke (with a scholarship).
I plan on taking the NY bar after the LLM, and going into criminal law (and working a few years in the US).

Do you guys think there is a big difference between NYU and Duke? I realize NYU is higher in the rankings, but I am not sure this is the case for criminal law, and living in NY will obviously be way more expensive.

The location is of no importance to me. I really want to figure out which school is the best choice purely in terms of academics. If there is a big difference, I'll go to NYU, but if there is little to no difference, I'll probably choose Duke.

Thanks in advance,

Alex

I would go to Duke instead of NYU for the LLM. Although both are great schools and NYU is slightly ahead on the rankings, this should not make any difference in your choice. Consider that in NYU the LLM classes are limited to LLM students, thus you won't have much interaction with JD students, what jeopardize your experience in terms of exchange of ideas with american law students. Moreover, in NYU the LLM programs are specific for a certain field of law, this limits your ability to freely design your curriculum with the classes that you most want. Lastly, the LLM class in NYU is huge, with approx 450 students, so would be a tough challenge to get close to the faculty in a class this size.

Duke in the other hand, is well-known here in the US as one of the best law schools in the nation, has a beautiful campus and a world-class faculty. Classes mix LLMs with JDs and you also can freely select your own courses.

Duke seems a better choice for LLM.

Best of luck.

What would you say if the choice was between Columbia and Duke (with $)?

I would go to Duke instead of NYU for the LLM. Although both are great schools and NYU is slightly ahead on the rankings, this should not make any difference in your choice. Consider that in NYU the LLM classes are limited to LLM students, thus you won't have much interaction with JD students, what jeopardize your experience in terms of exchange of ideas with american law students. Moreover, in NYU the LLM programs are specific for a certain field of law, this limits your ability to freely design your curriculum with the classes that you most want. Lastly, the LLM class in NYU is huge, with approx 450 students, so would be a tough challenge to get close to the faculty in a class this size.

Duke in the other hand, is well-known here in the US as one of the best law schools in the nation, has a beautiful campus and a world-class faculty. Classes mix LLMs with JDs and you also can freely select your own courses.

Duke seems a better choice for LLM.

Best of luck.

What would you say if the choice was between Columbia and Duke (with $)?

[Edited by mbr18 on Mar 31, 2018]

In my opinion, between Duke and NYU was a clear choice for LLM in favor of Duke. But in this scenario that you put (CLS x Duke with $$), it is a close call, both schools have its pros and cons. I will try to provide you some light to help, but there is no right or wrong here since it is a very personal decision.

Columbia is a prestigious school (as Duke also is), with an Ivy League status (not sure how much weight this have, I believe not much), located in a big center, with a large LLM class. I have a friend there now who told me that the faculty is outstanding in corporate and securities law area. However, on the other hand, he said that there are many LLMs without any or with little work experience, this undermine in-class discussions. Also, if money is a concern for you, remember that living expenses in NYC are very high.

Duke is also a well-known school, with top-level faculty. Certainly you will have a more campus-centered life since Durham, NC does not offer many options to go out. This is not necessarily a con, if you enjoy nature and a calm environment, Duke is definitely ahead of Columbia. Besides that, from a financial perspective, the difference is relevant.

Rankings are a good source, but do not rely too much weight on it. Remember that this rankings are based on JDs, not LLMs. Also, within the top-14 law schools in US (that pretty much all rankings are the same), the only school that is in another level in terms of reputation and global status is Harvard. Among the others, the difference, if any, is not material enough to affect your decision.

Given this, if money is not an issue and you have a particular interest in the corporate/securities law field, I would go to Columbia. Otherwise, Duke.

Best,

Columbia is probably even more prestigious than NYU (it is Ivy League), so the scales should weight further in favour of Columbia in this case (than it would for NYU).

I didn't know that NYU had specialised classes for its LLM students (i.e. not shared with the JDs) until mbr18's post - but, for Columbia, you share classes with the JDs, so if you think mbr18 is correct that there is such a benefit in doing so, you get this at well.

Ultimately I think you should look at the course catalogues for all the programs, and decide which offers the courses that best suit you, both in terms of interests as well as for career prospects, and also whether there are any professors in particular you want to study under.

Obviously the scholarship will tempt you to go a certain way, but that is precisely the intention of the law school in offering you the scholarship. If money is not a major concern (e.g. you can take a loan to cover the costs or you think this is all money you will earn back some day (which is likely true)), then the scholarship should not feature too heavily in the consideration.