Penn or Georgetown?


erim

i just got the admission email from Penn Law yesterday and need to reply within 48 hours....

I guess Georgetown has better location and more potential internship/job opportunities, but Penn really has good reputation and I want to attend the Wharton program.

Has anyone faced the same situation as me and what's your choice/reasons? Any advice is welcomed, thanks very much.

i just got the admission email from Penn Law yesterday and need to reply within 48 hours....

I guess Georgetown has better location and more potential internship/job opportunities, but Penn really has good reputation and I want to attend the Wharton program.

Has anyone faced the same situation as me and what's your choice/reasons? Any advice is welcomed, thanks very much.
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Freckles

I personally chose Penn over Berkeley primarily due to a Scholarship offered by the former but quite frankly if I were to chose among the two without any money implications I would have chosen Penn again. I think with Georgetown the distinction is more clear cut in terms of leverage and prestige. Georgetown is a great school but I think Penn in terms of the above is on a higher scale. My two cents.

I personally chose Penn over Berkeley primarily due to a Scholarship offered by the former but quite frankly if I were to chose among the two without any money implications I would have chosen Penn again. I think with Georgetown the distinction is more clear cut in terms of leverage and prestige. Georgetown is a great school but I think Penn in terms of the above is on a higher scale. My two cents.
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erim

Thanks, Freckles. I generally agree with you. The advantage of Georgetown is that it's in D.C. i heard the LLM students can also find internships at SEC, World Bank, etc. in D.C., but Penn may not have this kind of advantage.

Thanks, Freckles. I generally agree with you. The advantage of Georgetown is that it's in D.C. i heard the LLM students can also find internships at SEC, World Bank, etc. in D.C., but Penn may not have this kind of advantage.
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Freckles

Well I suppose then what you have to ask yourself is what you need this LLM for. Is it to provide you access (even in the form of an internship) to one of the Organizations while you are doing the LLM (being mindful of the 20 working hours per week maximum requirement) or are you pursing it for a broadening of work opportunities in the future. As difficult as the market might be for LLMs in the field of litigation, I highly doubt it is as hard in the field of International Organizations. The question therefore would be, which of the two LLMs would provide a stronger paper upon graduation? I don't think there is a straightforward answer as a lot of it comes down to alumni politics. They are both great schools with a good name however in my experience of the US market the Ivy League seal still plays a big part in the realpolitik of the job market. Good luck in making up your mind, I am sure either choice will be a good one in any event!

Well I suppose then what you have to ask yourself is what you need this LLM for. Is it to provide you access (even in the form of an internship) to one of the Organizations while you are doing the LLM (being mindful of the 20 working hours per week maximum requirement) or are you pursing it for a broadening of work opportunities in the future. As difficult as the market might be for LLMs in the field of litigation, I highly doubt it is as hard in the field of International Organizations. The question therefore would be, which of the two LLMs would provide a stronger paper upon graduation? I don't think there is a straightforward answer as a lot of it comes down to alumni politics. They are both great schools with a good name however in my experience of the US market the Ivy League seal still plays a big part in the realpolitik of the job market. Good luck in making up your mind, I am sure either choice will be a good one in any event!
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LLMgirl123

It depends on what you want to specialize in. If it's WTO/international economic law/international trade law, or investment arbitration, then Georgetown wins hands down. There is not a single university in the US (and arguably the world, with the exception of the World Trade Institute in Geneva) that can rival Georgetown in its breadth and depth of WTO and IEL courses.

This is the reason I am going to Georgetown, even though I was accepted to NYU, Columbia and Duke as well.

If, however, you want a corporate law specialization or are interested in some other field, then perhaps Penn is for you. You need to decide what is a better "fit".

As for the Ivy League designation, to my mind what really matters is the contacts you will make at your chosen school, as well as your grades and any opportunities you have to pursue internships (at Georgetown, there are ample externship opportunities for credit in various int'l organizations). And DC is where all the action is (at least from a trade law perspective).

It depends on what you want to specialize in. If it's WTO/international economic law/international trade law, or investment arbitration, then Georgetown wins hands down. There is not a single university in the US (and arguably the world, with the exception of the World Trade Institute in Geneva) that can rival Georgetown in its breadth and depth of WTO and IEL courses.

This is the reason I am going to Georgetown, even though I was accepted to NYU, Columbia and Duke as well.

If, however, you want a corporate law specialization or are interested in some other field, then perhaps Penn is for you. You need to decide what is a better "fit".

As for the Ivy League designation, to my mind what really matters is the contacts you will make at your chosen school, as well as your grades and any opportunities you have to pursue internships (at Georgetown, there are ample externship opportunities for credit in various int'l organizations). And DC is where all the action is (at least from a trade law perspective).
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erim

Freckles and LLMgirl123, thank you for your insightful comments. I also consulted with some law students in the US and they generally hold the same opinion with you. I.e., GULC is better at WTO/international trade/tax law and Penn is stronger in corporate law. DC may have more internship / job opportunities during the year. As I will specialize in corporate law and in the long run, it is most likely that I will come back to my country to continue my legal career, I think Penn is better in terms of prestige to GULC in my country. So, I think I have made the decision. Wish you have a fruitful year in the US, and Freckles, we may come across one day in Penns campus!

Freckles and LLMgirl123, thank you for your insightful comments. I also consulted with some law students in the US and they generally hold the same opinion with you. I.e., GULC is better at WTO/international trade/tax law and Penn is stronger in corporate law. DC may have more internship / job opportunities during the year. As I will specialize in corporate law and in the long run, it is most likely that I will come back to my country to continue my legal career, I think Penn is better in terms of prestige to GULC in my country. So, I think I have made the decision. Wish you have a fruitful year in the US, and Freckles, we may come across one day in Penn’s campus!
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