Hey guys,

Got offers of admission from Columbia and from Stanford Corporate Governance & Practice. Have to make a decision.

Any thoughts?

Both are great schools. Any offers of scholarship? Where do you prefer to live for a year? :-)

I prefer to live in NY than in Palo Alto. I do not have any offers of scholarship but the government of my country is more likely to grant an scholarship for Columbia than for Stanford.

Then I would say follow the money. I do think Stanford is more supportive of their LLM students than Columbia. If you like NYC, and can get money, then by all means go to Columbia.

I think you should go definitely go to Stanford. Stanford is by far a better University. The LLM program is very small so you will mingle with the JD's, MBA's and other students while in Columbia, you'll probably end up in a group with people from your same country and region speaking your own language.

I know living in NY sounds exiting but you'll probably get a job after the LLM and end up living in NY.

Both are great schools. Although I would incline over Stanford. It is a much more selective program so probably your resume will become more unique.

Idk I think NYC has no parallel.. Even though Stanford is a great school I would still choose living in NYC.

I guess I am of a differing opinion about NYC. NYC to me is more about a big sprawling concrete jungle. It is relatively flat and uninteresting from terrain perspective. Sure it is a financial hub and business center.That doesn't make it an interesting place for me to spend my time other than to work, but not just live on a day to day basis. Arguably one of the more interesting areas, Central Park, is all man made. To get to any really interesting scenery requires quite a drive.

Sure I love the theater district and some of the museums. They say that NYC is the city that never sleeps. That is all and wonderful but what happens when YOU want to sleep? You still have to deal with all the noise and activity of all those people that don't want to sleep. They are out and about making all kinds of noise. You can never seem to get away from the noise. Like all big cities you have to deal with a lot of petty crime like people stealing your purse or other things. You can be sure that as a foreigner you are more likely to be targeted.

I do like the different areas where there are strong communities such as Chinatown or Brighton Beach (Russians) but if I wanted to see my native countrymen I would just return home. San Fran has most of these same things but in a more attractive area along with amazing weather. I walk through enough snow in the year so I won't miss carrying a bunch of books and dealing with surly people on the metro in the middle of winter.

NYC is one of those places I want to visit but not really live there. I appreciate what it has to offer but just like it in smaller doses. They people are what I would consider very friendly. They are always in a hurry to get somewhere. Most of the people then go back to their ethic areas to live to a great extent. You need a lot of money to live in NYC nicely. That is true of San Fran as well but I think the Manhattan in NYC is more expensive.

One key difference between SLS and Columbia is the attitude of the students. Columbia students seem aren't as collegial and less likely to help each other in class. There seems to be a lot more pressure to get top grades and since it is so competitive, there is no incentive to help your fellow students. Stanford has a different grading system and they want you focus more on getting a great education than top marks. If you are admitted to any of these top schools it isn't because you had a poor academic history and they took pity on you. At a minimum you had very good marks in school and most likely excellent or outstanding.

I also like that Stanford uses the quarter rather than semester system for classes. This means your classes are shorter in duration but you can take more of them. It also means you have more tests BUT you are tested on info over a shorter period of time so it is easier to retain 10 weeks of class info than 15.

I would say that overall Stanford is more relaxed than Columbia. This doesn't mean your education suffers or it wouldn't be so highly ranked. They are both excellent schools but for me SLS is better balanced for what I am looking for yet still positions me well if I want to try and pursue a job in NYC later. SLS LLM grads are quite successful at passing the NY bar.

Ultimately choose the school that has the program and focus on what you are interested in. It is likely more important than where it is located. Next for me would be the atmosphere of the school such at its culture, collegial nature and accessibility of professors. Next would be location as long as it isn't in a terrible area.

All the best with whatever you choose. It is an enormous expense and a huge commitment so choose wisely. I think that is why most of us are here; to make informed and wise decisions.

I still think NYC has plenty of more options to offer.. Don't get me wrong.. Stanford is a terrific school, but in terms of where to live and things to do, I think that living in NYC has much more to offer than palo alto, which is not near SFO as many might mistakenly think.

That is one of the things I like about Palo Alto, is that it ISN'T right in the middle of San Francisco. I don't have to deal with the crime that most big cities have. In addition it isn't a long ride on the train to the city. About a 40 minute train ride and I am right in the center of everything if I want. There is no comparison with the natural beauty of the area around Stanford compared to the "concrete jungle" that is New York.

If you are more inspired by nature than man made buildings, then Palo Alto has a lot to offer. The campus is absolutely beautiful and the weather is some of the best in the world. In general the attitude of people in NYC isn't as friendly.

NYC does have an wonderful variety of things to do. The theater area on Broadway is legendary. The cost of tickets though is very high so it isn't something I could take advantage of very often but I can enjoy a walk in the mountains around Palo Alto at no cost. Also there are transport options to Los Angeles and there is a wide variety of things to do there as well.

Anyway both cities have a lot to offer depending on what is important to you. If you like being in the middle of everything and in a city that never sleeps (both good and bad) then NYC is likely your choice. Just learn where the bad areas are and be careful on the metro.