UPenn/ Berkeley/ Chicago/ UCLA

daydreamer...

1 2

Posted Mar 27, 2010 18:42

I have been admitted to UPenn, Berkeley, Chicago and UCLA. UPenn and Berkeley- No aid. 10K from Chicago and 24K from UCLA.

How would you rank these options taking into account - prestige and quality of education, cost, job opportunities and the overall experience that these cities would offer to a foreign student.

I would be interested in focusing on corporate and business laws.

Thanks a lot!

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Inactive User

175 349

Posted Mar 27, 2010 20:24

I would go to UCLA.

24k is a a huge help and it is a very good school. They gave a good corporate programme.

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c.ronaldo

42 83

Posted Mar 27, 2010 20:25

I would go to Chicago or UCLA.

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pnarg

16 32

Posted Mar 27, 2010 20:28

The best schools for corporate and business are Chicago and Penn, clear case.
Quality of education is very similar for all (but I don't know about UCLA, to be honest) and prestige for all but UCLA is pretty much the same too--here UCLA clearly has a weaker case.
Location is a very important factor, but with these options there's no clear winner (i.e. with NYC out of the bag), although Penn is surely the loser.
Given your professional interests, most people in your shoes would take Chicago, unless of course you're weather adverse...

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daydreamer...

1 2

Posted Mar 28, 2010 12:28

Thanks everyone for your comments.

pnarg- I am thinking along the same lines as you.. in terms of Penn and Chicago being my main options for a corporate law specialization but Chicago weather is a big factor for me, which is why I am leaning towards U Penn. Wouldnt proximity to NYC also go in favor of Penn?

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Balou

7 13

Posted Mar 28, 2010 13:17

it is true that Upenn is closer to NYC; however you will spend most of ur time at the university, and i heard that chicago is an amazing city, much better than philly. Besides, in terms of ranking, chicago is better. i personnaly have been admitted to chicago; havent heard yet from u penn and cornell, but i will accept chicago's offer for sure, even if i am admitted in upenn and cornell. anyways good luck!

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pragh

17 34

Posted Mar 28, 2010 17:00

Chicago employes a quarter system and I notice the commencement will take place sometime in mid June 2011. Will it delay the Bar review courses (I think the courses start in early June)?

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businessla...

6 12

Posted Mar 30, 2010 15:02

Chicago is not ranked higher than Berkeley. It some its equal (at position 6) in others its ranked a place behind Berkeley.

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pnarg

16 32

Posted Mar 31, 2010 02:45

pnarg- I am thinking along the same lines as you.. in terms of Penn and Chicago being my main options for a corporate law specialization but Chicago weather is a big factor for me, which is why I am leaning towards U Penn. Wouldnt proximity to NYC also go in favor of Penn?

Sorry for the late reply.
I guess there are many other factors you should consider if the option is narrowed to Chicago v. Penn, after all, they are quite different in many aspects (which one is more prestigious in your country, are there particular professors who you'd like to work with, etc... the list is long and diverse).
But on the location point, yes, Philadelphia is not the best place to spend a year of your life, Chicago is (3rd biggest city in the US). UChi neighborhood is not the best, though. The fact that Penn is 2 hours away from NYC is definitively an asset, but it highly depends on how active a person you are: it takes energy, time, and money to go for the day or the weekend (to sleep there is really expensive, btw)... normally most LLMs just do a few trips and stay where they are. That is to say, the fact that you're near NYC doesn't count as if you were in NYC--don't fool yourself with this either.
An air ticket Chicago-NY is around $200, and again, room in Manhattan is incedibly expensive. If you're saving 10k by going to Chicago, this may improve your life quality significantly: with 10k you could get to visit the best places that the US and Canada have to offer in a year (brakes, long weekends, summer).
Let us know what you decide. Good Luck.

<blockquote>pnarg- I am thinking along the same lines as you.. in terms of Penn and Chicago being my main options for a corporate law specialization but Chicago weather is a big factor for me, which is why I am leaning towards U Penn. Wouldnt proximity to NYC also go in favor of Penn?</blockquote>

Sorry for the late reply.
I guess there are many other factors you should consider if the option is narrowed to Chicago v. Penn, after all, they are quite different in many aspects (which one is more prestigious in your country, are there particular professors who you'd like to work with, etc... the list is long and diverse).
But on the location point, yes, Philadelphia is not the best place to spend a year of your life, Chicago is (3rd biggest city in the US). UChi neighborhood is not the best, though. The fact that Penn is 2 hours away from NYC is definitively an asset, but it highly depends on how active a person you are: it takes energy, time, and money to go for the day or the weekend (to sleep there is really expensive, btw)... normally most LLMs just do a few trips and stay where they are. That is to say, the fact that you're near NYC doesn't count as if you were in NYC--don't fool yourself with this either.
An air ticket Chicago-NY is around $200, and again, room in Manhattan is incedibly expensive. If you're saving 10k by going to Chicago, this may improve your life quality significantly: with 10k you could get to visit the best places that the US and Canada have to offer in a year (brakes, long weekends, summer).
Let us know what you decide. Good Luck.

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