Does anyone have any thoughts on Vanderbilt versus UCLA, i.e. for someone who must choose b/w the two, which one would you go for and why? Cheers for the help!

UCLA is definitely a better University.UCLA is ranked very high. The chances of gaining employment are also higher post LL.M.

Higher ranked? Yep, the full 1 place! Concerning employment: I can be wrong but I think Vanderbilt takes part at the NY job fair.

I think you should consider the size of the program: full integration with JD's & JD courses etc= HUGE advantage!

dude, ive done a lot of asking about especially as regards employment.
the feedback from everyone has been pretty much the same - it depends on YOU and your interviews. the colleges dont make much of a difference. most of the people i know choose to pass out, take the bar in July and then worry about employment.
a competent and even so, lucky few manage to land a job at the fair.
i'd say worry about taking a call about the collges - dont know anything about UCLA, but i'll tell you this, every alumnus i got in touch with was extremely postitive about vandy.

What's your opinion, RAJ?

I suppose it's a question of where you (or I in this case) would want to work. With a Vanderbilt degree you would most likely find employment in NY whereas with a UCLA degree you would probably do so in CA. I don't agree with the ranking dispute, which is to say that firstly US News ranking don't mean much to me, but even if they do, as is pointed out in this thread, the difference is a massive one position! But as I said, such rankings are baloney in my opinion.

As far as employers are concerned, I've spoken to many who regard Vanderbilt as the "Harvard of the South". I think a Vanderbilt degree would, therefore, probably travel farther then a UCLA one, which is why I'll probably be going to Vanderbilt.

This may be seen as superficial but where would you prefer to live for one year? I have been to Nashville and the Vanderbilt campus. Nashville is a lot of fun (esp. if you like country music) and it quite compact. Vanderbilt is a very pretty campus although outside the central town area Nashville itself is kinda ugly. I have no idea what the UCLA campus is like but LA could be a lot of fun to live in albeit a completely different experience.
I agree that you are more likely to work in NY with a degree from Vanderbilt and CA with a degree from UCLA. This is largely because interviewing for NY firms from LA would be a nightmare.

The country music, the cowboy boots, the deserted farms and dusty roads.... and in the middle of all this civilization: Nashville, one of the best cities to live (according to Forbes)...