Which law school should I attend?
 

Hey guys, long time no see. [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

I currently go to Syracuse University(surprise, surprise). I also got into Cornell, Hamilton, Colgate, and Syracuse for undergrad. I chose Syracuse(the least competitive of all four) so I could live at home and not have to live in the dorms. I have since moved out and now live off-campus in a sweet apartment. Anyway,

I have a 4.0 with a dual business/poli sci major. I got a 170 on my LSATs and with my 4.0 I've just been accepted into Harvard, Cornell, NYU, Columbia, Syracuse and Buffalo law schools. I was rejected from Yale. I am soliciting recommendations on which law school I should attend.

Anyway, I guess that these top laws schools consider Syracuse a quality education(which it really isn't- I'm sure I would have to work much harder at a school like Cornell or Colgate), and I guess that's why they let me in.

But back to the law schools. I think that my top two choices are Cornell and Harvard. Harvard because it is the most competitive of all the law schools I was accepted to, and Cornell because it's less than 90 minutes from my house. What do you guys think?

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

u seem like a smart gai

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This isn't really a choice. To get into Harvard law and not go would be insane.

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I'm not bragging about having a 4.0 at Syracuse. It's one of the easier undergraduate institutions and I'm sure I'd only have like a 3.2 at Cornell with the amount of work I put in.

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Its a choice between harvard and columbia. Harvard has a slightly better rep but they are close enough that quality of life should be the deciding factor. Just decide wheteher you would be happier in Boston or New York.

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You would be [censored] insane to not go to Harvard. Harvard law school grads are exceptional people (more than any other I've met). And the connections you'll get at Harvard are more than worth any inconvenience.

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Why do people ask for life-changing decision advice on OOT? I mean I love OOT, but somehow I dont know if I fully trust the advice on this stuff.

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

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Its a choice between harvard and columbia. Harvard has a slightly better rep but they are close enough that quality of life should be the deciding factor. Just decide wheteher you would be happier in Boston or New York.

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I did not realize they were that close. I just thought that the Harvard name would vault them higher. I would rather not be in Red Sox Nation if I can avoid it.

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I'd pick NYU. The location of your law school correlates highly to where you work, and I would think some of the best/most competitive jobs would be in the city. Of course, if you get out of Harvard I'm pretty sure you can work anywhere you want.

Do you know what kind of law you want to do? The best ranked law school might not be the best for a particular branch of law.

Btw, when did Harvard and Yale notify you? My friend got into Columbia and NYU already but she is still waiting to hear from Harvard/Yale.

Edit: NYU is also ranked higher than Columbia and is in a MUCH better neighborhood. Unless you had special ties to Columbia I don't think it's much a choice between the two.

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Anybody know what kind of LSAT score I'm going to have to get to get into top tier law schools since I will be lucky to graduate USC with a 3.5?

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

Jake,

Unless you have some specific reason to go somewhere else (ie: you want to practice a specific type of law and that school has a better network in that field), Harvard.

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Heard from Yale in February, Harvard last week.

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

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Anybody know what kind of LSAT score I'm going to have to get to get into top tier law schools since I will be lucky to graduate USC with a 3.5?

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170s

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

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Anybody know what kind of LSAT score I'm going to have to get to get into top tier law schools since I will be lucky to graduate USC with a 3.5?

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170s

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175++ I'd say, with good extra curricular activities and amazing references. 3.5 is miles away from 4.0.

Aren't there sites for this sort of thing?

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

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Anybody know what kind of LSAT score I'm going to have to get to get into top tier law schools since I will be lucky to graduate USC with a 3.5?

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170s

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175++ I'd say, with good extra curricular activities and amazing references. 3.5 is miles away from 4.0.

Aren't there sites for this sort of thing?

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This much is obvious. I've got those other two things, so I think I'll go ahead and get a 178. That should do the trick.

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if you like cold boringness but good quality education, Gonzaga

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Anybody know what kind of LSAT score I'm going to have to get to get into top tier law schools since I will be lucky to graduate USC with a 3.5?

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170s

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175++ I'd say, with good extra curricular activities and amazing references. 3.5 is miles away from 4.0.

Aren't there sites for this sort of thing?

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Depends on what he means by top tier. There are 4 tiers of law schools and the first tier can mean as many as 50 different law schools. He'll need 175+ for schools like Harvard but for a school like Duke a 170 should do it.

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Its a choice between harvard and columbia. Harvard has a slightly better rep but they are close enough that quality of life should be the deciding factor. Just decide wheteher you would be happier in Boston or New York.

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I did not realize they were that close. I just thought that the Harvard name would vault them higher. I would rather not be in Red Sox Nation if I can avoid it.

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If you absolutely want to clerk for a SC justice, then going to Harvard over Columbia might help. But what really matters is what you do at law school. Either way, you should be fine.

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Not going to Harvard would be quite stupid.

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I have no interest in clerking. I am leaning to Harvard but I just want to graduate in the top half of my class from a top tier school like that and then join a litigation firm.

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I have no interest in clerking. I am leaning to Harvard but I just want to graduate in the top half of my class from a top tier school like that and then join a litigation firm.

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This actually sounds like a good reason to go to HLS- even the bottom quarter is going to have no problem picking between firms that appeal to them (litigation in your case), whereas there would be slightly more pressure on you to make that top half at NYU or a lesser T14 to give yourself the best/most biglaw options.

I'm not sure if you've been through lawschooldiscussion.com or not, but suffice it to say if you asked this question of the many smart people there, they'd say you should have a damn good reason to turn down H.

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I have no interest in clerking. I am leaning to Harvard but I just want to graduate in the top half of my class from a top tier school like that and then join a litigation firm.

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In that case going to Harvard would not really matter that much. My friend's sister went to Harvard and was not happy there. She didnt do that well grade-wise and ended not getting any really good job offers. What matters is what you do when you get there. If you finish in the top 1/3 of Columbia or Harvard you will be able to get a job at almost any firm. Even if your grades are mediocre you will still get a good job. The people who are saying that you absolutely must go to Harvard probably don't know what they are talking about. Yes, its slightly better than Columbia but if you don't like Boston then you would be better off at Columbia. The name recognition of Harvard is appealing, but in terms of getting the type of job that you are looking for, the difference in reputation is slight.

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Dropping the H-Bomb gets you laid with hot classy girls. The C-Bomb doesn't exist. If OP is gay then it doesn't matter.

H > C.

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slick,

Where do you live?

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When and why did you transfer to Syracuse?

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Right now I live in DC but will be working at a NYC law firm this summer and after I graduate.

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slick,

You may well be correct wrt Harvard/Columbia for someone in litigation on the East coast. But when you look at other geographies (west coast, international), other types of law, and non-law jobs that lawyers often move into, the Harvard degree can be far more valuable than the Columbia degree.

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

I think the biggest factors when deciding between relatively equal graduate, phd, or jd programs are the level of prestige and the contacts that can be made at that school. The education that you will receive from each law school will be essential the same (as far as I know), but I think the contacts that can be made by going to Harvard Law School may out weigh the others. Unless you want to emphasize a particular part of the law and one of the schools has the pre-eminent professor in that field, I would vote for Harvard.

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So umm... how about a 2.6 that will be a 3.0 by the time I graduate... I will be over 175 on the LSAT fo sho... that part Im not worried about.

I [censored] up and picked a major I couldnt enjoy and pull full effort into, but in my last year here I am busting my ass and getting A's.

I know the very top schools wont be an option to me even with a 180 and awesome refs. Basically, I need a fresh start at a law school to salvage my academic career, as I wont be getting any good offers graduating with a 3.0 in engineering management, and even if I did, I dont enjoy it all that much. Im hoping schools I apply to will give the personal statement a look, though I doubt they will.

If it matters, I would rather stay in the south.

Also, on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being set for life, and 1 being waste of money and time, how do you rate:

Top quarter at a premier school like OP wants to go to.
Top 5% at a less competitive school (the type Im gonna have to go to if I go)

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I don't see how you can turn down Harvard without a damn good reason.

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I don't see how you can turn down Harvard without a damn good reason.

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If it's anything like Legally Blonde, I'd have a 2nd thought.

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Harvard sucks, but go there anyway.

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Harvard. Not close. Get the decoder ring and go forth in life.

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When and why did you transfer to Syracuse?

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I started at Syracuse in Fall 2002 as a freshman and have been there since. I don't understand the question.

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1. Go to Harvard. It opens doors that you would not otherwise be able to even knock on.

2. If you want to litigate, reconsider doing a clerkship. Not only is it a tremendous experience, but it is a great resume builder.

/back to lurking

Re: Which law school should I attend?
 

I'm currently a 1L at Columbia. I chose it over Harvard, Cornell, and NYU.

I didn't really consider Cornell because of its lower rank and location.

Harvard vs. Columbia
It's true that Harvard is more prestigious than Columbia. However, the prestige difference is much larger in the general public's opinion than it is in the legal community. Also, if you're not interested in clerking, being at a top 5 firm, or being a professor, there is essentially no difference between the two. Note that you can still do all of these things if you choose CLS, but being at HLS would make them a bit easier. People talk about Boston vs. New York, but it's actually Cambridge vs. New York. True, Boston is only a subway trip away, but I think it's unlikely you'd spend much time there. Obviously you should visit both areas and see what you like. Personally I hated Cambridge and I love NY.

Columbia vs. NYU
Someone said that NYU is ranked higher. Unless some new rankings came out recently, this is wrong. Even if they are higher in some ranking system, Columbia is definitely more prestigious. Whereas Harvard and Columbia are close, I think the difference between CLS and NYU is significant. Then again, you'll still get a great job going to either. Something I like about Columbia over NYU is that Columbia actually has a campus. NYU is just a loose collection of buildings, but in a definitely cooler area.

well, that's my spiel. I think you should visit all of the schools and make your decision after that. also, don't be bullied into going to a more prestigious school if it's not where you want to be. you're set dude, no worries. PM me if you have questions.

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When and why did you transfer to Syracuse?

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I started at Syracuse in Fall 2002 as a freshman and have been there since. I don't understand the question.

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Other than the quote "Syracuse. I grew up there and live there when I am not at school," I could've sworn I remembered you saying you went to Genesee.

This too

And this

and this too [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

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also, for an interesting perspective on top tier law schools, read Brush with the Law.

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first, congratulations

second, if you dont go to harvard you are an idiot