- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 9029
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:55 am
#45043
Below is a conversation between PowerScore CEO Dave Killoran and a student, Kate, about her law school decision.
Kate: "Hi!
I'm really struggling with my decision as I get down to the deadline wire, and would love your advice on this.
For background: I've been offered 135k at Georgetown, 45k at NYU, and will probably receive probably a financial aid package similar to NYU at Columbia, but Columbia is still reviewing aid and scholarships.
I am interested in government work, so DC could be a good place to be- and of course a difference of 90k is frightening- but I'm having a hard time closing the door on NYU or CLS because of my career plans. I'm planning to start off in Biglaw and then transition to government work- I'm interested in climate law and policymaking in particular. A dream might be State, or an agency, or maybe legislative. Plans could potentially change depending on debt, but I'll almost certainly start with Biglaw either way- and I would love to leave the door open for clerkships at some point. And since I'm interested in climate law, I might also think about international work.
I get the sense that name clout could matter more down the line with this sort of plan- especially with CLS's placement in Biglaw, and NYU's with clerkships. I will note that all three schools have strong environmental programs and centers for climate study--Columbia's is especially well regarded.
Am I completely off base here? Should I just take the money and run? It's definitely a lot of money, but it's not a full scholarship- I'd still owe 120k at graduation.
Thank you!!"
Dave Killoran: "Hi Kate,
Thanks for the question! Those are great options, and I assume you've looked closely at the job reports from each school? Here's a quick comparison: https://www.lstreports.com/compare/gulc/nyu/columbia/
Here's what concerns me about GULC: for a "top" school, their biglaw hiring isn't stellar. If your plan is to specifically go at Biglaw first, then it's hard to argue against Columbia as the premier name among your choices. The hiring outcomes aren't really even close, and you can see inside the numbers as to how elite they are compared to both NYU and Gtown.
I'm always concerned about debt, but if you go to CLS and perform reasonably well, your outcomes will be far broader than Georgetown without question, and NYU but to a lesser extent.
There's no right answer here that anyone else can give you, so carefully consider those career plans and then weigh the debt directly: that's the cost of having those higher percentages at the end.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!"
Kate: "Thank you for your response, Dave! I really appreciate your insight.
I will say that Biglaw isn't my be all end all as a career, but it is definitely a part of my plan, because I hope to be well-positioned for a senior role in public service/government/(more specifically) climate policy one day. Because of that, I had a suspicion that Columbia (or NYU) might better position me to build the career that I want, starting with a more preferable Biglaw placement. From what you've said, it sounds as though there's truth behind that suspicion!
That being said, I do know that GULC has a good network in DC-where I would likely end up working anyway-and there is of course the opportunity to intern during the semester. But it sounds as though, in order to position myself to be as flexible and far-reaching as I wish, CLS (or perhaps NYU) is still the wiser choice(?)
Thank you for that helpful link to the LST comparison! I actually hadn't used that feature before.
Thanks again,
Kate"
Dave Killoran: "Hi Kate,
The thing about Biglaw is that it's easier to get in right at the start, so even though that';s not your main goal, if it's a step you intend to use as a springboard to policy-related jobs, you give yourself an advantage with the bigger name.
I'd also look quite carefully at GULC's placement rates both in law firms and internships, as well as how many students they hire. It's a big school, they bring in a lot of transfers each year, and at times their numbers aren't fantastic.
I love the DC area and think Georgetown is a great school, so I'm not anti-GULC in any way, it's just that CLS is definitely a cut above, so you should very carefully look at the costs involved and the general trend of job results.
Thanks!"
Kate: "Hi!
I'm really struggling with my decision as I get down to the deadline wire, and would love your advice on this.
For background: I've been offered 135k at Georgetown, 45k at NYU, and will probably receive probably a financial aid package similar to NYU at Columbia, but Columbia is still reviewing aid and scholarships.
I am interested in government work, so DC could be a good place to be- and of course a difference of 90k is frightening- but I'm having a hard time closing the door on NYU or CLS because of my career plans. I'm planning to start off in Biglaw and then transition to government work- I'm interested in climate law and policymaking in particular. A dream might be State, or an agency, or maybe legislative. Plans could potentially change depending on debt, but I'll almost certainly start with Biglaw either way- and I would love to leave the door open for clerkships at some point. And since I'm interested in climate law, I might also think about international work.
I get the sense that name clout could matter more down the line with this sort of plan- especially with CLS's placement in Biglaw, and NYU's with clerkships. I will note that all three schools have strong environmental programs and centers for climate study--Columbia's is especially well regarded.
Am I completely off base here? Should I just take the money and run? It's definitely a lot of money, but it's not a full scholarship- I'd still owe 120k at graduation.
Thank you!!"
Dave Killoran: "Hi Kate,
Thanks for the question! Those are great options, and I assume you've looked closely at the job reports from each school? Here's a quick comparison: https://www.lstreports.com/compare/gulc/nyu/columbia/
Here's what concerns me about GULC: for a "top" school, their biglaw hiring isn't stellar. If your plan is to specifically go at Biglaw first, then it's hard to argue against Columbia as the premier name among your choices. The hiring outcomes aren't really even close, and you can see inside the numbers as to how elite they are compared to both NYU and Gtown.
I'm always concerned about debt, but if you go to CLS and perform reasonably well, your outcomes will be far broader than Georgetown without question, and NYU but to a lesser extent.
There's no right answer here that anyone else can give you, so carefully consider those career plans and then weigh the debt directly: that's the cost of having those higher percentages at the end.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!"
Kate: "Thank you for your response, Dave! I really appreciate your insight.
I will say that Biglaw isn't my be all end all as a career, but it is definitely a part of my plan, because I hope to be well-positioned for a senior role in public service/government/(more specifically) climate policy one day. Because of that, I had a suspicion that Columbia (or NYU) might better position me to build the career that I want, starting with a more preferable Biglaw placement. From what you've said, it sounds as though there's truth behind that suspicion!
That being said, I do know that GULC has a good network in DC-where I would likely end up working anyway-and there is of course the opportunity to intern during the semester. But it sounds as though, in order to position myself to be as flexible and far-reaching as I wish, CLS (or perhaps NYU) is still the wiser choice(?)
Thank you for that helpful link to the LST comparison! I actually hadn't used that feature before.
Thanks again,
Kate"
Dave Killoran: "Hi Kate,
The thing about Biglaw is that it's easier to get in right at the start, so even though that';s not your main goal, if it's a step you intend to use as a springboard to policy-related jobs, you give yourself an advantage with the bigger name.
I'd also look quite carefully at GULC's placement rates both in law firms and internships, as well as how many students they hire. It's a big school, they bring in a lot of transfers each year, and at times their numbers aren't fantastic.
I love the DC area and think Georgetown is a great school, so I'm not anti-GULC in any way, it's just that CLS is definitely a cut above, so you should very carefully look at the costs involved and the general trend of job results.
Thanks!"