Cornell v Penn v Duke v UCLA Forum

[DanialTA]

Hi, I'm an international student from Canada and I've been accepted by Cornell, UCLA, Penn and Duke. The cost of living for the Cornell, Penn and Duke are around $85-90,000 a year all in. And UCLA is a bit cheaper at $75,000. My goal is BigLaw in NYC and from what I understand UCLA is a pretty regional school so I've already pretty much ruled it out, but in case this board knows something I don't about UCLA, I've included it. It's between Cornell, Penn and Duke, Penn is the highest ranked school but Cornell is in upstate NY so I don't know if that makes any difference for my aspirations towards NYC BigLaw. Just want some advice on what is the best option.

As for finances, I am fortunate enough to be able to pay my way through all of the above with no debt, so finances aren't really effecting my decisions, just want to go with what is best for my goals.

[beinghuman]

Since money isn't an issue, I can tell you that Cornell places very well in NYC biglaw. Penn is ranked higher and also has excellent placement outcomes.
I think that Penn and Cornell place better than Duke and much better than UCLA. So I'd say, if you want the higher ranking and/or living in a city, go with Penn. If you'd like to live in a college town (Ithaca is a pleasant place, imo), Cornell would be a good choice. In terms of career outcomes, the differences between both schools would be marginal. If you can, you should visit both schools and see how you feel about them.

[d373]

You are right about UCLA. Great school but not a great school for NYC biglaw, as least as compared to the other schools you're considering.

I'd go Penn but they all have very solid NYC biglaw prospects. I'd suggest visiting and making the decision on fit. Philly is going to be a much different lifestyle than Ithaca or Durham (which themselves are pretty different).

[globetrotter659]

Penn has the best employment numbers of the listed schools and places very well in NYC. But Cornell has strong ties to NYC too. Ithaca and Philadelphia are completely different. Do you want isolated but beautiful college town or big city with a chip on its shoulder?

[mrlawguy]

Since money is no object, just go to the highest ranked school.

The placement numbers in NY from the T-6-T-13 don't vary significantly. However, prestige you can carry with your throughout your career (note: No one should pay for prestige, but we've already addressed that that's not an issue for you).