COlumbia offers student housing.brinicolec wrote:I mean. I know that NYU at least has student housing (can't remember if Columbia does). However, I don't remember if the housing is just for 1Ls. There's not really much they can do. NYU has really expansive student housing for undergrad but it's pretty sprawled out. I'm talking like, even in Soho. They bought out old apartment buildings and turned them into dorms. There's not really any room in Washington Square for them to build, so if they were going to get more student housing, they'd have to buy out places like they did for undergrad.btruj777 wrote:Yes it is terrifying!guybourdin wrote:I've looked into it a little. I don't see how COL would be less than $40k difference b.t NU and NYU for me personally. It's a scary difference.btruj777 wrote:I have been asking myself this question lately but I do not know where else to ask it.
Assuming someone was crazy enough to pay sticker (with loans and what not - no parent help) at Chicago and Columbia. Is the cost of living in NY so high that it almost forces the person to pick Chicago? For example, when I look at housing in Chicago it seems possible for a law student, when I look at housing for Columbia, it seems less possible. While both would be paid by loans, it seems like NY simply demands a higher burden on the students.
Do New York law schools take this into account at all? Perhaps lowering tuition to mitigate the extra expense of just living in NY? Perhaps having partnerships with off-campus buildings where rent is significantly cheaper?
I could be missing something big here, but it seems like living in NY during law school is a massive deterrent for someone who gets accepted to CLS or NYU.
Another question/possible answer, do so well on the LSAT that you get scholly money to pay for these NY schools? But even then, if you can land such a big scholarship that this does not become a problem, would you also not be able to go to another school in the country that still seems like a cheaper/better option because of the "NY COL factor"?
Have NY law schools not tired to address this in some fashion (not that they HAVE to, they are entitled to their own business practice and I respect that)?
Note: I do think these schools are worth the money, and honestly I think it is okay to say "I should do better on the LSAT, if this is my dream school".
During my interview, I somehow expressed my concern with the cost. And my interviewer was pretty defensive, saying Columbia offers affordable student housing maintained by the university. And that would be an interdisciplinary living environment (because it's housing for all graduate students).