Duke or Cornell--Please Help

[jblawguy]

So what do people think about the decline in US News rank of Duke in the past few years?

I hear that faculty quality is lower at Duke compared to Cornell.

USNews manipulates rankings to sell magazines. While rankings have some validity and are important when getting a job, do not read too much into them.

[LawBoundGlory]

So what do people think about the decline in US News rank of Duke in the past few years?

I hear that faculty quality is lower at Duke compared to Cornell.

USNews manipulates rankings to sell magazines. While rankings have some validity and are important when getting a job, do not read too much into them.

Duke's got the upperhand in ranking for a reason.  Even though it declined (arbitrarily, I might add) to number 10, it still has a better reputation in the legal world.  Whether you're a lawyer or layperson, the name rings a stronger bell.

[cannotpick]

Duke's got the upperhand in ranking for a reason. Even though it declined (arbitrarily, I might add) to number 10, it still has a better reputation in the legal world. Whether you're a lawyer or layperson, the name rings a stronger bell.

Actually, in this year's ranking Duke is #11... Tied with Cornell. So, you can't appeal to rankings to show that "Duke's got the upperhand." The only cases one could make in regards to rankings would be that 1. Duke is on the decline as shown in the US News rankings over the past few years  2. Duke used to be ranked higher & will reattain their position as the rankings continue to fluctuate over the next few years.

When looking at these 2 schools the only discernable differences are environment, specialty fields, and region. You should consider where you'd rather spend 3 years, what type of law you want to practice, and where you want to live afterwards. Duke places particularly well in Cali, Texas, & the South. Cornell does very well in the Northeast.

As far as living in Asia goes, I'm not sure which 1 places better (b/c they both probably rarely place there at all). For international jobs, I don't think either of these is a great choice. If I were you I would have pursued more schools like Georgetown & GW (you probably could have got $$ too) since their location in DC gives them immediate doorways to the rest of the world.

[jcjc]

Just a thought on what "cannotpick" said about GW and Georgetown.  I would agree about Georgetown becuase it is all over the news.  But I don't think GW is very big in Asia.



I am still waiting to hear some comments on Duke's student and faculty quality, as I am also deciding between Duke and another school.

[kitakatt]

im interested in what ppl have to say about duke's faculty also. so... :bump:

[V00Jeff]

If you really want to learn about where you can or cannot get hired from either of these schools, go to martindale or the NALP. 

But if you just want my basic opinion, the difference in prestige between these schools is negligible.  Whichever school is better for various parts of the country, the degree of that difference is worth less than a .2 GPA difference would be.  So if you think you'll be happier in one or the other school, to the point where you'd do better, then go to that school.

And I think it's pretty obvious that most people would be happier at Duke.  Better weather, more laid-back student body, cooler sports, prettier campus, cooler area, bla bla bla bla bal.  But whatever, make your own decision.

[king]

Duke has an established relationship with East Asia, particularly with China and Hong Kong.  Call them up and ask. 

If you really want to learn about where you can or cannot get hired from either of these schools, go to martindale or the NALP. 

But if you just want my basic opinion, the difference in prestige between these schools is negligible.  Whichever school is better for various parts of the country, the degree of that difference is worth less than a .2 GPA difference would be.  So if you think you'll be happier in one or the other school, to the point where you'd do better, then go to that school.

And I think it's pretty obvious that most people would be happier at Duke.  Better weather, more laid-back student body, cooler sports, prettier campus, cooler area, bla bla bla bla bal.  But whatever, make your own decision.

[GO_PTO]

Duke has an established relationship with East Asia, particularly with China and Hong Kong.  Call them up and ask. 

If you really want to learn about where you can or cannot get hired from either of these schools, go to martindale or the NALP. 

But if you just want my basic opinion, the difference in prestige between these schools is negligible.  Whichever school is better for various parts of the country, the degree of that difference is worth less than a .2 GPA difference would be.  So if you think you'll be happier in one or the other school, to the point where you'd do better, then go to that school.

And I think it's pretty obvious that most people would be happier at Duke.  Better weather, more laid-back student body, cooler sports, prettier campus, cooler area, bla bla bla bla bal.  But whatever, make your own decision.

what was the phone # again?

[Joann]

king, the established relationship with East Asia that you are talking about- are you referring to the exchange programs with Asian universities?

[jkang2]

Only three U.S. presidents ever went to law school.  One of them Richard Nixon.  He went to DUKE.