Northwestern vs. UVA vs. GWU$$$

[vila23]

I have been accepted to Northwestern, UVA, and GWU. This post isn't really to ask which school to go to but, more so to ask what people know about placements of graduates in the field of human rights and international politics. I was admitted to the dual-degree program at NU where I would complete a JD and an LLM in International Human Rights. So far, NU seems like the way to go, but the money at GWU (30K/year & housing for first year) is attractive even though they have arguably the worst study abroad opportunities among any top school, something that I am very interested in doing. What do any of you know about these schools and the opportunities they provide to individuals who want to work in international human rights? Would the opportunities be fewer at GWU than NU and UVA?? Or does that only apply to people wanting to do Biglaw? Thanks in advance for any insight you might have!

[archival]

I only know about NU.  I don't get the impression that they place a lot of people in international human rights organizations.  However, one of the clinic options is an international human rights program: http://www.law.northwestern.edu/humanrights/

You can also do senior research on a topic of your choice with a professor of your choice, if there is somebody whose work interests you.  In addition to the clinic faculty, check out:
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/EugeneKontorovich/
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/JideNzelibe/
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/BernardineDohrn/

Finally, I know at least one student did a practicum abroad working in the Hague.

[EarlCat]

So far I really like NU (which is the only school I can speak on).  One of the things that sold me was the Bluhm Clinic, specifically the Center on Wrongful Convictions. 

Also, and I know it sounds cliche, I really like the level of diversity at the school--there are so many different backgrounds, experiences, nationalities, and political views represented.  Not every prof is a bleeding heart and not every student owns a Che Guevara t-shirt.  I also like the fact that it's a slightly older incoming class than most schools because they don't admit many students straight out of undergrad.  I could really tell the difference compared to other schools I visited such as Berkeley.

I've found my professors to be very accessible, my peers supportive (no cutthroats), and there are more activities than you'll ever have time for.

Oh yeah, there's free food almost every day...

Downsides:
Highest tuition in the country, yet you still have to pay $.05 a page to print on campus.
The writing class (CLR) makes you work like a dog for only 2 credits.
The lighting in the library sucks.
Chicago is really friggin' cold.