Where to go? 164 LSAT/3.34 GPA: NYC, DC, California? (for International Law)

[artvandelay]

Hey guys, I just found out I didn't get into my hometown university (UBC in Canada), so now my sights are set on an American school. I got accepted to NYLS with 22.5k (renewable with a 3.3gpa) and I'm still waiting on Harvard (I won't hold my breath), Columbia (same), Georgetown, George Washington, UC Hastings, UCLA and USC. I still have a few safeties in Canada just in case as well.

I went to McGill in Montreal and got a BA Honors in political science. I did a year on exchange at Sciences Po Paris ('the' French elite school) and now I'm doing a MSc in comparative politics at the London School of Economics in England. I speak French and Farsi fluently, and I know basic Spanish. I have a published article about marijuana and Canadian foreign policy (that's right).

I'm feeling like my numbers and soft factors are too good for NYLS, but it is quite tempting to live and work in NYC, especially because I'll at least get the first year tuition discount and I also have several well-connected NY buddies from my McGill days too. The $$$ and debt issue is not a HUGE deal for me, as I'm one of the lucky ones that benefits from generous parents, and I've been living in London and Paris for a couple of years so I'm (and my parents are) used to high prices.

I'm looking to work in international law (I think), so I think that means NYC and DC are my best bets. Is it possible that since I went to such high-ranked undergrad, exchange and grad schools, and focused so much on the poli sci, that just getting that JD from a place like NYLS and passing the bar is all I need to land a good job in int'l law? If I want to work in int'l law, is it better to be in NYC at a shittier school (NYLS) or to go to a better school in California and then come to NYC or DC after graduation? And are int'l law salaries in general significantly different (ie. less) than other fields?

I think my best bets in terms of numbers and reputation in int'l law are probably Georgetown and GWU, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Any opinions/ideas/thoughts?

[«ě»]

Well, I wouldn't expect to get lucky with Harvard or Columbia. Your undergrad will certainly help in getting a job, but "just getting a JD" from NYLS won't cut it. If you manage to go top 10% at NYLS, I'd say your chances are decent, but you really need to be all the way up there.

Georgetown, George Washington, UC Hastings, UCLA and USC are all steps ahead of NYLS when it comes to quality, if either one of those schools accept you, go there.

[artvandelay]

Anyone know if the California schools are good for a career in international law in NY or DC?

[Nickledime85]

I know nothing about Cali schools, but do NOT go to NYLS. You're numbers set you way apart, and you should be aiming way higher. I would suggest applying to Fordham, and then Brooklyn as a safety. NYU and Columbia are tough. In terms of DC, you have a decent shot @ GW; don't know about GULC.

[artvandelay]

Thanks for the replies.

Is NYLS THAT bad? I've read some of the other threads on this topic but I remember seeing somewhere that their 2006 bar pass-rate was something like 80% (albeit rising from somewhere in the 70s and 60s). I could be wrong. Can I assume that a job in international law might be less competitive, and thus easier for a NYLS grad with other relevant credentials?

[«ě»]

No, NYLS isn't _that_ bad in itself. Truth be told, if NYLS had been anywhere but in NYC, it would have been a pretty decent school. The things that work against it is first and foremost the location, within the NYC area job market you have Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Fordhamn, Cardozo, Brooklyn, Rutgers-N and Seton Hall who all are better or at the very least equal to it, meaning it's a tough school in terms of job placement. The second, and to some people the main problem, is the tuition NYLS charges. While it's a Tier 3 school, their tuition fee is the 3rd highest (I believe) in America, for 2007/08 I believe their tutition is just above 40k a year, which means only Stanford and NYU are more expensive (if I remember the statistics right). NYLS has a good bar pass rate, and really not bad OCI/job placement for a T3 school.

[artvandelay]

I keep hearing how NYC is such a competitive market and if you're at a place like NYLS, you're at the bottom of the barrel for jobs and basically screwed unless you're in the top 10%. But isn't the reason why there are so many law schools in the NYC area because there's an insatiable demand for lawyers? I mean, everyone who passes the bar ends up working in a decent law firm somewhere eventually, right? Can there be any BAD law degrees?

[iscoredawaitlist]

I wouldn't hold your breath on any of the schools you've applied to, honestly. You really ought to have applied to places between NYLS and GW. Hastings may come through -- i don't know about what you need -- but the rest are a huge long shot unless you're a URM.

You should have applied to schools like Fordham, Brooklyn perhaps Cardozo if you wanted New York. I'll echo everyone else, your numbers are too good for NYLS, but they're probably not good enough for the other schools.

i think international law in cali is based around the pacific rim.

PS. Quickly ask to be considered for PT at GW.

[artvandelay]

Well the thing is that I have a few schools in Canada that would be in that range in between NYLS and GW. I'm still waiting on four of them (Queen's, Western, Windsor, York). Going to one of those would allow me to live and work in Vancouver, my hometown. I would obviously have to decide between living and practising in the US or Canada, but at this point an acceptance from one of my remaining applications in the US would probably be enough to get me south of the border.


How much of a difference would PT at GW make for my chances at this point?

[iscoredawaitlist]

Well the thing is that I have a few schools in Canada that would be in that range in between NYLS and GW. I'm still waiting on four of them (Queen's, Western, Windsor, York). Going to one of those would allow me to live and work in Vancouver, my hometown. I would obviously have to decide between living and practising in the US or Canada, but at this point an acceptance from one of my remaining applications in the US would probably be enough to get me south of the border.


How much of a difference would PT at GW make for my chances at this point?

huge. are you a minority, first of all? if not, I'd say PT is one of your ONLY chances at GW. Maybe that's unnecessary negativity due to my own wait list at considerably better GPA and slightly higher LSAT, but take a look at LSN: http://lawschoolnumbers.com/search_schools.php?action=search&cycle=4&school_code=5246&status=3&sort=lsat&order=d&status=3&application_type=0&program=1&urm=1

then there's the fact that you applied late which won't be good.