Removed.

[Jjbb938483]

..

[AJordan]

Your money situation will likely play a much larger role than just about anything else. Cornell’s biglaw+clerkship numbers are much higher than Boston’s. One would think that Cornell would provide you a fairly negligible difference in getting a job in Boston and provide you much better options outside of Boston as well. That said, scholarship info/financial situation plays a role too and if you have good enough numbers to get into Cornell (certainly not a given this year for just about anyone) you’re likely getting more money from BU.

[A_Nony_Mouse]

@Jjbb938483

I would also assume there would be more summer associate opportunities in Boston than there would be in Ithaca, NY, thus better job opportunities after graduation.

Just one nitpick - there is no reason whatsoever why you would do a summer associate gig in Ithaca, even if you went to Cornell (I can’t imagine Ithaca even has any SA market). Even if you go to Cornell you could do a SA in Boston (and should, if that’s where you want to work after graduation, because your 2L SA job is generally where you work after graduation).

[Rigo]

Don’t do binding ED to Cornell. BU would be fine since they give full scholarships for ED applicants.
I’m guessing you are talking about for next year here since it’s late in the cycle.

[system]

@A. Nony Mouse

@Jjbb938483

I would also assume there would be more summer associate opportunities in Boston than there would be in Ithaca, NY, thus better job opportunities after graduation.

Just one nitpick - there is no reason whatsoever why you would do a summer associate gig in Ithaca, even if you went to Cornell (I can’t imagine Ithaca even has any SA market). Even if you go to Cornell you could do a SA in Boston (and should, if that’s where you want to work after graduation, because your 2L SA job is generally where you work after graduation).

100% this - probably the best of both worlds.

[Informative]

@mjb447

@A. Nony Mouse

@Jjbb938483

I would also assume there would be more summer associate opportunities in Boston than there would be in Ithaca, NY, thus better job opportunities after graduation.

Just one nitpick - there is no reason whatsoever why you would do a summer associate gig in Ithaca, even if you went to Cornell (I can’t imagine Ithaca even has any SA market). Even if you go to Cornell you could do a SA in Boston (and should, if that’s where you want to work after graduation, because your 2L SA job is generally where you work after graduation).

100% this - probably the best of both worlds.

This. Go to Cornell. You can work in New York or Boston if you want. No reason to go to BU if you want summer associate positions.

[redsoxfan1989]

@Jjbb938483

Hopefully this exact question hasn’t been asked before. I did a search but couldn’t find anything.

I was wondering what is more important regarding these specific law schools: a higher ranking or being in your preferred job market?

Cornell is higher ranked (#12) and being Ivy League may be more prestigious. Boston University is also highly ranked (#19) but probably doesn’t carry as much cache as Cornell. Since I want to stay in Boston, would going to BU give me better options? Looking at the associates/partners at major Boston firms gave me the impression BU may be a better bet. I would also assume there would be more summer associate opportunities in Boston than there would be in Ithaca, NY, thus better job opportunities after graduation.

As much as I’d love to say I went to an Ivy League school, I can’t help but wonder if BU is a smarter choice given the location.

Note: I have not even applied to these schools yet but I’m considering doing a binding early application for one of the two.



Any help is appreciated.

Current Cornell 3L. A ton of my classmates had Boston SAs last summer. It’s doable from anywhere in the class–Cornell feeds NYC primarily, but Boston firms are very receptive to Cornell students when they are interested.

[marcusme]

Unless there’s a significant difference in scholarship package, I would go to Cornell. You’re not going to be at a disadvantage in the Boston market and you’ll also have great options for biglaw in NYC as a backup.

[favabeansoup]

Cornell is a fantastic choice, even for the Boston market. However, I might balk if you are paying full sticker, as that’s a lot of debt for even a biglaw salary. Depending on your scholarship levels, this should be your #1.

Also, why you are considering BU and not BC? Solely based on the USNWR rank? You should just frankly ignore the USNWR rankings outside of the top 14 schools as it is just utter baloney. I didn’t go to BC, but it seems like objectively the better “Boston” school.

http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/bc1/schoo … _bclaw.pdf
https://www.bu.edu/law/files/2016/05/Em … 5.9.16.pdf

BC has a better full time/bar passage required rate. 77.32% vs 75.48% (admittedly small difference)
BC has a better biglaw/fed clerk rate: 41.29% vs. 34.61%
BC placed more graduates in Massachusetts both in number and as a percentage of the class: 127 in MA/247 total, 51.4% vs. 105 in MA/208 total, 50.4%
BU had more law school funded positions (i.e. means school paid for their jobs, less is better): 5 at BC vs. 17 at BU

COA at both is roughly equal at $70,378 for BC and $70,112 at BU.

Any defenders of why BU should be ranked higher than BC for people focusing Boston?

[system]

OP: If you are certain that you want to remain in Boston, then COA should be a very significant factor in your choice of schools.

[Johann]

I’d imagine BU plays about the same in Boston as Cornell. However if you strike out in Boston cornell will do better in NYC and from NYC you can go to Boston after a 2 year detour.