I know this is WSO, but I thought people could give good advice anyway. My sibling was recently admitted to law school. Unfortunately, the school Harvard doesn't come out for another month, and so if (they) decline the Columbia offer there is no promise they get to attend Law School at all.. My sibling is interested in immigration law, and their top choice is Harvard, then Stanford, then Columbia.
Thanks
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Stupid question, but what Academic year are we talking about for their 1L year? Something doesn't add up on the timing.
Second this, a bit confused on timing as well.
Can’t they pay the deposit at Columbia and then wait for Harvard?
If you were talking about corporate law then I would say just go to Columbia, as both schools can get you any corporate role you want, even if the Harvard brand name is much stronger. For immigration, my sense is Harvard will open up a lot more doors / have a lot of benefits that Columbia won’t have.
I’m not a lawyer, so take the above with a grain of salt, but have had a few close friends graduate from both programs in the last few years.
I was originally going to say to pay the deposit now for Columbia but wait for Harvard and then write a letter to the school stating that you were going to back out of your spot. However, the timing on this is too suspect considering classes start in a few weeks.
Regarding law choice, I'm not a lawyer, but I would imagine that coming out from Columbi wouldn't make any difference if your sibling wants to work in Immigration Law. Coming out of a Top 3 law school is still comingout of a top 3 law school.
Sibling is a rising senior in college, these are new “ED” type offerings only done at Columbia and Harvard
Considering it's ED, the big question is does she want to risk it on the hopse of getting into HLS or Stanford, or does she want to guarantee herself a spot at Columbia? If she's okay with the risk, then fuck it - take the risk and understand that she has to wait a year before reapplying. IF she's risk averse, walk away with a spot in a great school.
All three schools are great. All three schools will open doors for her. All three schools will put her in the position to succeed in imigration law. Think about it from an MBA standpoint for a second - she's going to the equivalent of an MBA business schools">M7 program. If she does well at Columbia, she'll be able to get a job anywhere.
At this point with 5 days left and nothing to lose start calling up Harvard admissions Harvard law alumni etc etc and talking through the situation. Best case someone knows someone who knows something that can give you a tangible point to make a different or affirmative decision. Worst case, leave it ambiguous.
The problem is making a choice off of a gamble. You have no identifiable information that she will get into Harvard beyond her statistics, which are not too much to go off of. At this point find and create some tangibility to that decision e.g. call up Harvard admissions and walk through the situation or talk to hlaw alumni who might have some insight or connect you to the dean or someone in admissions who can help you make the decision. I don’t think anyone on the internet can give you any more confidence one way or the other.
Obviously, risking it all for Harvard is asinine. She’ll be left with nothing. Unless you find a reason to take the chance or she believes in herself. That decision is ultimately up to her... but put some effort into unorthodox methods of feeling out what the outcome could be.
She ended up choosing Columbia and playing it safe. Probably the smart move
I think that was the smart decision.
a. If she's white, then 168-171 lsat is not competitive for Harvard (sorry to say). Those spots go mostly to URM.
b. A lot of people deferred law school this year due to covid. I read somewhere that 20% of the Harvard class deferred. That means 20% less spots next year.
c. As someone said, top 3 is top 3. The marginal difference that Harvard would make is not worth risking missing out on both by taking the gamble.
d. Silver lining: she can always transfer at the end of her first year.
Is Columbia a top 3 law school? My impression was that Harvard, Yale and Stanford were pretty unanimous top 3 (order within those 3 more of a toss up)?
Pretty sure it's Yale >> Stanford > Harvard
Please choose Harvard.
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