- [quote=“metallica1988, post:1, topic:3517715”]
within a vacuum not considering tuition
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Does that mean “my family can afford to pay both college & law school out of pocket with no debt”? if so great- skip to #2. If debt is involved, tuition matters- a lot! - fo both PoliSci & Law.
- [quote=“metallica1988, post:1, topic:3517715”]
I’m considering where to lay roots down
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For 4 years? for 4 + 3 (law school)? for life? Very few people who go to Dartmouth put down roots in Hanover.
- [quote=“metallica1988, post:1, topic:3517715”]
particularly campus orgs, internships, fellowships, etc.
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All of those schools will have more opportunities for all of those than you will ever have a chance to take advantage of. More to the point, those are not useful metrics in making a decision. Happily it seems you will be able to get to visit all 3, which will be the most useful way to see if the campus culture suits you. Many students assume that Columbia is #1 for internships (it’s in NYC!) and don’t realize that 1) off-campus internships during term are not common and 2) internships during college tend to be available both nationally and globally ,and spreading your wings and going elsewhere for the summer can be both more fun and better experientially.
Also, aside from campus culture, you need to consider the Columbia Core, which shapes your college experience rather more than the number or type of college organizations available.
- [quote=“metallica1988, post:1, topic:3517715”]
Networking is somewhat important to me too, but I recognize most schools of these calibers will be very similar in strength.
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i mostly agree- except that I would use “opportunity” rather than “strength”. Networking can be luck (eg, your 1st year roommate’s mom is Congresswoman Y, who will happily help you get an internship on the Hill), but in practice it is mostly what you do with the opportunities in front of you. So, you realize that person A you meet at a campus talk on subject Z has an association with organization B in place Y, and you follow it through to find that person C in place X knows person D’s from your home town’s first boss (etc). In other words, you put yourself out there, you meet and pay attention to a range of people who may not appear at first glance to have anything in common with you (or be obvious advantage to you), you connect with them on LinkedIn (and if they connect with you looking for contacts you help as generously as you hope people will help you), and you build your network.
- [quote=“metallica1988, post:1, topic:3517715”]
Going for political science with intention of Ivy law school/JD program after undergrad.
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Do you actually like PoliSci, or is it what you see as a path (eg, PS → T14 law school → Big Law)? Or, you like PS better than English or History and think those are the main ‘pre-law’ majors? When you are trying on these colleges for size, consider what else you might do during college besides planning your law career and socializing/networking. Law schools wlll.not.care what your major is. Also, be prepared for the likelihood that you will work for 1-3 years after college and before law school. HLS “actively” preferences work experience between college & law school, and the % of students with 2+ years of work experience has gone up year on year. I have seen the CVs of this year’s crop of HLS students with 0-1 year of ‘official’ work experience- and they are students who have been extraordinary achievers right the way through, with amazing back stories. Assume you won’t be one of them.