NYU vs. WashU (please help)

nyu_times_two
Sat, 16 May 2009 17:19:58 +0000

Ugh, obviously I wrote that other comment after having spent two weeks running on less than three hours of sleep a night on account of my finals. So yeah, my wording is all wrong. Let that be a warning to anyone who ever thinks about attending law school.

I’m not qualified to say if NYU is better academically than WashU. I just think that, for what you want to do, NYU can simultaneously offer you great choices and a noticeable lack of choices. I think that the econ department in CAS is wonderful (though others in this forum have disagreed with me), and, as I said, the MES department is fantastic from what I’ve heard. Honestly, if I were you, I’d forget about minoring in Law and Society (since you’ll just take a hodge-podge of classes from other departments) and try to double-major in Econ and MES. I get the sense that it’ll look a lot more impressive, particularly if you’re applying to the FBI. On the other hand, you’re not going to really have a chance to take courses that are anywhere remotely akin to criminology or criminal justice.

In regards to Penn’s dual degree program, that sounds fantastic, particularly since you can get it done in three years instead of the regular four for most dual degree programs. Penn Law is also an incredible school, so getting your J.D. from there would really give you a leg up. Of course, on the flip side, it means it will be really difficult to get in (you can tell by their LSAT/GPA numbers how difficult it can be). So no matter where you go, make sure you keep your grades high, prepare yourself for the LSAT months in advance, and keep active with clubs and internships.