Different graduate courses, medical school, company school, and law school were all feasible possibilities for me. Eventually, I decided that law university is my preferred pursuit because I know it would educate me applicable skills which will be useful in any future work. It would give me with typically the most opportunities and options than virtually any of the some other program in my academics career.
I published my application to the many the top-tier law educational institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, plus Berkeley. These schools required a standard application fee. Via the LSAC, My partner and i was able to obtain a fee waiver for other legislation schools such while Michigan, Virginia, Georgetown, Chicago, NYU, Columbia, and Duke.
We were accepted by simply all but a few of such schools — I withdrew following being wait-listed with Yale. Berkeley and UVA rejected us. My final selection was among Harvard, Stanford, and Penn, which offered us a scholarship which was close to the full ride.
The particular US News in addition to World Report says that there is a clear top-tier among law colleges: Yale, Harvard, and Stanford. The basic sense is that will, if you will be admitted to one of these programs, you attend unless of course there’s a compelling reason not in order to. Qualities of the colleges that justify this particular include: having less a grading system to rate student activities, the national hiring reach, as well as the large placement rates throughout clerkships and academia from these applications. I removed all other schools that would not have these attributes from my list of consideration with typically the exception of Penn. I reserved this option because of the particular scholarship offer that will was provided by Penn.
Three details helped determine our decision among Penn, Harvard, and Stanford:
Grades: Penn uses the standard grading system that may be familiar throughout undergraduate schools (e. g., A+/A/A- in addition to so on). Yale, Harvard, and Stanford, on the other hand, operate without having ‘grades’ inside the conventional sense. Students are usually instead be subject to categorization in an “Honors/Pass/Fail” system. From typically the information I have got gathered, this change promotes a culture that is less focused on competition and grades although individual learning. Personally, I believe less pressured and revel in my studies far more. I think the change features been resoundingly beneficial for me since I am able to focus in the material I will be learning without getting distracted by typically the pressure of levels.
Opportunities after Graduating: A non-legal profession upon graduation coming from law school is usually still a substantial possibility for us. Employers, whose focuses are non-legal, usually consider the particular “Top 3” law universities. Likewise, legal possibilities are also available to top students over the top schools. This specific holds less true for middle in addition to lower tier law schools. The better chances of finding foreseeable future opportunities became the significant attraction involving Harvard and Stanford for me.
Economical Costs: Paying with regard to law school is usually expensive. However, presently there are numerous options that can support cover the charge. Mortgage repayment programs at each school are designed to help alleviate typically the financial burden.
In the end, the choice was between Harvard and Stanford. I sought out friends plus graduates from each program for their tips. This was obviously a “high-class problem” to have because everyone emphasized of which I could hardly proceed wrong either way.
Advantages and disadvantages on important differences between Harvard and Stanford:
Type Size: Harvard offers around 550 learners per incoming school, while Stanford is definitely closer to 170. Equally schools divide their particular classes into “Sections” for your first season (Harvard: 7 portions of 75-80; Stanford: 6 sections of 25-30). At both educational institutions, students spend their particular first year practically exclusively using their Part. For me, attending a larger system was obviously a priority. Typically the advantages of this specific include having the particular scale to work more programs at the law school and to possessing a larger in addition to broader alumni network to connect together with. Especially since I actually entered law institution going to pursue a new non-legal path soon after, being able to find the adequate variety of other law students along with similar intentions who could help help me was important.
Locality: Having grown up in the Midwest and working within the West Shore, my aim was to try existence out east as a way to help determine wherever I would wish to settle following graduation. There was clearly 1 specific advantage for myself in Palo Alto, which is use of the venture money and startup group, but this had been negated since Boston ma is also abundant with opportunity because field. While typically the weather in Estrago Alto far outshines Cambridge and the experiences so much have me preparing to return to be able to the West Coastline, my experience throughout the East Seacoast has served the purpose I wished it would.
Worldwide and non-legal options: Working across European countries and Asia throughout the months when My partner and i was applying to law schools was gratifying. Individuals I actually interacted with highly regarded the Harvard brand and I was able to find Harvard Law teachers in unexpected places (thanks to the particular large classes and even alumni network). Since I hoped in order to find work overseas and outside the legal profession, We finalized my choice and chose to be able to attend Harvard. pressed me toward deciding on the Harvard brand name in typically the end.
Programs offered: Upon entering law school, three requirements were of concern to me: (1) Entry to classes at a new top business university; (2) Courses in capital raising and entrepreneurship law; and (3) Courses on settlement. Both Stanford and even Harvard satisfied the particular first criteria, using Stanford being desired slightly. Stanford specialised more within the second criteria but Harvard’s size helped present comparable courses and even specialized seminars within this area because well. Finally, typically the Program on Discussion at Harvard was the main difference between the two schools. 30% general is the determining aspect assuring me that will Harvard is typically the best school for me.
While there have been times in the course of the Boston winter when I examined the Palo Enorme weather and wanted I can be at Stanford instead, making my option based upon clear in addition to overall assessment retains me convinced of which I have made the particular right choice.