Which is the best law school in this situation?
April 8, 2010 5:08 PM Subscribe
Which would be the better law school for someone coming from an Asian country: USC, Case Western, or Washington University?
A family friend is coming to the US from Asia to study law. This friend has been accepted at USC, Case and Washington University in St. Louis to study Business Law with possible international applications. Can anyone recommend one school over the other in this situation?
I'm looking for information on the total package - studies, college environment, treatment of Asian students, campus life, value of one degree over the other.
Thanks for any info!
A family friend is coming to the US from Asia to study law. This friend has been accepted at USC, Case and Washington University in St. Louis to study Business Law with possible international applications. Can anyone recommend one school over the other in this situation?
I'm looking for information on the total package - studies, college environment, treatment of Asian students, campus life, value of one degree over the other.
Thanks for any info!
but USC and Wash U are both ranked way higher.
Maybe I should be more explicit: this makes the value of a degree from one of those schools worth more.
posted by amro at 5:30 PM on April 8, 2010
Maybe I should be more explicit: this makes the value of a degree from one of those schools worth more.
posted by amro at 5:30 PM on April 8, 2010
USC and Los Angeles in general have larger Asian populations. Don't know if that factors into the equation.
posted by dfriedman at 5:39 PM on April 8, 2010
posted by dfriedman at 5:39 PM on April 8, 2010
USC.
Not only because of its ranking -- which is a major factor in earnings and career opportunities like getting clerkships -- but if your friend is interested in legal work that involves trade with Asia, Los Angeles is a much better place to do it.
As far as treatment of Asian students goes, as a general rule Asian-Americans are under-represented in law school in the United States in comparison to their over-representation among undergraduates overall and graduate students in the sciences. And since most were born or grew in the US, their experience wouldn't be a perfect model.
I should say I went to USC Law about 15 years ago and recall there was an active Asian Law student group, but I don't recall anything that makes me think Asians there were really "treated" in any distinct way at all.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 5:45 PM on April 8, 2010
Not only because of its ranking -- which is a major factor in earnings and career opportunities like getting clerkships -- but if your friend is interested in legal work that involves trade with Asia, Los Angeles is a much better place to do it.
As far as treatment of Asian students goes, as a general rule Asian-Americans are under-represented in law school in the United States in comparison to their over-representation among undergraduates overall and graduate students in the sciences. And since most were born or grew in the US, their experience wouldn't be a perfect model.
I should say I went to USC Law about 15 years ago and recall there was an active Asian Law student group, but I don't recall anything that makes me think Asians there were really "treated" in any distinct way at all.
posted by gabrielsamoza at 5:45 PM on April 8, 2010
I did my undergrad at USC, and I believe it's a great school all around. The law program is indeed highly ranked. Better still, there's a great deal of loyalty among USC alumni (we call it the Trojan family), and that tends to open a lot of doors for job opportunities. I seem to remember being told that USC had the highest percentage of international students among all US universities, and most of them are from Asia. (There's also a significant population of Asian American students.) You don't say where exactly your friend is from, but there are active student groups for a wide variety of countries and cultures. And there are many Asian communities in the LA area in general, so it might be possible to find support and/or a little sense of home outside the university too.
Like amro, I'd be willing to try and answer any specific questions you might have about USC.
posted by sigmagalator at 5:52 PM on April 8, 2010
Like amro, I'd be willing to try and answer any specific questions you might have about USC.
posted by sigmagalator at 5:52 PM on April 8, 2010
This may be a good or a bad point, depending on what she's looking for: St Louis doesn't have a significant Asian population. There's not a chinatown or anything like that where she'll be able to easily get comfort food or things from back home. That said, it's a nice town, and Wash U has a great location.
posted by chrisamiller at 6:26 PM on April 8, 2010
posted by chrisamiller at 6:26 PM on April 8, 2010
Response by poster: Has the economic crisis in California had any real effect on the USC law school? I know it has a substantial endowment, but I don't know much more than that.
This student will not mind not being surrounded by an Asian population, as long as people are not hostile to foreigners.
Thanks for the offers of more info - I might have some specific questions soon.
posted by clarkstonian at 7:14 PM on April 8, 2010
This student will not mind not being surrounded by an Asian population, as long as people are not hostile to foreigners.
Thanks for the offers of more info - I might have some specific questions soon.
posted by clarkstonian at 7:14 PM on April 8, 2010
I graduated from USC Law last year and would be happy to answer any questions.
There's a large and active Asian law student group, as well as many asian LLMs, and it's definitely a diverse and accepting place. And, unfortunately, ranking and name recognition is very important in law degrees, particularly when it comes to portability to other places (within the US, and, I assume but don't know for certain, abroad). I say unfortunately because I think the ranking system is mostly bs, but USC is ranked the highest out of those, so I can't complain much.
I didn't feel that the economic crisis had had any real effect on the law school, although people graduating this year would probably be more able to answer that question meaningfully.
As for the studies, I think it's a trade-off. Higher ranked law schools are highly academic, and tend to focus more on theory than practice which can be frustrating. However, I felt that in terms of being challenging and interesting, the classes were top notch. I didn't do much in the business-law direction, so I can't speak specifically to those classes.
Also, for someone going into business, the whole USC-network/family thing can be highly helpful.
Apologies for any lack of coherence, I'm now a Biglaw grunt who just finished a verrrrrry long work day. I'm happy to answer any more specific questions at a later, less exhausted time as well.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:11 PM on April 8, 2010
There's a large and active Asian law student group, as well as many asian LLMs, and it's definitely a diverse and accepting place. And, unfortunately, ranking and name recognition is very important in law degrees, particularly when it comes to portability to other places (within the US, and, I assume but don't know for certain, abroad). I say unfortunately because I think the ranking system is mostly bs, but USC is ranked the highest out of those, so I can't complain much.
I didn't feel that the economic crisis had had any real effect on the law school, although people graduating this year would probably be more able to answer that question meaningfully.
As for the studies, I think it's a trade-off. Higher ranked law schools are highly academic, and tend to focus more on theory than practice which can be frustrating. However, I felt that in terms of being challenging and interesting, the classes were top notch. I didn't do much in the business-law direction, so I can't speak specifically to those classes.
Also, for someone going into business, the whole USC-network/family thing can be highly helpful.
Apologies for any lack of coherence, I'm now a Biglaw grunt who just finished a verrrrrry long work day. I'm happy to answer any more specific questions at a later, less exhausted time as well.
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:11 PM on April 8, 2010
All signs point to U.S.C., but LLM program prestige may vary slightly from overall law school prestige. I can't find any LLM rankings by U.S.News (the go-to source for law school rankings), though.
Some LLM rankings I could find are:
These, but they're basically by popularity of page views (not really reliable),
These, but I can't tell if these are the "generic" LLM for foreign students, or refer to specialty LLM programs (like Business Law).
posted by aswego at 8:16 PM on April 8, 2010
Some LLM rankings I could find are:
These, but they're basically by popularity of page views (not really reliable),
These, but I can't tell if these are the "generic" LLM for foreign students, or refer to specialty LLM programs (like Business Law).
posted by aswego at 8:16 PM on April 8, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks to all. This is invaluable input. I'll pass the information on.
posted by clarkstonian at 5:46 AM on April 9, 2010
posted by clarkstonian at 5:46 AM on April 9, 2010
Wash U grad here . . . I loved the school and the area, and the rankings are high and valued by employers. Though the city does not have the most diverse population, I have found that the school and the immediate area do have many people from many cultures co-existing. By the nature of the school, it attracts many international students, as well as American students from all over the country. I was always impressed at the cultural awareness and respect that the collective student body possessed. There are active student organizations for every culture and religion and some great events are held annually. The campus life was great, and I found myself never lacking friends or activities. One of the nice things about a school like Wash U is that most students have come their not knowing too many others. It makes for a great opportunity to meet new people and expand one's social network. That being said, St. Louis is certainly a great midwestern city, but does not have the offerings of a major city like Los Angeles. If you are looking for a smaller town feel with larger city aspects, St. Louis may be right for you. However, if you enjoy many aspects of urban living, it might not be ideal for your (non-academic) needs. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any specific questions about WU. Best of luck!
posted by galimatias at 6:46 AM on April 9, 2010
posted by galimatias at 6:46 AM on April 9, 2010
Oops, meant to use "there" instead of "their". Forgive my poor spelling and don't let it reflect poorly on WU!
posted by galimatias at 6:48 AM on April 9, 2010
posted by galimatias at 6:48 AM on April 9, 2010
Response by poster: The student in question has decided to attend USC. Thank you all for your invaluable advice!
posted by clarkstonian at 4:54 PM on May 29, 2010
posted by clarkstonian at 4:54 PM on May 29, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
That said, I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have about Case.
Incidentally, I recall that for some reason the majority of the LLM students at Case were from Asia. Your friend is getting a JD though, right?
posted by amro at 5:29 PM on April 8, 2010