Speaking of things not worth writing home about, my job search. I don't have a job yet. It's always fun trying to figure out who has a job already and who hasn't, but I think there remains a not-insignificant chunk of my classmates who are still sorting things out. I have a few interviews lined up with various public interest agencies. The positions are unpaid, but luckily Columbia guarantees summer funding of $4200 for the summer for those taking such unpaid public interest positions. Of course, $4200 is less than a week and a half of salary in BigLaw (a world with which I am still blissfully unfamiliar) but I figure it'll be enough to get by. I've never been too taken by the lure of money, anyway, so it's no big deal.
However, the economy does seem to be a big deal. I'm not an economist, but I guess it doesn't take a genius to figure out that not all is well. Our intrepid (and just-turned-forty) dean, David Schizer, has spent the past few weeks reassuring us through a series of bland, uninspiring e-mails that the school is fine, we'll be fine, don't worry, we'll have jobs and graduate and be stuck doing miserable work in a huge law firm just like everyone else before us, and the economy can't do anything about it.
However, one visit to abovethelaw.com tells a different story: firms (seemingly) everywhere are freezing salaries, laying people off, and cutting bonuses like the 1930's just rolled into town. The truth, I feel, lies somewhere between the two extremes. Nobody really knows how the market will be in August, when we actually do interviews for our "real" jobs, so there's nothing we can do except sit back in our chairs and watch.
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Hey, I recently got into CLS and HLS. Speaking of jobs (and I realize that this may be totally subjective), do you think job prospects are better at one school versus the other? What about in particular practice areas, geographic locations, or career paths?
ReplyDeleteHi Brandon,
ReplyDeleteI'm a 1L who hasn't done interviewed yet, so my knowledge is limited mostly to hearsay. However, after talking to fellow students, upperclassmen, professors, etc, conventional wisdom seems to go something like this:
If you're looking strictly to work in a firm, it's more or less a wash between Harvard and Columbia, as both will give you excellent law firm prospects.
Harvard's advantage comes in fields such as government, clerkships, competitive public interest organizations, etc. Harvard also likely has greater geographical reach, although Columbia also has an excellent reputation.
Basically, if you want to ensure yourself the best possible job options, and there are no other factors playing into your decision (such as a desire to be in NYC, scholarship money from one or the other school, family) then Harvard is probably a safer choice. That being said, I know a number of my peers here who chose Columbia over Harvard, so it is by no means a no-brainer. My best advice would be to visit both schools, talk to as many people as you can, and sit in a couple classes to get a feel for the environment. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss this further, my e-mail is in the header of the blog.