mentalblog.com comments:
Can somebody help me out here?
why would you need help? public transportation is excellent, plus get on a bike. Kosher food can be bought. I doubt the fellow will have time to work on the side if he goes to law school, unless perhaps the work itself is somehow law school related. Quality of living? Kid, you are going to spend all your time in school, spending long nights in the library doing research. There ain't no life in law school. Perhaps go for a shiur, go jogging, if you lucky you may meet your soul mate.
kt is not from Boston... clearly.
What's the point in making this email transcript public? (other than giving us the gist that Lubavitch is morphing into MO)
Just on a note: I find your precarious selection of schools to be very diverse; form Harvard, an Ive Leuge college - which may or may not admit him (based on his LSAT score, undergrad grades, amongst other factors) - to Boston College, a Jesuit university!
Some homework, my friend.
The cost of living in Boston is a lot more than NY.
Unfortunatley there is practically no LUbavitch community in boston! i know it hurts to say but that is the reality!
A good place to hang out for him where he would gain a lot is Chabad at Harvard, especially if he is in BU or Harvard law school, there is always things happening there.
If not he could go to Bais Mina :( AH
It is definitley not a place for him to find a shiduch.
Lots of luck
it sounds like your random emails come from stupid people
Kushen- I do realize that law school is very taxing, about 45 hours of work a week actually. Still, I just want to get an idea of the community.
Shmuly- I'm in the pre-planning stages at the moment and haven't even taken my LSAT yet. Therefore, I'm not limiting my choice to Ivy League just yet.
Also, I'm more concerned with the prestige and quality of a university than what may be its overarching religious credo. BC happens to be rated number 28, which ain't too shabby, even if it's not Harvard's #2.
Stam- What's with Brookline? I like the fact that it's pretty central to all schools... it's right around the block from the Jesuit one!
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jur...ki/
Juris_Doctor
"New York allows those who complete a certified clerkship under a lawyer, essentially a form of apprenticeship, to sit for the bar examination, but this route is almost never used today."
Is anyone willing to give Jack an apprenticeship?
;)
I finally agree with KT. Just to add, Jack, that until you take the LSAT, quit mooning at the USN&WR rankings.
Why would a Lubavitcher guy wish to attend Law School outside of NYC ? There are 2 law schools here under Orthodox Jewish auspicis. Cardoza (part of YU) is a fairly decent law school with many orthodox students. Its faculty numbers Rabbi Dr. J. david Bleich.Touro is also a decent school.
THE CIty also has a top flight school - Columbia University as well as several" baal habatishe "schools like NYU, Fordham (in Lincoln Center) and Brooklyn Law School, In addition there are still others Hofstra University and New York Law school. There may even be some more as I think CUNY has a Law program as well. Most of these schools have many frum students , some have frum faculty and some have frum deans like Dr. Aaron Twerski.
Unless you aspire to be a Jonah like figure why run to Boston. NYC has a law school for students of various abilities and interests. In additon there is kosher food, Orthodox women and religious services.
On the cheeks- I'm not afraid of a low score... unless I wake up late on test day or something.
Schneur- Thanks. I'm well aware about the NYC prospects. It's just that I'm from out of town and frankly, I'm annoyed by NYC. Don't get me wrong, I haven't precluded all of those schools, I'd just like to find something that isn't going to tie me down to the city for three years.
Touro, for the record, is not such a decent school. Neither is CUNY Queens College.
For the record, I don't think Touro has a law school
There is indeed a Touro Law school. I have no idea how it rates.
As a rule of thumb life for an Orthodox Jewish single outside of nYC is not easy.
Most right of center Orthodox jewish singles gravitate to NYC and the only dating possibilities are left wing MO people.
Let me just add a suggestion ; New haven offers an excellent location. Thereis the 2nd best law schol yale and another decent law school with a good reputation Quinnipiac University Law school in Hamden near new haven.
NH has about 50 Lubavitcher families a Chabad sponsored day school, a Lubavitcher yeshiva ketanna (boys 13-17) and a leading scholar rabbi YY Kalmensohn. kosher food is available. There are a few kosher eateries and a bakery -dairy frequented by some Lubavitcher. ale also has a kosher dining hall.NH is only 2 hours by Metro North from NYC.
Please consider it. Its closer to NY than Boston and you are out of NY.
'it sounds like your random emails come from stupid people
chakira | 08.08.07 - 10:40 pm | # '
How is this email 'dumb'?
You are an arrogant prick
Allow me to present for your consideration a certain city which has a certain football team.:)..Chicago..
Two of the top law schools in the country: U of C, and Northwestern...
There are also Loyola, DePaul and Chicago-Kent..
Top Chicago's law firms, such as Baker & McKenzie, Arnstein & Lehr, etc. recruit from all of these schools. As an alumni of Chicago-Kent, I would definitely recommend it (if you cannot get into U of C or Northwestern): good location, school is oficially off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur...it had a few orthodox students when I went there.
Faculty is somewhat liberal..(one guy wore a black shirt when Bush got elected for the second term)..For me, the greatest factor - the school gives you a lot of practical knowledge..You can actually practice when you get out :)
As far as Chicago's community: Cost of living is affordable, especially in Chicago's largest Jewish neighborhood - West Rogers Park . There is also Lakeview with some MO population and one shul... Chabad has a large presence (2-3 shuls)....coming from NY, kosher food scene is pathetic..
Schneur- I did think about New Haven because of all of it's Chabad "amenities" but generally speaking- from what I understand- Yale {#1} is impossible to get into.
Henry- Thanks for the confidence!
David- Thanks for the info about Chicago. It is also one of my strong considerations although I think it might be a little far off for an east-coast boy like myself.
How are the schools located relative to West Rogers Park?
All five are primarily in downtown Chicago, which makes it about 15-20 minutes train ride (Metra -nice train)..or 30 minutes CTA ride - not nice train...when traffic is OK, driving will take about 25-30 minutes...Also, Northwestern offers some classes in its Evanston campus, which is 10-15 minutes drive from West Rogers Park. I don't think U of C law school has any classes in Hyde Park, University's main campus...that one is far...
Northwestern and U of C have Chabad on campus (if you care)...not sure about others.
It sounded like a perfectly valid question coming from someone who wants to make an informed choice. No need to deride him.
If you want to study law, look for a law school, not a Jewish school. If you want to study Judaism, look for a Jewish school, not a law school. Don't confuse things; professional standards are important.
Shidduchim can be tricky for Jews in college towns. Don't get your hopes up.
Many American J communities are surprisingly less vibrant than the NYC J community. Expect to be disappointed.
Here's an off-beat idea: go to Australia. Melbourne has a very strong and active Lub community, it has some very good law schools and you might even get your degree for less total cost than study in the USA. You might even find a shidduch there (though the community is small, all the same). Worth investigating.
Jake- I know Melbourne well. Been there, done that.
Also, the school system works quite differently there than here. I don't think they parallel at all. There ,one does law as an undergraduate study and can practice immediately thereafter. I'm currently finishing my US undergrad.
Law School on the graduate level in Australia is to become a barrister, which I imagine requires prior legal studies. Additionally, I'd be afraid to get stuck down unda for the rest of my life. Do you know what the cost of living is there? :)
Jackson, how, if at all, did your stay in Melbourne effect your wanting to go to law school?
Not at all.
Try to get accepted to the schools first...
and I finally agree with 'on both cheeks' :). Take the test first, get into school, figure out how you are going to pay for it, then worry about where you gonna eat and daven. Worry about the school and where its graduates end up ... your questions are out of context until you have taken the LSAT and know you scores. and schneur is right as always, NY has plenty of excellent schools with all the frum infrastructure that you may need.
TA you are right too, I am just an occasional visitor to Boston
Kushen- That's why I put a range of different schools into the question... from Ivy League to tight pants.
Location is important when you make a decision that will affect not just the next three years, but possibly the location of the entire rest of your life {They tell you to go to school in the place that you eventually want to practice law}.
Jackson on 08.12: I know of several Lubavitchers that chose Chicago schools for this reason.
Touro's law school is ranked higher than it was 10 years ago, and its rankings will probably improve. YU-Cardoza was at the bottom tier when it first started and it has also improved, so Touro might not necessarily be a bad choice. Twerski recently retired as the dean of Hofstra law school.
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