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&lt;p&gt;What&#39;s the difference between Columbia Law and NYU Law? This   question was asked at a Kaplan-hosted &quot;private practice vs   public interest&quot; panel discussion last night. Two of the   panel members, each a graduate of these two schools, agreed that when   it comes to overall educational quality and prestige the schools are   neck and neck, with Columbia usually eking out a slight lead in the various law school   rankings. For students who want to work in private practice, Columbia   is probably the better choice; those interested in public interest   would likely do better attending NYU, they agreed. But the biggest   difference between the New York City schools, they said, was the culture.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Their characterization of the   culture difference was something like: Columbia seems to breed a   hyper-competitive, sometimes bordering on cutthroat, attitude; NYU,   while maybe not laid-back, has in comparison a looser, calmer feel.   To read through Vault&#39;s student reviews of these schools, one   tends to form the same characterization held by the two panelists,   despite the presence of contradictory opinions from students at both   schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Columbia&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student A:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;It is a first-rate   institution with a very competitive atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student B:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;I made five or six very close friends, and   that was about it. And I think I was on the lucky side. I think   it&amp;rsquo;s a combination of overly intense people and the fact that   the campus clears out at 5 p.m. I went to a competitive Ivy for   undergrad and the difference between the social life at Columbia and   there was like night and day. Nobody came to school events, and many   people were just downright annoying. You found a lot of great   diamonds by third year, but in general we had to deal with show-offy,   socially awkward people in class daily. It was a relief to find that   law firm life was better socially than law school.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student C:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;The best part of the   classes are the students in them. Granted, some are very annoying   because they feel like they have to show how smart they are, but all   of them are very bright people. It is an extremely intellectually   stimulating environment. The debates unfold at high intellectual   levels, and the students educate each other just by expressing their   point of view or through reading of a case or situation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;NYU&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student X:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;The   collegiality of NYU is great, with people willing to help you with   your notes, to forming study groups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Y:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;People are friendlier than its   cutthroat competitors. I have heard stories of people hiding books   and sabotaging printers at other law schools. That doesn&amp;rsquo;t   happen at NYU. It gets a bit competitive during the interview period,   but relax: You aren&amp;rsquo;t really competing with your fellow NYU   students. You are actually competing with people from your similarly   ranked law schools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Student Z:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Many students choose NYU because the students   tend to be really down to earth and non-elitist. Whenever I missed   class, people would email me their notes before I even asked   anyone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;Students and alumni of NYU Law and Columbia Law, do you think this is an accurate depiction of your school cultures?&lt;/p&gt;

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