UofA vs Osgoode

[BlockedQuebecois]

If you want to work in a non-conventional destination—like Hong Kong, Paris, or even Taiwan—and you, for some completely unknown reason, absolutely must go to a Canadian law school, the easiest path is still going to be attending one of the schools that place students into the big New York/International law firms. Those firms have international offices, and a few of them have Taipei offices (White & Case*, Baker McKenzie, and Jones Day, off the top of my head). 

The easiest way for a Canadian to go from Canadian law school to practicing law in some far flung jurisdiction is going to be through New York, and that's why Osgoode is going to be a better choice compared to U of A, which places essentially zero students in New York each year and has no real alumni network there. 

Edited July 19, 2021 by BlockedQuebecois
*White & Case has a lot of Asia offices, but doesn’t actually have a Taipei one, my bad.

[Avatar Aang]

40 minutes ago, SYANG09 said:

Thanks for replying. I admit that my advice has very limited influence on most applicants and they are free to disregard it anyway. What I intended was to bring an outsider's pov that some might find intriguing. I don't want to cause any disturbance. Have a good day.

You can attend the top schools in China, India, UK, etc. and no one will have heard of them in North America or assign it little weight. University of Virginia is a top 10 law school in the US and it doesn't carry international recognition like some of the schools outside the top 10. The vast majority of Canadian law school graduates, and Osgoode in particular, are looking to stay in North America. The few people I've seen move to the other side of the world did it with networks and connections and at that point their school’s name probably didn't matter much. Why the heck would you got to law school in Canada if you want to work in Asia? There are many regional law schools that service this market better. 

[CleanHands]

I think everyone who has the slightest clue what they are talking about agrees that @SYANG09 is an idiot, but maybe a mod should splice a new thread to dunk on him.

[StephenToast]

12 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

I think everyone who has the slightest clue what they are talking about agrees that @SYANG09 is an idiot, but maybe a mod should splice a new thread to dunk on him.

Come on, @SYANG09 popped into a thread, threw in their irrelevant two cents, and when confront, politely acknowledged that their two cents are irrelevant for the vast majority of people here. You don't have to call them an idiot and be a dick about it.

[JanLevinson]

1 hour ago, SYANG09 said:

Just to clarify, I'm not talking about U.S. in that post. Obviously American firms know much better about Canadian schools. My hometown is in Taiwan and people have a ridiculous cult for U.K./U.S. schools when it comes to studying law. Apart from a handful of hrs, people almost know nothing about non-British and non-American schools, so they rely heavily on rankings made by USNEWS and QS.

I don't think this is the right thread to share what your Taiwan office's HR thinks about Osgoode graduates or any other Canadian law grads for that matter. It's irrelevant to OP's question. 

[CleanHands]

Just now, StephenToast said:

Come on, @SYANG09 popped into a thread, threw in their irrelevant two cents, and when confront, politely acknowledged that their two cents are irrelevant for the vast majority of people here. You don't have to call them an idiot and be a dick about it.

I mean it wasn't just irrelevant, but also inaccurate (in ways that were obvious enough that I didn't even want to bother refuting because it was beneath refutation). Politely writing something stupid doesn't make it less stupid. And I didn't claim they were rude.

Anyways I do apologize, but only to the OP, for contributing to their thread becoming even more of a dumpster fire.

[Avatar Aang]

I mean, it isn't exactly news to anyone that the only Canadian schools with a global reputation are U of T, McGill, and UBC, even outside of law. SyanG09's posts are just confusing, contradictory, and inane. They talk about Osgoode and York's law school as if these are two different things. They also are not even a law student or lawyer themselves. Observing some of the hiring going on a firm in Taiwan doesn't make you qualified to hop on a Canadian law school forum, Canadian law school thread, and comment on how shitty York is for applying to jobs in Taiwan. I would have assumed this person was a troll if they didn't doll up their posts like they were providing a genuine piece of insight that no one has thought of before. 

[SYANG09]

5 hours ago, Avatar Aang said:

I mean, it isn't exactly news to anyone that the only Canadian schools with a global reputation are U of T, McGill, and UBC, even outside of law. SyanG09's posts are just confusing, contradictory, and inane. They talk about Osgoode and York's law school as if these are two different things. They also are not even a law student or lawyer themselves. Observing some of the hiring going on a firm in Taiwan doesn't make you qualified to hop on a Canadian law school forum, Canadian law school thread, and comment on how shitty York is for applying to jobs in Taiwan. I would have assumed this person was a troll if they didn't doll up their posts like they were providing a genuine piece of insight that no one has thought of before. 

Thanks for sharing your idea. I didn't intend to troll people here just wanna share my observation from a non-Canadian non-BigLaw pov. It might seem pointless to y'all and I do apologize for that confusion part. I entered the thread out of curiosity and used plain and nonincendiary language since I didn't intend to discredit Osgoode or YorkU in anyway. Again, I acknowledge both Alberta and Osgoode law are great schools and how they're thought of or compared by some random HR's standard should not come to bother anyone who knows Canadian law schools well.

Edited July 20, 2021 by SYANG09

[SYANG09]

5 hours ago, JanLevinson said:

I don't think this is the right thread to share what your Taiwan office's HR thinks about Osgoode graduates or any other Canadian law grads for that matter. It's irrelevant to OP's question. 

Thanks for your comment. I'm regretful that I didn't provide solid advice to OP since I'm both new to this forum and to Canadian legal education system. That post wasn't written to incite a hot debate. I def will open a new thread if I've got more thoughts to share. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by SYANG09

[CleanHands]

20 minutes ago, SYANG09 said:

I didn't intend to discredit Osgoode or YorkU in anyway.

Trashing Oz was the one thing you did right. 😛

[SYANG09]

5 hours ago, BlockedQuebecois said:

If you want to work in a non-conventional destination—like Hong Kong, Paris, or even Taiwan—and you, for some completely unknown reason, absolutely must go to a Canadian law school, the easiest path is still going to be attending one of the schools that place students into the big New York/International law firms. Those firms have international offices, and a few of them have Taipei offices (White & Case*, Baker McKenzie, and Jones Day, off the top of my head). 

The easiest way for a Canadian to go from Canadian law school to practicing law in some far flung jurisdiction is going to be through New York, and that's why Osgoode is going to be a better choice compared to U of A, which places essentially zero students in New York each year and has no real alumni network there. 

Great advice. I had the chance to talk to hrs and associates at some big local firms in Taipei and HK, and many of them heard of Osgoode and knew it's a good Canadian school. Out of these small notches, very few people know Osgoode (they probably will if they do some research first). I do think it pitiful that Osgoode is not widely recognized as it should be where I live.

FYI I do have a plan to work in North America that's why I'm applying for Canadian schools. Osgoode is top of my list. If I decide to return home to practice somehow, I'd choose an American school since I mentioned it is considered (with bias) better than others.

10 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

Trashing Oz was the one thing you did right. 😛

😂 Did you go to UofT or Queen's for that matter?

Edited July 20, 2021 by SYANG09

[CleanHands]

2 minutes ago, SYANG09 said:

😂 Did you go to UofT or Queen's for that matter?

UBC, but:

1) My cousin went to Oz and went to law school years before me despite being the same age as me, so I have to compensate by saying I at least went to a "better" school. 👀

2) I'm a Western Canadian who would get butthurt about the consistent Ontario-centrism of the old forums and perceived (from my POV) overrating of/excessive adulation about Osgoode, Western and Queens by users. But especially Oz, which has a median LSAT for admitted students 5 points less than UBC or UVic but is still talked up by many as superior to Western schools (disclaimer: Oz is definitely better for certain specific people for certain specific reasons, it's just the binary/generalized assessments of it that annoy me).

3) Oz is bush league UofT for people who can't get into UofT. Anyone who disagrees can fight me. 🥊 😛

In short, my dunking on Oz is for very personal reasons rather than it relating to a specific inter-school rivalry. But admittedly my reasons are equally irrational and idiotic, though.

[SYANG09]

5 hours ago, Avatar Aang said:

You can attend the top schools in China, India, UK, etc. and no one will have heard of them in North America or assign it little weight. University of Virginia is a top 10 law school in the US and it doesn't carry international recognition like some of the schools outside the top 10. The vast majority of Canadian law school graduates, and Osgoode in particular, are looking to stay in North America. The few people I've seen move to the other side of the world did it with networks and connections and at that point their school’s name probably didn't matter much. Why the heck would you got to law school in Canada if you want to work in Asia? There are many regional law schools that service this market better. 

Great comment. Most top law students in Taiwan (here we've got undergrad law programs) choose to pursue llm degrees in US or UK, some go to HK or Singapore for lower cost. These people usually end up working in Taipei or big firms in HK or China. I plan to work in North America after graduation though.

[Thrive92]

On 6/11/2021 at 4:46 AM, nuttycoffee22 said:

I’m hoping to work in Calgary and I’ve gotten offers for UofA and Osgoode. Not sure which I should pick 🤷🏼‍♀️ Help!

Weren't you accepted into U of C as well OP? If you would like to work in Calgary, then I would stick to U of C.

 

[SYANG09]

7 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

UBC, but:

1) My cousin went to Oz and went to law school years before me despite being the same age as me, so I have to compensate by saying I at least went to a "better" school. 👀

2) I'm a Western Canadian who would get butthurt about the consistent Ontario-centrism of the old forums and perceived (from my POV) overrating of/excessive adulation about Osgoode, Western and Queens by users. But especially Oz, which has a median LSAT for admitted students 5 points less than UBC or UVic but is still talked up by many as superior to Western schools (disclaimer: Oz is definitely better for certain specific people for certain specific reasons, it's just the binary/generalized assessments of it that annoy me).

3) Oz is bush league UofT for people who can't get into UofT. Anyone who disagrees can fight me. 🥊 😛

In short, my dunking on Oz is for very personal reasons rather than it relating to a specific inter-school rivalry. But admittedly my reasons are equally irrational and idiotic, though.

😂 Thanks for sharing. I kinda see the big picture. Your take on this is priceless.

[LMP]

2 hours ago, CleanHands said:

Trashing Oz was the one thing you did right. 😛

Osgoode: named after an interesting historical figure, has the word "hall" in its name. 

UBC: named after some business guy, who isn't even dead yet. 

 

Osgoode: Safely positioned on land away from potential danger. 

UBC: By the ocean, constantly under threat of disaster or invasion. 

 

Osgoode: Trains students to defend themselves from protesters and criminals, all graduates are granted close combat quals. 

UBC: Students become pampered by their environment, won't be able to combat their enemies.

 

Need I say more?

[CleanHands]

4 minutes ago, LMP said:

Osgoode: Safely positioned on land away from potential danger. 

UBC: By the ocean, constantly under threat of disaster or invasion. 

 

Osgoode: Trains students to defend themselves from protesters and criminals, all graduates are granted close combat quals. 

UBC: Students become pampered by their environment, won't be able to combat their enemies.

 

Need I say more?

You could start by explaining the glaring contradiction created by two out of your three points. 😛

[LMP]

49 minutes ago, CleanHands said:

You could start by explaining the glaring contradiction created by two out of your three points. 😛

The risks faced by UBC students are always on the peripherals, making them neurotic. They say crazy things like "Osgoode isn't the pinnacle of academic excellence". 

The threats to Osgoode students are immediate and must be dealt with, increasing our strength and cunning. 

[CleanHands]

5 minutes ago, LMP said:

The threats to Osgoode students are immediate and must be dealt with

Like having a way better law school in the same city and having to compete with students from there for jobs? 😛

Edited July 20, 2021 by CleanHands

[LMP]

Just now, CleanHands said:

Like having a way better law school in the same city and having to compete with students from there for jobs? 😛

True it's tough, but we will beat those Ryerson students yet. 

[bearrrhunter]

UoA for sure

[LordBONSAI]

On 7/19/2021 at 5:37 PM, SYANG09 said:

As for schools outside the list, they refer to USNEWS and QS world university rankings and set the bar at top 300. 

I actually heard of similar practices in the hiring process of consulting firms there. Got a college friend working in one of Big Four's offices in Beijing and he tells me the cut-off is at the 100th on these rankings. 

Edited December 9, 2021 by LordBONSAI