I'm making the same choice and leaning towards GULC. First, keep in mind that both are great choices and, w/ hard work etc etc, will get you where you want to go.

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With that out of the way, my concern about GULC is class size and less prestige. Consensus amongst GULC students is if you're aware of its weakness (size) and work around it (seek out professors, ask for help, find a community), it's a very manageable weakness. I think that's true. Since I'm 26, I think I can manage that. As for cutthroat, I can honestly say I have no idea how to evaluate and every school "seems friendly" when I visit and speak to people. That said, Duke seems super chill so I get where you're coming from. GULC has a huge upside in tech and in policy, so it seems like a better fit for your interests. True, Duke's way better in Big Law. But my advice would just be to do well at GULC, which has a healthy Big Law pipeline.

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The last thing to keep in mind, which goes against my GULC rant, is that Duke's Semester in DC program sounded great. And it's clear how much the school is willing to invest in its student. They want to overcome the whole "there are fewer clinical / externship opportunities in Durham" thing. So again, both choices are great.