If you are in New York we invite you to visit the Law School and the Office of Graduate Legal Studies; we will be happy to meet you and answer your questions. Regrettably, because of the large number of applicants from all over the world, it is not logistically possible for interviews to be included as part of the selection process. As a substitute, the Admissions Committee depends upon the insights provided by your letters of recommendation and Personal Statement. In addition to providing the Committee with a more personal sense of your individual qualities, the Personal Statement affords you an opportunity to present any special information or factors that may prove useful to the Committee's deliberations.
Columbia Law School has a home worthy of its academic excellence and professional renown. Following the completion of a $140 million expansion and renewal project to ensure that our facilities are among the finest of any law school in the country, the School's physical transformation provides students with a legal community that provides innovative teaching approaches, high-technology tools, old-fashioned amenities, and student-faculty interaction.
The School's main building, Jerome L. Greene Hall, features a three-story skylit lobby, where the main staircase leads to an upper-level student commons with a café. Here, students can find lounge areas, private corners, and other spaces to accommodate anything from a student-faculty debate to a few minutes alone with a book or newspaper.
The Law School also expanded its computer infrastructure by installing dozens of terminal ports and wireless access points throughout the building - including the Lenfest Café and the outdoor terrace - enabling students to connect to research databases at the Law School and around the world.
Across the street from Greene Hall, William C. Warren Hall is home to the Columbia Law Review, Morningside Heights Legal Services (a Law School clinic), and the Center for Public Interest Law. The top floor, enclosed by glass and offering spectacular views of midtown Manhattan, is used for seminars and receptions.
William and June Warren Hall, opened in 1999, includes amphitheater-style classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art teaching resources, a center for the School's international programs, a center for student services, and conference facilities.
In 2003 Lenfest Hall, a Law School residence for students, couples, and families opened, comprising 24 one-bedroom apartments and 181 studio apartments, greatly strengthening Columbia's commitment to provide its students quality housing.
The renovation and expansion of the Law School's facilities have greatly enhanced the quality of life and learning at Columbia. Students have a superb learning environment that is conducive to community-building and social and intellectual engagement, and that reflects the changing nature of legal education in the twenty-first century.
You may explore the main building of the Law School, Jerome L. Greene Hall, by picking up a self-guided tour booklet at the Office of Graduate Legal Studies, which is on the 6th floor of William and June Warren Hall (1125 Amsterdam Avenue, on the corner of West 115th Street). Click below to access a PDF version of the booklet.
Regrettably, due to the extremely large number of applications we receive every year, we are unable to interview candidates or to make individual appointments with prospective students. Prospective students are welcome to stop by our office, and if someone is available, we will be happy to speak with you.
Tour Columbia University
On weekdays, maps and other materials for self-guided University tours are available in the Visitors Center, located in room 213 of Low Memorial Library. Low Library is the domed, national landmark building in the center of the University’s Campus Walk (which runs along West 116th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). The Visitors Center is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except for major holidays. No registration is required; however, a current Columbia I.D. is required to enter all buildings except Low Library. A virtual tour (www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/tour/) and podcast (www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/walking_tour.html) are also available.
A variety of upperclass courses are open to prospective students and visitors during the academic year, and we invite you to attend a sampling of subjects. We do ask that you arrive at the classroom a few minutes before the class is scheduled to begin, to provide the faculty member the courtesy of notifying him or her that you will be observing class that day.
Columbia Law School does not offer any classes during the summer. To view the class visitation schedule for Fall 2009, click here.
Columbia Law School is located on the main campus of Columbia University. The main Law School building, Jerome L. Greene Hall, is located on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 116th Street in Manhattan. The Office of Graduate Legal Studies is located on the 6th floor of William and June Warren Hall, which is located at 1125 Amsterdam Avenue, on the corner of West 115th Street.
There are several ways to get to Columbia Law School:
By Air: LaGuardia Airport is the closest airport to Manhattan and taxi fare to Columbia Law School is approximately $25. Bus service (the M60 city bus) from LaGuardia Airport to the Law School is also available.
JFK/Newark (Liberty International) Airports are slightly greater distances from Manhattan, and taxi fare to Columbia Law School from either airport is approximately $50. Private bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and to Grand Central Station in Manhattan is available. Free Airport Shuttle service to the subway (take the A train to Columbus Circle/59th Street, then transfer to the 1 train to Columbia University/116th Street) is also available but takes a considerably longer time. You can now also take the economical and efficient AirTrain monorail service from both JFK and Newark (Liberty International) Airports.
By Train/Bus: Train service to Manhattan arrives at either Grand Central or Pennsylvania Stations. Bus service to Manhattan arrives at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Once in Manhattan, take either public transportation or a taxi:
By Public Transportation: Five public bus lines (M4, M5, M11, M60, M104) and one subway line (the Broadway 1 Local) serve the Columbia University area. The Columbia University subway stop is 116th Street (on Broadway, one block west of the Law School).
Note: The Broadway 2/3 Express line does not stop at Columbia University. Please transfer for the 1 Local line at the 96th Street stop (uptown) for direct service to the 116th Street/Columbia University stop.
By Car: Columbia is best reached by taking the West 95th/96th Street exit of the Henry Hudson Parkway (West Side Highway).
Use the 95th Street off-ramp and turn left onto Riverside Drive. Proceed north to West 114th Street; turn right on 114th Street, and cross Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue. Turn left on Amsterdam Avenue and proceed two blocks north to West 116th Street. Jerome L. Greene Hall, Columbia Law School's main building, is on the northeast corner.
Henry Hudson Parkway From The North
New York Thruway (I-87) to Cross Bronx Expressway in the direction of the George Washington Bridge (GWB). Bear right as you approach the GWB and take the exit for the Henry Hudson Parkway south (last exit before the GWB). Exit the Parkway at West 95th Street and use the directions above to the Law School.
New England Thruway (I-95), which becomes the Cross Bronx Expressway. Bear right as you approach the GWB and take the exit for the Henry Hudson Parkway south (last exit before the GWB). Exit the Parkway at West 95th Street and use the directions above to the Law School.
Saw Mill Parkway south or Cross County Parkway west to Henry Hudson Parkway south (last exit before the GWB). Exit the Parkway at West 95th Street and use the directions above to the Law School.
Henry Hudson Parkway From The East
Grand Central Parkway or Long Island Expressway west to the Cross Island Parkway north. Cross over the Throgs Neck Bridge to the Cross Bronx Expressway (I-95) in the direction of the George Washington Bridge. Bear right as you approach the GWB and take the exit for the Henry Hudson Parkway south (last exit before the GWB). Exit the Parkway at West 95th Street and use the directions above to the Law School.
Henry Hudson Parkway From The South and West
New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) north or I-80 east to the George Washington Bridge. As you cross the GWB, take the exit for the Henry Hudson Parkway south (last exit before the GWB). Exit the Parkway at West 95th Street and use the directions above to the Law School.
Parking Please feel free to use any available street/metered parking near the Columbia campus. In addition, here is a partial listing of local parking garages available for visitors:
GGMC Garage - 520 West 112th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue IMPARK Garage - West 114th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue GMC Garage - 532 West 122nd Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue For a more complete list of nearby parking garages available for visitors, please visit the following website - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/reshalls/confpage/parking.html
