The Cardozo student body is composed of smart, motivated problem solvers who come from more than 135 diverse undergraduate institutions from all over the United States and around the world. They bring with them a wide cross section of skills, backgrounds and experiences that enhance the life of the school. Student organizations allow you to bring different sets of skills, backgrounds and experiences to the life of the school.
New York City continually stokes the intellectual vigor and insatiable curiosity of our students. Studying law on Fifth Avenue—at the crossroads of Greenwich Village and Union Square—they are in the heart of Manhattan and at the center of the legal world. The neighborhoods surrounding Cardozo are teaming with culture, business, schools, artists and writers, and Silicon Alley, within walking distance, is an incubator for innovative startups. With the entire city at our doorstep, accessible by foot or subway, many Cardozo students receive a legal education that includes work on Wall Street, in the civil and criminal courts, in city and state government offices, at the United Nations, or at any of a myriad of businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout the five boroughs.
Our alumni play a major role in the Cardozo community, frequently coming to the school for talks or to mentor and offer career support to current students. Most students at Cardozo gain valuable hands-on experience in the legal profession working in the job market in New York. Students working in Cardozo's clinics experience a vast array of real-world legal challenges.
New York City’s museums, sports arenas, clubs, theaters and concert venues play a major role in every Cardozo student's life outside of school. Urban life includes outdoor sights such as the windows of Fifth Avenue, the scenic waterfront, the Highline (a restored elevated railway-turned-public park) and Washington Square Park. Neighborhood cafés and art galleries are too plentiful to list. And then there’s the food—from “Little Tokyo” on St. Mark’s Place, to cozy village gastropubs and bakeries, to Chinatown’s dumpling counters, New York cuisine offers something for every palate.
Cardozo students’ home base, however, is our 55 Fifth Avenue building. This heart of Cardozo life includes our Kathryn O. and Alan C. Greenberg Center for Student Life, with its spacious lounge and café, and the Dr. Lillian and Dr. Rebecca Chutick Law Library, which boasts an exceptionally comprehensive reference collection. Down a tree-lined street lies Cardozo’s residence hall, the Alabama—a newly renovated historic building. We are a welcoming community, and students demonstrate warmth, energy and commitment to a panoply of passions with over 120 student clubs.
Iris Yao '11"As a 1L from California not knowing anyone ... I quickly felt at ease because of Cardozo's tight-knit community. I built friendships that will last a lifetime."