Which is better , as far as overall environment?
In terms of student experiences while in law school? I’d pick Penn. NYU housing has just got to be ridiculously expensive and cramped, and if you’re looking for fun times in Greenwich Village, just take the train up to NYC on weekends.
NYU is bigger and has room for more interesting students and a place to find friends. Size also helps to have a critical mass of students interest in public interest law, if that is attractive to you. The faculty is excellent, especially in tax and corporate law. Penn is smaller, intense, competitive, but it does have the Ivy League brand, if you value that. If you want to live in NYC, NYU is a great place to be. Greenwich Village is an incredibly vibrant place to live as a student and NYU has ample subsidized housing. Penn has nice facilities at the law school, but it’s in a sketchier part of Philadelphia. When I have done on-campus interviews, I much preferred to visit NYU over Penn.
If you are interested in international law, NYU trumps Penn in reputation.