| |
|
« TLS Profiles - TLS Programs - TLS Stats - Rankings The Florida State University College of LawWritten by Hadi Sedigh
Admissions and Tuition: With over 3,000 applicants annually vying for less than 300 seats, the admissions process of Florida State Law School is highly selective. The school usually receives more applications per year than the higher ranked University of Florida College of Law, although Florida State Law School has half as many seats in a typical entering class. For the 2009 entering class, the most recent class for which enrollment statistics are available, about 3,000 applications were received, of which 1000 were approved, and 225 of those admitted matriculated to form the Class of 2012. This entering class’s median LSAT score was 160, and its GPA was 3.53. Generally speaking, applicants with numbers near or above these medians should be competitive in future application cycles at Florida State Law. Of course, applicants with lower numbers should not lose hope, as an applicant that can effectively highlights his or her strong suits and diversity through the application can increases chances of admission tremendously regardless of numbers. In terms of tuition, attending Florida State Law is a wise choice for Florida residents. For the 2009-2010 academic year, residents of the state paid about $14,199 in tuition, while non-residents paid a little more than $31,210. Non-residents can also take advantage of resident rates after their first year at the law school if they are able to demonstrate, usually through such measures as tax payment and voter registration in the state, their intention to reside in Florida indefinitely, and not just for the duration of their stay at the law school. Academics and Curriculum: After passing the usual set of core requirements during the 1L year, students at Florida State Law School can choose from among 110 elective courses to fulfill the remainder of their 88 required credit-hours. Aside from required and elective courses, numerous opportunities are available for students who wish to broaden or narrow the focus of their JD degrees. The latter can be accomplished through one of the school’s several certification programs in areas relevant to the legal issues of Florida, such as Natural Resources Law and Land Use Law. Students who wish to take their legal education outside of the traditional classroom setting will also have many opportunities to do so through the school’s various clinical externship programs in such places as the state courts located in Tallahassee, the White House, and London. Another program located in England and offered by the school is its summer study-abroad program at Oxford University, which allows Florida State Law students to study comparative law at one of the most respected institutions of legal education in the world. For students who wish to pursue interdisciplinary paths while at law school, Florida State Law provides seven joint-degree programs, including the JD/MBA program and the JD/Master program in International Affairs. Quality of Life:
Employment Prospects and Bar Passage: In the state of Florida, Florida State Law School students enjoy great and reliable employment prospects. The school’s name carries great weight with many of the state’s top-firms, who come to Tallahassee annually to interview top students. As is the case with most schools ranked similarly to Florida State Law, however, employment prospects begin to decrease as one looks outside of the state, and the school’s name becomes less and less valued outside of the southern states. Students who wish to find employment elsewhere will likely have a considerably more difficult job search and will have to rely more on the efforts of the school’s career services office and on the assistance of the school’s loyal alumni network. In all, about 80% of Florida State Law grads begin their practice of the law in the state of Florida, and more than 95% have usually found jobs within 9 months of graduation. In terms of bar passage, Florida State Law grads succeed at a rate higher than the state of Florida’s overall success rate. On the Class of 2007's administrations of the exam, 89% of first-time takers from Florida State Law School passed, while only 78% of all takers in the state passed. After passing the bar exam, most Florida State Law School students choose to enter the private sector, and a considerable amount choose governmental employment in Tallahassee. For the most recent graduating class of Florida State Law for which employment statistics are available, the median first year salary of those who entered the private sector was $67,500. Synopsis: The Florida State University College of Law should be on the short list of applicants who reside in Florida as well as applicants who hope to find employment in the state. Florida residents can attain a fine legal education at a bargain price at the school, while all students enjoy great employment prospects in the state of Florida. Contact Information: Florida State University College of Law Quick Reference: U.S. News ranking: 52nd |
Stanford Law School Yale Law School Harvard Law School University of Virginia School of Law Pepperdine Law School Northwestern Law School Cornell Law School Michigan Law School Golden Gate Law School Duke Law School Columbia Law School Temple Law School Loyola Law School UCLA School of Law Villanova Law School New York University Law School UC Hastings Law School Santa Clara Law School UPenn Law School Berkeley Boalt Hall University of Chicago Law School UC Davis Law School Fordham Law School George Washington Law School Georgetown University Law Center New York Law School UNC Chapel Hill Law School Boston College Law School Boston University School of Law Emory University Law School The University of Iowa College of Law University of Minnesota Law School The University of Texas School of Law The University of Southern California School of Law (Gould) Vanderbilt University Law School Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wisconsin Law School The University of Alabama School of Law George Mason University School of Law The University of Colorado School of Law Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington University of Notre Dame Law School The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law The University of Washington School of Law William & Mary Law School Washington and Lee University School of Law The Arizona State University College of Law The Baylor University School of Law The Case Western Reserve University School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law The Brigham Young University Law School The Southern Methodist University School of Law Tulane University Law School The University of Connecticut School of Law University of Florida Levin College of Law Wake Forest University School of Law Vermont Law School The University of Utah College of Law Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of Yeshiva University The University of Tennessee College of Law The University of Cincinnati College of Law The University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Maryland School of Law The University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Houston College of Law The Florida State University College of Law Chicago-Kent College of Law (Illinois Institute of Technology) Brooklyn Law School University of Arizona College of Law American University College of Law University of San Diego School of Law Northeastern University School of Law University Of Miami School Of Law University of Richmond Law Oregon School Of Law Lewis & Clark School of Law Rutgers Law - Camden South Carolina Law Seattle University School of Law PSU School of Law Canada: University of Toronto Faculty of Law DePaul University College of Law Rutgers-Newark School of Law Hofstra Law School Seton Hall Law School Missouri - Columbia Law School Indiana University Indianapolis Law Buffalo Law School UNLV Law School St. John's School of Law The University of Denver Law School University of Louisville School of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law Georgia State University College of Law Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Loyola University Chicago School of Law Marquette University Law School University of Kansas School of Law Canada: University of Alberta Faculty of Law St. Louis University School of Law University of New Mexico School of Law Catholic University's Columbus School of Law The University of Maine School of Law Gonzaga University School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law University of San Francisco School of Law Canada: Dalhousie Law School Canada: McGill University Faculty of Law Canada: University of Ottawa Faculty of Law Canada: Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) Canada: UBC Faculty of Law IE Law School- Northwestern Law Executive LLM Program IE Law School- Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Practice University of California – Irvine School of Law |
The Florida State University College of Law is a public law school located in Florida’s capital city of Tallahassee. Students at the school enjoy tremendous opportunities and resources while at the law school, thanks to the university’s large campus and the city’s many courts and law firms. For applicants who reside in the state of Florida, and for those with hopes of working there after law school, Florida State Law is a great option, as the school charges low in-state rate tuition to Florida residents and provides its students with great employment prospects in the state. 
A key factor in the great quality of life of FSU Law School students is the university’s huge campus and student population. There is never a shortage of parties to attend and places to go on and around Florida State, including many affordable and hip restaurants, cafes, and bars. At the same time, housing suitable for students is plentiful on and close to campus, especially for law students, who are usually able to find apartments within walking distance of the law school. The University’s powerhouse football team also plays a part in the quality of life of students, as countless social opportunities precede and follow football games each fall semester. FSU Law School students who prefer to socialize more with their classmates can partake in the weekly bar reviews hosted by the school’s student bar association, as well as numerous other events held throughout the academic year at the law school. All this, combined with the welcoming weather of Tallahassee, makes for a relatively enjoyable three years of law school for FSU Law School students.