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UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:03 pm
by xiayifeng412
Hi guys. I'm about to choose one school to put down deposit, any advice is welcome.

I am an international student and been admitted by Kent in Chicago and UMiami. I have been to Chicago for several times and like the environment of this city. I think the location of Kent is good because it is in downtown. However, I am not interested in IP which is an important feature of Kent.

For Miami, I know little about it. I don't speak spanish so I am worried that it will bring disadvantages to me when I seek jobs in Miami. Tax law is great in Miami and I wanna learn more about it.

The 2 schools are the only schools I consider. My family will pay for the all expense and actually I don't need to worry about the COA and debt at all. I am from China and I have practiced law in China for years. I want to find a job in US after graduation, it doesn't have to be a job with decent salary coz I only want to accumulate experience then go back to China to continue my career. I don't plan to retake LSAT.

I know the two are not great law schools but I still want to know which one is the better one comparatively. thanks for your much time.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:11 pm
by Winston1984
The answer is probably going to be neither, but answer all of these questions to get help.

In order to receive the best feedback in this forum, please provide as much of the following information in your original post as possible:

-The schools you are considering
-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each. COA = cost of tuition + fees + books + cost of living (COL) + accumulated interest - scholarships. Here is a helpful calculator.
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings
-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any)
-Your general career goals
-Your LSAT/GPA numbers
-How many times you have taken the LSAT

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:22 pm
by Traynor Brah
Winston1984 wrote:The answer is probably almost certainly going to be neither

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:37 pm
by KMart
xiayifeng412 wrote:So if don't consider COA and scholarships same, which one is the better choice for me? I don't plan to retake LSAT.
Ignoring that this is often an indicator the COA is absurd and you know you should retake but simply don't want to, go where you want to work. If you want to work in Chicago, go to Kent. If you want to work in Miami, go to Miami.

If you don't want to be burdened by debt you have a small probability of paying off, don't go to these schools or retake.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:41 pm
by twenty 8
UMiami has a fantastic campus and for lifestyle south Florida is equally as impressive. Miami’s legal market is in as good of shape as ever. We are bringing in 4 interns to help with the workload. BTW, much of the Spanish population speaks English.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:44 pm
by xiayifeng412
Winston1984 wrote:The answer is probably going to be neither, but answer all of these questions to get help.

In order to receive the best feedback in this forum, please provide as much of the following information in your original post as possible:

-The schools you are considering
-The total Cost of Attendance (COA) of each. COA = cost of tuition + fees + books + cost of living (COL) + accumulated interest - scholarships. Here is a helpful calculator.
-How you will be financing your COA, i.e. loans, family, or savings
-Where you are from and where you want to work, and other places where you have significant ties (if any)
-Your general career goals
-Your LSAT/GPA numbers
-How many times you have taken the LSAT
thanks for your advice. I have edited my question.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:48 pm
by KMart
xiayifeng412 wrote:thanks for your advice. I have edited my question.
Go where you want to work. Kent grads are going to Chicago. Miami grades are staying in Florida.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:55 pm
by xiayifeng412
twenty 8 wrote:UMiami has a fantastic campus and for lifestyle south Florida is equally as impressive. Miami’s legal market is in as good of shape as ever. We are bringing in 4 interns to help with the workload. BTW, much of the Spanish population speaks English.
thank you! Are you a student in Umiami? and I am glad to know language is not the problem. I can speak Chinese so I want to know whether it is be useful for seeking jobs in Miami?

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:58 pm
by xiayifeng412
KMart wrote:
xiayifeng412 wrote:thanks for your advice. I have edited my question.
Go where you want to work. Kent grads are going to Chicago. Miami grades are staying in Florida.
thanks. I preferred to Kent at first but it seems that everyone is against it in TSL :shock: .

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 2:59 pm
by BrazilBandit
xiayifeng412 wrote:Hi guys. I'm about to choose one school to put down deposit, any advice is welcome.

I am an international student and been admitted by Kent in Chicago and UMiami. I have been to Chicago for several times and like the environment of this city. I think the location of Kent is good because it is in downtown. However, I am not interested in IP which is an important feature of Kent.

For Miami, I know little about it. I don't speak spanish so I am worried that it will bring disadvantages to me when I seek jobs in Miami. Tax law is great in Miami and I wanna learn more about it.

The 2 schools are the only schools I consider. My family will pay for the all expense and actually I don't need to worry about the COA and debt at all. I am from China and I have practiced law in China for years. I want to find a job in US after graduation, it doesn't have to be a job with decent salary coz I only want to accumulate experience then go back to China to continue my career. I don't plan to retake LSAT.

I know the two are not great law schools but I still want to know which one is the better one comparatively. thanks for your much time.
I am an international student as well and you have to be very careful here... jobs that sponsor H1B visas (temporary work permits) are usually the higher paying ones, and those will be difficult to get (as a lawyer) from UM and Kent. If you take enough tax classes you might try tax advisory at one of the Big 4 accounting firms. Since you don't have to worry about debt, sit out a year and attend a T14 even at sticker (once again ONLY DO THAT IF YOU'RE NOT THE ONE PAYING FOR IT). Otherwise you have to lower the risk of pursuing a JD here by attending the most cost effective school. trust me, you don't wanna spend 250K+ for a degree that is quite limited abroad.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:11 pm
by Johann
Go where you want to work.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:35 pm
by Julien_Benda
Kent isn't even the best law school in its own zip code, so I vote Miami.

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 3:47 pm
by ilikebaseball
twenty 8 wrote:UMiami has a fantastic campus and for lifestyle south Florida is equally as impressive. Miami’s legal market is in as good of shape as ever. We are bringing in 4 interns to help with the workload. BTW, much of the Spanish population speaks English.
Okay, will somebody please put a stop to this before somebody ends up making a bad decision

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:37 am
by xiayifeng412
BrazilBandit wrote:
xiayifeng412 wrote:Hi guys. I'm about to choose one school to put down deposit, any advice is welcome.

I am an international student and been admitted by Kent in Chicago and UMiami. I have been to Chicago for several times and like the environment of this city. I think the location of Kent is good because it is in downtown. However, I am not interested in IP which is an important feature of Kent.

For Miami, I know little about it. I don't speak spanish so I am worried that it will bring disadvantages to me when I seek jobs in Miami. Tax law is great in Miami and I wanna learn more about it.

The 2 schools are the only schools I consider. My family will pay for the all expense and actually I don't need to worry about the COA and debt at all. I am from China and I have practiced law in China for years. I want to find a job in US after graduation, it doesn't have to be a job with decent salary coz I only want to accumulate experience then go back to China to continue my career. I don't plan to retake LSAT.

I know the two are not great law schools but I still want to know which one is the better one comparatively. thanks for your much time.
I am an international student as well and you have to be very careful here... jobs that sponsor H1B visas (temporary work permits) are usually the higher paying ones, and those will be difficult to get (as a lawyer) from UM and Kent. If you take enough tax classes you might try tax advisory at one of the Big 4 accounting firms. Since you don't have to worry about debt, sit out a year and attend a T14 even at sticker (once again ONLY DO THAT IF YOU'RE NOT THE ONE PAYING FOR IT). Otherwise you have to lower the risk of pursuing a JD here by attending the most cost effective school. trust me, you don't wanna spend 250K+ for a degree that is quite limited abroad.
thanks for your advice. I understand your worry. The 3-year JD program can strengthen my English and help me pass the bar exam. It is definitely useful for Chinese lawyers .

Re: UMiami vs. Kent in Chicago

Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:53 am
by twenty
There are substantially cheaper ways to improve your English than through a (not great) American law school.