Hey all, I'm looking into law school in Florida. I'm drawn to the cheap in-state tuition of UF, even though I'm having a fab time in ugrad in NYC . However, I eventually want to work SoFla, probably Miami. Is it worth it to pay for UMiami, even though it's ranked lower than UF? Who snatches the best jobs in the Miami area? Thanks for the help.

No.

Miami does well in Miami and South Florida in general, but UF is clearly the superior school. If you're not getting SIGNIFICANT $$ from Miami, I'd say it's not even a question that UF is the better choice here.

Okay thanks for the advice. I guess I was just looking for any reason to stay away from [what i think is] a boring college town. Kinda ironic that, assuming I get into UF, law school will be my first experience at a real college campus. Damn.

Well apply to both and see what happens, but if cost is a really serious consideration for you .. and you're a FL resident, it's going to be nearly impossible to beat UF.

You'll love UF. I know it isn't a big city like you're used to, but it is pretty fun. You'll find plenty to do and if you haven't had a real college campus experience, there is none better. I did undergrad and grad school at UF and besides the hot summers it is a fun place. Gainesville is pretty centrally located in the state so you can get to all the big cities pretty easily. My wife and I have often gone to St Augustine for the day. We've been to Tampa and Jax just for football games. We've even gone to Tampa just for dinner one night. Orlando is about an hour and a half drive. Plus, UF has such a large student body, there are people there of ALL types and interests. You'll will find a place at UF that you feel at home. Good luck.

R

thank you for your insight!

That must have been one heck of a dinner. I'm guessing, Berns Steakhouse?

As for the OP, I would agree with other statements to apply to both and see if UM is willing to give you money. Otherwise, UF will give you better overall opportunity in the state.

Boom. No kidding, we're going there this weekend again to celebrate graduation of P90X. Bern's might be the best reason to go to Stetson.

I went to UF for undergrad, and although I agree the school is AMAZING! It is not centrally located. It is a college town but that is all it offers. I would say UF>UM for job prospects in Miami.

The group that snatches the best jobs in the Miami area come from out-of-state schools (unfortunately).

UM probably has a more alumni in the upper levels in Miami.

Ultimately, that is what matters if you know where you want to practice when you are selecting law schools (and the schools being compared are relevant).

UMiami is Miami's SMU (SMU = Dallas).

I don't believe any school is worth the sticker price (if it was worth what they charge for it, they would be charging more for it).

If Miami offered you a nice scholarship = UMiami

If they didn't = UF

If they didn't and no UF = go out of state

Dude, you're 6-7 hours from Pensacola and 6-7 hours from Miami. You're less than 2 hours from Tallahassee, Jacksonville, St Augustine, Orlando, and Tampa. You can spend the day on the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic Coast. By centrally located I mean, while Gainesville might be just a college town, you can find any amenity of a big city in just a couple hours. On the other hand, I don't know about UF vs. UM job prospects in Miami. I was told my a reputable source though, that for jobs in Florida your best bet is Harvard and then UF. I know you HYS jerks will probably jump on me, but from what I've seen that seems to be true.

Aberzombie,
If UM is Miami's SMU, does that mean UF is Florida's UT? I'd say to a certain extent it is, but to another extent it is not. But really, I don't know much about Miami job prospects. You said the best job prospects are from out of state. Any more light you can shed on that? Are we talking T14?

Heres another question:

like most people on this website, your probably going to get a 75-100% scholly to UM... which makes tuition a non-issue.

In this case, at the same price, which school are you likely to get a better job out of? I've heard UM is more academically rigorous, however I'd bet the people at UF are more intelligent. given their ranks, you have to graduate high in your class to land a top job.

so, which school are you likely to get a better job out of? ie, which school is it easier to graduate high at?

or, if you graduate top 30% at UF, is that like graduating top 15% at UM?

Thanx in advance

.

1. UMiami is not as liberal with scholarships as you seem to think, actually.

2. ITE, TCR is if you're not top 10% (top 5%?) outside of the T30, you're up a river without a paddle either way...

Edited for accuracy

I going to do a quick Career Development Office run-through

Employers look at a three things when they look at cover letters/resumes:

1. What school you went to
2. What did your grades look like
3. Do you have any connections to the state/city (this should be on your cover letter)

#3 is where things become hazy.

If a Floridian(?) left FL to go to prestigious school X and returned there after graduating, they would be looked at favorably over a student that stayed in FL (if the school is considered "better").

If someone was not a native Floridian (nor went to school in FL) and went to school out of state - and they wanted to establish the "home" connection - all they have to do is spend their summers between each year in law school in Florida.

Once they graduate, they will have the same "home" connection to FL that they would have had had they been from there (this is true for any state).

I do know that UGA and Tulane place decent amounts of their graduates each year in FL.

T-14s as well.

But I'm pretty sure every single one of the T-50 schools have students from FL.

Unfortunately, most states/employers will say that they look most favorably on the best public school in-state.

If you are from FL, look at larger firms you would consider working for there.

See how many partners came from UF/UM/FSU.

Good advice. Do this. Then tell us what you find.
(Delegation is the highest form of leadership)

In the bold, are you referring to ugrad institution? or law school? also, in terms of acceptance to law school does the same apply? fwiw, i go to nyu-- would that make me a more attractive candidate than FL residents who stay in FL for law school? i am a FL resident, but wondering how my choice of ugrad would play into law school acceptance. speaking of which, i turned down UF for ugrad... would that be a negative??

What if your a student interested in working in Miami and doing business and financial law? Could the location for summer work experience make UM a better choice? Ive been thinking alot lately and it seems like regional schools that dominate their market are the best option (if you cant do T14), like SMU for Dallas, USD for San Diego, and UM for Miami. Thoughts? I know this seems like common sense, but Id sa it might be better to go to a school like SMU, UM, or USD ranked below 50, over a 25 or 30 ranked school that faces competition.